


Fallout: Zootopia

by CiderStripes



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Bonding, Crossover, Developing Relationship, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, F/M, Fear, Friendship, Gen, Healing, Interspecies Relationship(s), Other, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-06-02 13:33:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 82
Words: 566,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6568300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiderStripes/pseuds/CiderStripes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fear, treachery, blood-lust. These were once the most basic instincts of every mammal, but these are also some of the most basic themes of war.  The animals of the world, both predator and prey, have faced times of peace, working and living together in (mostly) harmony. This all fell apart when war broke out. No one knew who started it, but it was a joint effort of all animals that ended it. With the world torn asunder on the surface, many sought shelter in the Burrows deep beneath the ground. </p>
<p>This is the story of survival, both within and without.  Deep below the surface, the residents of Burrow 76 have lived without any knowledge of the outside world. Within the Burrow it's residents are thriving and all are healthy and safe. Everyone is happy. All but one. This is her story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Deep Down, We are Still Animals

War. War never changes.

Thousands of years ago the world was divided into two major groups of animals. There were the predators: strong, fierce, and dominating the at the top of the food chain. Then there were the prey: meek, frail, and while their numbers were greater, they still cowered in fear of the predators. It was not the need to expand or a battle over resources, it was simply a fight for their own survival. 

Over time the different species put away their claws and started to develop their minds. They created cities, new technologies, and drastically changed their way of life. This new life included the union of predator and prey forging a peace that would exist for centuries, forever changing how the world of mammals would interact with each other. 

Unfortunately, evolution comes at a cost. Peace cannot exist without those whom oppose it. In the past, war was symbolized by the most basic of needs: food, shelter, reproduction. Predators killed to eat and fought to gain better hunting grounds. Prey foraged and sought shelter from those who would make meals of them. 

Today wars are fought over resources, land, and due to bigotry. Hate and fear still live within the world. Even in great cities such as Zootopia, where peace and harmony are advocated, a place where anyone can be anything, there does still exist the primal urges that resides deep within every mammal. The urges that make prey turn against predators. Predators shunned for simply what they are. A place where fear still exists deep within the subconscious of everyone. It is because of this that war will never fade. 

War is inevitable. For the most basic need for war comes down to survival, and it is because of this that war never truly changes. 

For years there was a growing unease in the world. As resources started to dwindle, many nations began to find ways to harness the natural resources of other countries. This caused violence to break out between the nations, and even as the World Peace Organization attempted to maintain trusts and find ways to share resources, it did not help to quell the growing violence. Anonymous threats started to fall upon the different nations. Rumors of prey uprising in Oxenburg. Missing mammals in Slothrend. Vicious predator attacks in cities around the world. The world was starting to break.

The world changed when the first nuclear bomb went off. The arctic nation of Svalbear were the first to demonstrate the devastation of a nuclear blast. It detonated it high in the air where it’s power could be seen for thousands of miles. Soon nations all over were creating their own weapons of mass destruction to protect themselves from the inevitable. 

In this age of fear one group stepped up to bring peace of mind to the masses. Burrow-Tec, founded within Zootopia’s Little Rodentia district, promised to keep mammals of all species safe. From the smallest mouse to the tallest giraffe. They designed the Burrows. State of the art underground shelters that can house hundreds of animals comfortably for decades. These high tech shelters offered the world a shining light in the encroaching darkness. Combined with the technological efforts of SwineCo, leader in robotic technologies, these Burrows were built within record times. Many hoped that there would not be need for these shelters. They were wrong. 

In the year 3026 in the Modern Era, a thermonuclear explosive went off in Zootopia’s Tundratown. It was unexpected and caught the rest of the world by surprise. No one took credit for the detonation but it did not matter. Nations started to fire their own warheads at those they thought were responsible. The war only lasted a few hours. After the smoke cleared the world was reduced to ash. Many were able to make it into the safety of Burrows, but many more lost their lives that day. 

When the doors to Burrow 76 closed on that fateful day, the residents were told that it would reopen again in thirty years once the world above was safe again.

It is now the year 3228, and the doors are still sealed.


	2. Welcome to Burrow 76!

“Miss Springs, it is time to get up. Your test will be beginning shortly and you must be prompt for once.”

Morning. At least I think it’s morning. Time often seems abstract this far beneath the ground. When I was very young my mother often woke me up saying, “good morning sunshine” and I always asked her, “how do we know it’s morning if we can’t see past the ceiling, and how do we know what sunshine looks like if we’ve never seen it before?” She always told me that I was the smartest bunny in the Burrow; I just wish that everyone else could see me how she did. 

“Miss Springs! I insist you stop your day dreaming and get out of that bed! The Overseer just relayed a message over my communication channel, she is coming here personally to make sure you co-operate this time.”

I have been dreading this day. I knew that they were going to force me to take that damn test today, I just did not think they would send _her_ to force me to take it. It was well over my due date to take it, by a few years actually, but I have always managed to find a way to worm out of it. My first time I pretended to be sick, and it helped that there just happened to be a small, yet harmless, contagion making its rounds. The next test I just so happened to ‘break’ my leg while helping Doctor Rattigan. He wrote up an excuse and everything. All I had to do was promise to fix some of his worn out equipment. Once I even managed to hack the test system and removed my examiner identification from the test list. Last year was really the only time when I missed it for a genuine reason; the year she passed away. I always start to tear up when I think about my mother. She was the only one who truly understood me. 

I wiped my tears off on my pillow before I turned towards the voice that kept disturbing me. Damn this bed was comfortable.

“Ok, ok, Onion. I’ll get up. You don’t have to use the shocker this time. I really don’t know why I installed that thing anyways.”

“Finally Miss. The Overseer will be here in fifteen minutes. You should really get dressed. I made you a nice hot bowl of carrot grits.”

Boy was he direct. I guess it’s my fault for programming him like that. After my mother… left, I had no one in my life. I did not know my father, and I honestly don’t think my mother ever knew who it was. We often played guessing games as to who it could be. “He has chestnut fur just like mine!” I would point out. “Looks at him, he has ears. On his head, just like you!” my mother would joke. I don’t think she ever did want to know; she was just happy with the two of us. That’s why I could never stand the void she left. So I built a robot. 

“Miss Springs! She will be here in _five_ minutes. Get up. Get dressed. Now.”

I really should have given him a sense of humor. Or at least made him a bit more mellow. Or just not given him a voice at all. 

I slowly got out of my bed, slowly folded my blankets and took my time making them look nice. Onion just floated in the air, staring at me. If he had eyes I am sure he would be giving me _the look_ , but I don’t care. Maybe if I take long enough the Overseer would just give up on waiting for me and leave me alone. That thought was short lived when I heard two knocks on my door. She did not even announce herself, she just walked right in. 

“Olivia Springs, you should have been ready by now” she squeaked out in a voice the suit her size. “You have five minutes to get dressed and then you are coming with me.”

I didn’t say anything, I just nodded as I went over to my dresser. I grabbed my Burrow jumpsuit and some clean undergarments, and headed into the lavatory. I really hated the Overseer. It wasn’t because she was a rat, and that the rodent population outnumbers the bunny population four to one, and how most rodents tend to look down on the rabbits because of the population gap. It wasn’t even her personality. When I was younger my mother told me all about the fact that they were good friends, and that the Overseer was really sweet and kind and always went out of the way to make every resident, rodent or rabbit, feel safe. It was her adamant adhesion to Burrow policies that made me hate her. 

She said five minutes. I plan on making it five minutes. I took my time washing my fur before slowly slipping on my clothes. The entire time that test was on my mind. Many of the residents have a unique skill or talent. Some were natural chefs while others seemed to have be born into plant husbandry. I was one of the best at mechanical things. No, I am the best. Everyone knows that I can fix almost anything mechanical in nature. From a mouse’s tiny watch to the most advanced Pip-Boar. That test however, did not care. You could be the first doctor to create a magical cure-all, and you would still be assigned to the janitorial department. Everyone hated it, but once you were assigned your Overseer approved, Burrow-Tec sanctioned career, it didn’t matter. Here in Burrow 76, the Overseer’s word is law. 

“Times up Springs. Let’s go.”

“Can’t I eat first? I’ve always read that you should never take a test on an empty stomach.”

“No Springs. You have wasted enough time as it is.”

Well, I tried. 

I started to grab my tool belt when the Overseer chimed in, “Leave that there. Your robot stays, along with your Pip-Boar. I know how clever you are Springs, and you have evaded the test for far too long now. I will make sure you find no more excuses.”

I looked at Onion. He flashed a couple lights and his rounded body bobbed up and down slightly as if he was giving her a shrug. I looked back at him with a look that he knew all too well that said ‘you’re no help’. I turned and followed the small animal, careful not to step on her tail as it swayed back and forth as she strode down the hallway. It was a quiet walk. I have read enough murder mysteries that this felt like taking the long walk down death row, only I never got to eat my last meal. Maybe I will be lucky and some freak accident will kill me before I’m cleaning the kitchen for the rest of my life. Wishful thinking Olivia, wishful thinking. 

I did not see many residents on my way to where I would meet my fate. Usually it was a bit livelier then this; children running down the halls, Mr. Abernathy trying to unlock his quarters with a spatula, and typically I would be assaulted by the smells of fresh baked carrot cake or the savory smell of minestrone cooking. What time was it anyway? I never did look at my Pip-Boar to get the time, I figured that I overslept like usual. After this I think I will go back to bed since obviously it is way too early to be up. Wonder if the Overseer would let me get a cup of coffee, or two, or a whole carafe. 

We finally stopped at the doors to the classroom … or rather she stopped. I almost stepped on her. Well, if she were to be accidentally killed by my foot, maybe I can get another delay. I would say that I am suffering from trauma from accidentally killing another living thing. They would buy that, right? Unfortunately, I won’t be able to find out because my foot was planted on the ground as she opened the door and entered, signaling me to follow. She pointed towards a desk right at the front as she climbed a small ladder to the top of the larger instructor’s desk. These seats were never comfortable. A stiff metal seat that attached to a large metal table with a carrot shaped pen and some sheets of paper. Due to the size differences between the rodents and the rabbits, they typically had the larger desks in the back and the smaller ones elevated near the front. My desk had obviously been moved to accommodate me, especially since I noticed that no one else is here. A private event, just for me. Doesn’t that make me feel special? 

“Ok Springs, this is how it will work. On your desk is the Career Aptitude Test, or C.A.T. for short. This test will present you with ten questions. You will answer all ten. There is no wrong answer so just pick what feels right. To make sure that nothing happens to delay this test, I will be sitting here, waiting for you to finish. I also will not be utilizing my terminal to ‘grade’ the test, but rather I will use the physical grading materials, just in case you happened to mess with anything again. The test is over, you will leave it on the table and I will escort you out. After that you are free for the rest of the day. I will send you your results and first day’s assignment by this evening so you have plenty of time to prepare yourself. Do you understand all that?”

I simply nodded. My head started to hurt, my nose began to twitch rapidly, and my fur was feeling matted. I was not ready. When the Overseer told me to begin I don’t think it registered right away. I sat there for what felt like an eternity before the Overseer snapped me out of it. I picked up the pen and turned over the first page. 

I read the first question to myself. _‘While working in the science labs a rather ghastly scientist comes up behind you and whispers into your ear, “How would you like me to put my dinglebop through your grumbo?” What’s your response?’_ My response? To what!? I have no idea what I just read. I scanned it over and over and still had no idea what this thing was talking about. No wonder everyone gets crap jobs after this. I don’t even thing the author of this test knew what he was typing. After looking at the selection of answers I went with _‘Just as long as you use quality fleeb’_. That sounded like I knew what I was talking about, even if I had no idea. Onto the next question. 

The next few seemed a bit more logical. What would I do if I found a lost child with a stolen item, how would I respond if I suddenly grew extra limbs, how would I use a virtual history chamber if chosen to test it, and so on. One of them made me chuckle with my response. The question read: _‘Your gram-mama invites you in for a cannoli, but you are surprised when she asks you to ice another Burrow resident. What do you do?’_ I have no idea what a cannoli is, but finding a bucket of ice and dumping it on the resident seemed like something I’d enjoy, especially if that resident was the Overseer. Then I got to the last question. This had to be a joke, right? It asked who was the most important person in the Burrow. The answer was the Overseer. _Every_. _Single_. _Answer_. What is the sense of picking an answer if they were all the same! At least I was done.

I stood up, put my pen down on the desk and just stared at her. She asked if I was done and I just nodded. I tried to talk as little as possible to her, maybe she would feel guilty and just throw it away and let me do what I wanted to do, what I was good at doing. It was wishful thinking. She would never do that, especially since it would be against Burrow policies. She could take those ‘policies’ and shove them up her tiny ass. 

After she escorted me out of the classroom and closed the door behind her I went straight to my quarters. I passed by a few residents who looked like they just got out of bead. It was still way too early for me. While I was trying to think about my bed awaiting me I heard a small voice come from below me. 

“Olivia. You look well.” 

I looked down and saw that I was mere inches from stepping on him. It’s often hard for a rabbit to live with such small residents, especially a quiet gerbil like himself. No wonder some of them seemed to resent the rabbits, they are like clumsy giants to them. 

“Oh I am sorry. I did not see you. I am just really tired, I hate being up this early. What time is it anyways?” 

“It is no problem my dear. It is just about 6:30 in the morning. I was kinda surprised to see you up this early to be honest.”

“Yeah, I finally got around to taking my C.A.T.” I don’t think I could have said that with any more of a spiteful tone.

“Well then my dear, I will be happy to see what becomes of that. I know you are very handy with your tools. I am sure you will get your dream career just as I did. Now then, breakfast is calling me my dear, you go home and rest. That test can be such a dreary thing to some.”

I faked the best smile I could before continuing back to my quarters. When I got back, Onion greeted me with as much gusto as he could. 

“Welcome home Miss. I took the liberty of procuring you a fresh slice of carrot cake from the cafeteria.”

The cake looked delicious but I just wanted to lie down. I stripped off my jumpsuit and crashed onto my bed wearing nothing but my panties. I really hated tight fitting clothing like that jumpsuit but I did not have much other clothing, nothing ever really felt like it suited me better. Onion must have noticed that I was in no mood to talk so he went on and busied himself with cleaning up my abandoned clothing. I closed my eyes and tried to push everything out of my head. I just wanted to sleep, and maybe I will wake up and everything will be better. Maybe Mr. Felwick was right and I will get my dream career. I mean, even the Overseer could see how well the Burrow would be if I was in charge of maintenance. Isn’t that the point of the Overseer to make sure both the Burrow and its residents are well kept and happy? I yawned once before I fell asleep.

***

“Miss, Miss! Wake up. Twice in one day, must be some kind of record.”

“Wha… what is it Onion? I was having the nicest dream.”

“The Overseer just comm’d me your results. I took the liberty of sending it to your Pip-Boar, you should read it.”

Results? Already? How long did I sleep? I jumped up as I remembered bits of my dream. I was lead technician of the Burrow. Everything was running smoother than even when it first opened. In my dream the Burrow finally opened and a high ranking member of Burrow-Tec was the first to give us the good news. The world was healed and we were free to leave and live our lives on the surface. After doing an inspection of the Burrow he was beyond impressed and instantly hired me to be the chief engineer of Burrow-Tec! I got my dream job at last! The excitement filled me with energy as I grabbed my Pip-Boar and opened up its internal messaging program. 

_Springs, Olivia. 20. Female. Rabbit. On behalf of Burrow 76’s Overseer and by command of Burrow-Tec, the world’s leader in mammal safety, do we present the results of the carefully crafted Career Aptitude Test. These results, which will be dutifully enforced by your current Overseer, entitle you to not only the luxuries that the career provides, but also allows you to take part of the betterment of the Burrow and it’s residents._

_Congratulations! You have been selected to be Burrow 76’s newest…_


	3. Everyone Has a Place in the Burrow.

“Waste Management Specialist!?”

I couldn’t believe what I was reading! I knew that test was a load of crap but this shows just how much it really is. I looked over the message multiple times, hoping that maybe I read it wrong. I even asked Onion if it was possible that he got the wrong file, but he reminded me that the files were encoded with my name and personal information. I threw my Pip-Boar on the ground in anger. This can’t be right. This has to be a joke, a cruel, sadistic joke. I am sure she is probably in her office laughing her tiny rat ass off. Why couldn’t the Overseer have been a rabbit. Maybe one of my own kind would have gone easy on me. Those damn rodents are always looking down on us rabbits. I figured since the Overseer and my mother were friends that she would give me a little slack, but apparently they were not good enough friends. 

I went into my dresser and pulled out a clean jumpsuit and put it on. I was going to go have a little talk with the Overseer. I am sure she purposely did this to me. She _did_ say that she was going to manually process the results rather than use the Burrow-Tec grading system. I will force her to put it through the system. I don’t care what it takes. Even if I get thrown into a security cell, that would be better than plunging toilets for the rest of my life. _Anything_ would be better than that. 

“Miss? You look agitated.”

I look agitated. Gee, I wonder why? 

“I am going to give the Overseer a little visit. I think there may have been a mistake.”

“You are not going to do anything rash, are you? Remember the incident with the lemming?”

I chuckled to myself a little bit. That rodent had it coming. A few months back Chester, a lemming who worked down in the reactor, had come to me because his Pip-Boar’s monitoring software was on the fritz. Apparently instead of monitoring the reactor for power fluctuations, he was busy playing a game called Angry Bats. When he got frustrated that he couldn’t beat a level, he tried to hack into it to give him a better score. It seemed that rather than hacking the game, he accidentally hacked the power-grid, causing the loss of power to the living sector of the Burrow. He really wanted me to fix it. I said sure as long as he could let me take a look at the operating schematics for the reactor. I was trying to solve a power problem with Onion, and thought that be a good way to help me with that. 

Unfortunately, after I fixed his problem, instead of going through with his end of the deal, he turned me in to security saying that I was the reason for the power outage. He was afraid that he would get caught playing games instead of doing his job. Since I had access to his Pip-Boar, I also had access to his Pip ID, a number unique to all Pip-Boars. It usually allowed a user to track any Pip-Boar user, but I knew how to use it to gain access to one remotely. After security let me go, I hacked into Chester’s Pip-Boar and I have him the high score he wanted, but also broadcasted his victory cheering throughout the Burrow’s communication system. Suffice it to say, I had the last laugh, he was assigned an assistant that followed him his entire shift to make sure he was doing his work. 

“Don’t worry Onion, I know exactly what I am doing. I’ll be back shortly.”

I attached my Pip-Boar to my wrist and left my quarters. One way or another I was going to get my way. I know it sounded selfish, but I can do better than working in sanitation.

***

I entered into the hallway that connected directly to the Overseer’s office. Her office door was like many within the Burrow, it was a large door that a rabbit could enter with ease, but nested at the bottom was a smaller door specifically designed for rodents of various sizes. She always said that she had an ‘open door’ policy, yet I never have seen either of her doors open. She never seemed to be in her office when you need her and in lieu of that she had installed a message terminal to the left of her door, and a smaller one to the right of the rodent sized door. They were there to allow you to leave a note or message for her so she would not have to be bothered with trivial matters. 

This was no trivial matter. I curled my paw and started to pound on the door. Of course she did not answer, so I kept on doing it until my hand was sore. My ears picked up a small beep from the connected terminal and it caused my eyes to drift to it. There was a message on it that caused me to stop pounding for a moment as I read it.

_THANK YOU FOR VISITING THE OVERSEER’S OFFICE. IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT THE OVERSEER, PLEASE COMPOSE A SHORT MESSAGE BELOW WITH YOUR BURROW IDENTIFICATION AND THE OVERSEER WILL BE WITH YOU SHORTLY._

Contact me shorty? No. I will be talking to her now. I started to pound on the door again and started to scream. I think I used every swear word in my repertoire, which is not very much, my mother never liked it when I copied the others when they swore. Even though screaming for the Overseer to open the door, that I demanded to see her did not work, I knew she was in there. Why did she not want to talk to me? I am feeling calm, and collected, and… 

Fuck this. I pried open the maintenance panel on the terminal and withdrew the Pip-Boar cable and connected it to the terminal. After a few seconds I was tapped into the messaging system. I could not directly access the Overseer’s terminal from here, but I could access the communication system in the area, and that _was_ connected to the one in her office. Once I had a successful connection I turned on my broadcaster. 

“Overseer Tara Marsh. I know you are in your office and I need to speak to you. Now. I will not be using the messaging terminal, because I don’t want to have to wait a week just to hear back from you on a particularly urgent matter. If you do not open the door in ten seconds…”

The larger of the doors swung open as a squeaky voice shouted from the other side. “Olivia Springs! Turn that off and come in here this instant!”

She was pissed. Good. 

I disconnected the system and restored the terminal to how it was. I walked inside as the door closed behind me. Despite the fact that half the Burrow just heard my demands to see the Overseer, what I was about to say I did not want then to hear. Last thing I need is security apprehending me thinking I am about to kill the Overseer. Although if that’s what it takes to get out of my career… No. Even that is too beneath me; I am not a savage. 

The inside of her office was pretty bare. She was always very clean and she did not care for physical possessions as much as other residents. She just had the bare minimum to perform her duties. She was sitting at her desk, one that was attached to the top of a larger desk. While I have never heard of a rabbit being Overseer, Burrow-Tec at least had the thought to build features that would suit a rabbit’s size. She asked me to sit but I just stood there, I wanted to be standing for this. 

“Sorry, but I think I would rather stand.”

“Suit yourself Springs. Now would you be so kind as to tell me why you could not simply use the terminal like every other resident?”

“What I have to say I needed to say in front of you, not through a machine,” I hesitated for a second trying to calm myself down. I thought of exactly what I wanted to say earlier, I just need to say it without snapping. There is plenty of time for snapping later. “I believe there was a miscommunication with the results of my C.A.T. and I would like to address this personally. 

“Yes, that.” The Overseer seemed like she was expecting this. Her angry tone calmed down a bit as she took a second before speaking. “You see my dear, the test was in fact accurate. Like I told you prior to the test, I was going to be manually evaluate your test through Burrow-Tec guidelines. When I saw the results, I was quite shocked to be honest. I did want better for you, so I decided to run it through the computer system, but unfortunately the results were the same. I was quite sure there was an error on my part, but alas not. Burrow-Tec’s C.A.T. may seem like it is random, but I assure you that has always placed the best animals with the best careers in the past. Some may not like what they are assigned to do, but it has never produced a poor candidate.”

Her response was so precise, so practiced. She must have known I was going to come here and complain about it. I still did not believe her. I did not want to believe her. Yes, I could repair almost anything, especially broken sewage systems, but I can do so much more too. I waited there for a few seconds pondering and it looked like the Overseer was loosening up. Maybe she thought I was going to just give up and accept it. She was wrong. 

“Overseer,” I started to say calmly and slowly, “I still believe that this test is wrong, but if what you say is true, then it would not hurt to let me see it run through the system?”

The Overseer paused for a second before she opened a drawer. She took out the test papers and handed them to me. She asked me to confirm that they were indeed mine, and that nothing was altered. I looked over them carefully but did not see any changes that I could have noticed. The questions were often vague, misleading, or just plain gibberish, but my answers were still my answers. I nodded and handed the papers back. She then proceeded to put them through what looked like a scanner. It only accepted one page at a time, but there were only three pages. She then turned to the computer and started to type in some commands. I watched the monitor closely to make sure she was not doing anything that would tamper with the input but everything was pretty much automatic that she only had to press a few options. 

It took about twenty minutes(way too long to evaluate a ten question test), before a message popped up on the screen. It had the same result screen that was on my Pip-Boar, including the part that said ‘Waste Management Specialist’. My face suddenly dropped. It was not an error. This fucking machine, thinks that I belong in sanitation. Fuck the test, fuck Burrow-Tec, fuck everyone. 

I felt something on my hand as I noticed my claws digging into the desk. It was the Overseer’s hand. I looked at her with what was probably fire in my eyes, yet she looked genuinely sorry. Despite all my hate, all my rage, that face made me calm down a little. I pulled my paws off of the table and placed them slowly at my side. After the rage started to subside, I felt like I just wanted to burst out in tears. I wouldn’t let her see me like this. I did not want to let anyone see me like this. 

“I am sorry, I truly am. I know how good you are at fixing things, and I certainly know how well you handle yourself around computers, but I cannot change the Burrow-Tec rules. If I let one slide, then another would want a rule to slide, and then another, and soon the peaceful Burrow you know would descend into chaos. All you can do is keep your head high and work through it. It won’t be forever, and you can still do odd jobs for the residents between shifts, but the decision has been made. You will report to the Sanitation department at 0600. Heather Trope will be your supervisor. She will give you further instructions. Now if you don’t mind, I have an appointment with the head of security.”

She pushed the button to open the doors. She just sat there not saying anything. I couldn’t even think of a comeback. She said she was sorry, but was she really? The only three residents that knew the outcome was Onion, the Overseer, and myself. So what if she bent the rules just this once? No one would know. I tried to say something but she just pointed towards the door and then turned back to her terminal. The tears were starting to build, but I would not let them fall. I turned and started to walk out of her door. Before I was far enough for her to close them I decided to have the last word. 

“If my mother was still alive, I am sure things would have been different.”

I turned around and left before I could see the Overseer’s reaction. She and my mother really were close. I think she was the only one who took the death as hard as I did. I hated using my mother like that, but it was true. Things were different when she was alive. I went straight towards my quarters, not talking to anyone I saw. I just had to make it to my room before the damns in my eyes broke. 

When I got into my quarters, Onion asked how things went. I did not respond. I did not even take off my jumpsuit or Pip-Boar, I just threw myself onto my bed. That’s when the damns finally broke. I think I was crying for hours before the whole world finally caved in upon itself.

***

The next morning was better, but not by much. I was no longer in tears, but I think that it was only because I was dry. I also had a splitting headache. I figured that this day cannot possibly get any worse. After I got out of the shower, which cut off before I was done, again, I saw a small package sitting on my bed. 

“Onion, what is that?”

“Feeling refreshed Miss? That was delivered while you were in the lavatory.”

Straight and to the point like always. Guess I should open it. Maybe it was from the Overseer, a gift with a letter that says, ‘Sorry Olivia, you were right, I was wrong. Here is your correct assignment.’ Or maybe this had all been some sadistic nightmare, and that I actually managed to get out of the test again, or got my dream carer. I tore open the box, actually feeling a bit better. I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but it really couldn’t get worse, right? Inside was a single item. A Burrow jumpsuit. I already had four of them, why did I need another? 

I held up the jumpsuit and inspected it. It looked exactly like mine, a solid navy blue with yellow lines breaking it up at the zipper, waist, and collars. It had my named imprinted on the front left breast. That was new. None of my other ones had my name on it. I turned it around and saw the typical large yellow numbers: 76. Then my jaw dropped. My headache flared up and I threw the jumpsuit to the ground. I could feel my eyes wanting to water again. Below the seventy six was a single word. _Sanitation_.

“Miss Springs, are you alright?”

“No, I am NOT alright Onion,” I picked up the jumpsuit and held it for him to see, “look at what it says!”

“Sanitation. That is your new job. What did you expect it to say?”

I knew I shouldn’t get upset at Onion. I programmed him like this and he can only do so much beyond his programming, but I did not care when I started to scream at him. I had to let it out. “I did not _expect_ it to say anything! Do you see the cooks to say ‘Chef’, or the educators say ‘Teacher’? No. You don't! With the exception of Security, no one else’s jumpsuit proclaims that, ‘Hey Burrow 76 residents, I deal with your crap, literally!’”

“Miss, please calm down. Maybe this is just new policy?”

“ _NEW POLICY_? There hasn’t been a new fucking policy here since the Burrow opened! What did the Overseer just so happen to get a communique from Burrow-Tech saying, ‘Sorry for keeping you waiting, but instead of opening your Burrow a hundred and seventy years late, we just want you to change your rules so that everyone is reminded how crappy their lives are.’” I forced myself to calm down a little, ‘don’t kill the messenger’, I thought to myself. “No Onion, I don’t think this is a new policy. I think the Overseer just wants to make a fool of me after what I did yesterday. But you know what? I am not going to give her the satisfaction of allowing her to see that she got to me. I won’t let anyone see that she got to me. Fetch me something for my head while I get dressed.”

I reluctantly put on my new jumpsuit. After getting dressed I put my Pip-Boar on just as Onion brought out a cup held in his gripping attachment. He also gave me two small pills. I popped the pills into my mouth and swallowed it with what was in the cup. I immediately spat it out. It was hot. Very hot. And bitter. This day just keeps getting better. 

My mouth was scalding and I could barely feel my tongue as I spoke, “Onion, you know I hate coffee!”

“My apologizes Miss, but the caffeine in the coffee will help dull the pain as the medicine works. It’s a scientific fact.”

“Just give another dose and some water this time. Some COLD water.”

After I took the pills, and felt the relief of the cold water as it soothed my taste buds, I checked my Pip-Boar. One new message. I opened the message and it was from the Overseer. Of course it was. 

_Recipient: Springs, Olivia_

_Subject: Welcome To Your First Day_

_Congratulations on starting your first day! As a newly sanctioned Burrow-Tec worker, you will begin your new career as a Waste Management Specialist. You will be contributing to the future of your Burrow along with your fellow residents. As a new Waste Management Specialist, you will be assigned under the experienced Heather Trope. Please take the time to go over the attached files that will familiarize yourself with the required tasks that will be responsible to you under your new career title. If you have not already received a Burrow Jumpsuit, please contact your Overseer as this is the required uniform while performing your duties. If you have any other comments or concerns regarding your newly chosen career, please direct them to your superior or Overseer where necessary. We hope that you enjoy your new roles within the Burrow and we at Burrow-Tec wish you the best of luck._

_Your first career assignment begins at 0600. Please report to the Sanitation Department promptly._

How friendly. I hate it. I took a look at my Pip-Boar’s clock and saw that it was 0545. Was I really up this early? I did not want to go, but with how my luck has been, the Overseer will send security to personally escort me. I wasn’t having that. I will go to work on time, do what I am told, and maybe, just maybe, find a way to make this work. The Overseer did say that I could still help other residents with their repairs and continue working on my projects during my free time. Perhaps it won’t be so bad. I will make this work.

***

I can’t do this. I fucking can’t! 

It’s only been a few hours since I reported to that bitch. At first I found her sweet and charming, that maybe if I get on her good side, she can give me a little slack. I did everything I could, I followed order to the letter, I even showed respect to her. I was actually getting to like her, and I think she was getting to like me, she even bought me breakfast shortly after arriving when she showed me the kitchen’s waste processor. Then I made a simple suggestion, and everything changed. 

We were down in the sub-sector with her showing me how to perform the daily maintenance on the waste recyclers. I noticed that they were were not operating at peak performance. I suggested a rather simple solution that would increase performance by nearly thirty percent. You’d think that I just insulted her child or something. She snapped at me, saying that it was only my first day and that I did not know what I was talking about. She went on telling me that she has had the whole system running at peak for years, and that they were at their best. I was not liking her tone. It was just a simple suggestion. 

Things got worse from there on out. In the matter of an hour she had me reduced to toilet plunging every single clogged toilet in the Burrow. In the Rabbit Sector, where most of my kind reside, it was not too bad. Since the current rabbit population was down to about twenty percent of the overall population, it only took me half an hour to take care of their needs. I even went behind Miss Trope’s back and improved a few of the systems that looked to have been neglected for years. Now I am in the rodent rec-room and it is a mess. Rabbit sized toilet and piping systems are fairly easy to repair, rodent systems however are way to small for me to properly attend. I asked Miss Trope what to do and she just snapped at me saying, ‘do your job and fix it’. So I did what I do best, I got inventive. I was able to modify some of my equipment to be able to handle smaller parts while giving me the full range of a larger tool. 

Now there are two problems with the rodent plumbing. Firstly, their toilets and piping are very small. I nearly separated one toilet from the floor trying to get the flushing unit to work. Using the tools was nay impossible as well with my large hands. Can’t they have placed a rodent on this? I know there is at least one in Sanitation. Secondly, these rodents produce a lot of waste. How can such a small body produce so much waste? I think I spent just as long trying to plunge a single toilet as I did in the _entire_ rabbit sector. This last one was being a total bitch. Thankfully my shift is over in less than an hour. 

“Come on you fucker!” I shouted as I was trying to loosen a rather small bolt connected to a transfer pipe. It has not even been one whole day and this job already has me swearing more than I have my entire life.

I felt the bolt loosen and was finally starting to get relived when I put a little too much strength behind it and tore the whole pipe out of the connecting. Whatever was blocking the flow got knocked loose as everything in the transfer tank sprayed on me, and I mean _everything_. Despite the pipes being small, the tank was not. It took me about thirty seconds to stop the flow and get the new pip fitted but it was not fast enough. I was covered head to tail in filth. I still had time left in my shift but I did not care. I gathered my stuff and went straight to my quarters. I needed to get cleaned up.

***

I had stripped everything off and was standing in the shower feeling the cooling waters as I scrubbed my fur so much that I could feel my skin beneath getting raw. I still could smell it. It was everywhere. From in the inside of my ears to under the base of my tail. Even a jumpsuit did not stop the filth from getting into every crevice. I was soaped up for the second time when the water turned off. 

“No, no, NO! I am NOT done!” 

I tried to get the water to turn back on but managed to get soap in my eyes instead. Blinded by the stinging chemicals I tried to find my way out of the shower and get my towel to wipe off. Unfortunately, all I managed to do was trip over the edge of the shower stall and land flat on my face. Fuck that hurt. Onion came in to see if I was ok but I told him that unless he could turn the water back on, he needed to leave me alone. I was not in the mood. It did not help that I could still smell shit on me. 

When I got the soap out of my eyes I grabbed my Pip-Boar. Still naked, I went to the maintenance panel next to the door and connected to it. After a few minutes of routing around I found the water control system. I had enough time before the security system automatically locked me out of it. First, I rerouted another twenty minutes of water usage to my shower system. Second, I had a little surprise for Miss Trope. I managed to disable the temperature control system and set her shower system to the hottest setting. This will teach her not to mess with me. 

With my added shower time I managed to get to a point where I started to feel clean again. Once the timer kicked off I was not mad, I kept a mental count of the time so that my thoughts did not wander off to other things. ‘I am not going to let this get to me’, I muttered to myself every few minutes. Once I was out of the shower I did not even put on clothes, I just crashed onto my bed, exhausted from the day. At this rate I don’t think I will have any free time to do anything I want, and even if I did find the time, would I even been in the mental state to do anything?

I was on the verge of falling asleep when my Pip-Boar beeped. I groggily grabbed at it and checked the message. It was from Heather Trope. 

_Miss Springs. My record shows that you left work twenty minutes early without finishing your daily tasks. Miss Rattertat in Quarters 231 has personally told me that her toilet is still malfunctioning, and the residents around Transfer Tank #4 reported that all their septic systems suddenly overflowed leaving a rather nasty mess, and now they want me to clean it up. I have decided that due to your negligence at work, that rather then come in at 0600 tomorrow, you will need to report to duty at 0400 to fix every single backed up toilet and clean every room effected by your incompetence. I will be sending this report to the Overseer as well. Do make sure to put a better effort into your duties or else there will be repercussions._

I was enraged. She blames ME for not having the proper tools for the job? ME for doing the work that someone much smaller should be doing? And she has the nerve to report HER failures to the Overseer as my own? I did not even want this damnable job! I am only twenty years old and I have this fucking job to look forward to for the rest of my life? No, I just… I can’t. Having to drag myself to this job day after day, having to put up with that bitch who only after a few hours already seems to have a vendetta against me. I have no relatives, my only friend is Onion, and that’s just because I programmed him like that, and not even rabbits, my own kind, seem to have any interest in me. If I was gone, no one would miss me. If I showed up dead in the morning no one would beat an eye. 

“Onion, get over here.”

“What is it Miss?”

“Onion, you are my closest friend, the only one who cares about me, and the only one I truly trust.”

“Well you did program me like that, but I do respect and care for you Miss Springs. If it was not for you, I would not exist.”

“Then I can trust you to help me, and no-one, I repeat, no-one can find out.”

“Find out what Miss? What do you plan to do?”

“We are leaving.”

“What do you mean, leaving? Are we relocating our quarters? I hear that there are a few vacant rooms that are much more spacious.”

“No, we are leaving Burrow 76.”


	4. It's Time To Leave

“Miss Springs, surely you are over reacting.”

“No. I am not. I have had it with this place. The rodents look down on us rabbits, and even the others of my own species don’t seem to like me very much and I don’t even know why!”

“Maybe it’s because of your _charming_ personality, Miss.”

“What was that Onion?” 

“What I meant to say was, you are quite the intelligent and curious young lady. Perhaps the other residents just don’t seem to share the same … how should I put this … freedom that you do?”

He was right. Ever since I was young I never liked doing it the Burrow-Tec way. During my schooling days, my mother often taught me at home. The classes were so boring since I already knew everything I needed to know. I kept finding ways to skip school. Of course, it helped that she was one of the teachers. Since my mother was very _friendly_ with many of the male rabbits, including those in the cafeteria, I always managed to get the best and freshest meals they could offer. Not to mention the whole issue with taking that damn test that started this whole chain reaction to begin with. Yes, I have probably had more freedom in life than the other residents, and in part it was also thanks to my mother. I owe it to her to keep my freedom, to make a new life for me. A life that cannot happen as long as I stay here. 

“You’re right Onion. I have had a bit too much freedom than the others, and you know what? I like it that way. Who needs friends that will just bring you down to their level. I need change, I need excitement, and I can’t find any of that here. That is why we are leaving, and nothing you say can change that.”

“How will you get past the Burrow’s door and the Observation deck?”

Shit. All I have been doing is talking about leaving when I should be thinking on the how.

“Don’t worry Onion, I have a plan.”

A plan. It should be easy enough. Break into the Overseer’s office, steal the door command codes, incapacitate the Observation workers monitoring the entire entrance for Burrow-Tec signals. Yeah, piece of cake. Cake? I wonder.

“Hey Onion, you wouldn’t mind making me a couple carrot cakes, would you?”

“A change of your mind Miss? Your mother’s recipe for carrot cake always has that effect, but two cakes Miss? You barely ever eat one.”

“Oh, they're not for me Onion. Oh and I want them to be fresh so could you have them ready by the time I get off of work?”

“Of course Miss. I do hope today is a bit more enjoyable than it was yesterday.”

It will be. For the first time I am feeling happy to be going to work. I still hate my job, but it does come with some benefits. Like access to almost every part of the Burrow. Now if only I can get that bitch to make sure I am fixing the right pipes in the right places. Time to put on your good face Olivia, and I need to try my best to make sure nothing gets to me. 

*** 

“You want me to do _WHAT_!?”

“I already told you Springs, the primary septic tank need to be cleaned and unfortunately it is also backed up so I need you to get in there, unblock the drainage and scrub the tank walls.”

“Why can’t any other the others do it? Surely they have more experience than I do?” I already knew the answer to that, but I had to ask anyways. 

“The others are small enough that if the drainage system comes online when they unclog it, they will be swept away with the sewage.”

“Then why can’t _you_ do it? You have plenty of experience dealing with … ,” I had to catch myself before I said something. I needed her help, even if she did not know it, “ … something that requires an expert’s touch?”

Heather Trope stood there for a second before I could see a small smirk forming on her face. 

“You’re right, I _am_ the expert here, but unfortunately my expertise is needed elsewhere. Report back to me after you are done.”

She may have hated me, as did I her, but right now I need to stay on the better side of her hatred. If all goes well, then soon I will not have to deal with any of this, but until then I need to keep my head up and push through this. Regrettably, keeping my head up was easier said than done. The tank was small enough that I had to hold my ears down with a headband to prevent them from thrusting into the top of this filth covered tank. Luckily my jumpsuit was waterproof and had special coverings for my feet so I did not have to worry about the knee high sludge getting on my fur, just as long as I don’t fall.

Of course I had to think about falling. Sometimes I think fate has a mean streak when you think about not doing something too much. I took one wrong step and slipped on something and went crashing down. I was covered head to toe with putridness. I had to work through this. In a couple days, I’ll be free of this prison. I got up, brushed myself off the best I could, and continued to work.

*** 

Jackpot! I knew if I waited long enough luck would swing my way. About an hour after I got cleaned up from that septic mess, Miss Trope had me go over to the medical facility to fix a pipe on in their waste disposal system. This is exactly what I needed. The medical facility has been having troubles the past few months with pipes getting backed up and I was able to sweet talk my boss into letting me repair this. I think she felt a little bad about the septic tank debacle so she agreed to give me an easier job. Either that or she did not want to have to deal with such a menial task. Either way this is exactly what I needed. 

Both of the medical technicians were on duty, so that might make it a little harder, but when did I ever let that get in the way?

“About time sanitation sent someone! We have been reporting this issue for the longest time, but every-time that Trope character sends someone, they just slap a patch on it and call it a day. I hope _you_ have a more permanent solution.” 

Perfect. Apparently I am not the only one who has a dislike for Miss Trope. That can work in my favor.

“Well, I will be more than happy to take a look at this. If I can build a robot from the scraps I have collected over the years, I am certain I can give you a permanent fix for whatever issues you have.”

“Is that you Olivia? I have not seen you since you were just a baby bunny. I am sorry for your mother. She was a good person.”

“Doctor Lopps? I have heard good things about you and, thankfully, I never get sick so I have not had a reason to visit your fine establishment.” 

Doctor Marcus Lopps. One of the few rabbits to actually get a career that they were good at. Then again, it is probably easier for a rabbit to heal another rabbit. It is true that I rarely ever get sick, at least nothing that would require a medical checkup, but I also tended to avoid the infirmary. My mother did have good things to say about Doctor Lopps, especially since he was one of her _favorites_. I honestly avoided it because I really did not want to find out who my father was. Of course with my mother gone, I really don’t have anyone other than Onion. No Olivia. Do not get attached, even if he turned out to be my father, I can’t have anything keep me tied here. I made a decision and I am sticking to that. No matter what. 

I spent the next hour causally talking with Doctor Lopps and his assistant, Doctor Amelia Musk, a muskrat, about different matters as I fixed the pipe system. Doctor Lopps mostly asked about my mother. I think he actually misses her. Sometimes things turned a little too private and I opted to ignore them, pretending I didn’t hear as I ‘accidentally’ drop a pipe or make other loud noises. I think he eventually got the hints and turned to asking some more vague questions. Doctor Musk, on the other hand, seemed to be more curious about me, or rather my biology. She said that the records showed that besides me being born, I have never been back to medical for any reason. She was curious as to why and even asked to take blood samples. I agreed, trying my best to get on their good side. 

After another thirty minutes I finally got the pipes fixed. Turns out the it was not an issue with the pipes itself, but the disposal system that was attached to it. It was buried deeper in the wall to prevent too much noise and while it was supposed to grind down solids into a passable mush, two of the grinders were dislodged allowing larger bits to pass and eventually block the pipes. I told them that it should be a while before anything backs up again. They were both grateful, but not as much as Doctor Lopps was. 

“Your mother was right. You do have a way with fixing things. I should have just called you instead of dealing with that boss of yours. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

Bingo. 

“Actually, there is something. I have been having, well, issues digesting lately. I don’t know if it’s my diet, or simply the stress of a new job, but things are not coming out as smoothly, as they should. Do you have anything that can help?”

“Oh, so your constipated. I have the perfect solution for you, literally.” 

He went into the medical cabinets and dug around for a few seconds. When he finally found what he was looking for he brought it over. It was a small vial with a bluish liquid inside it. He grabbed a small dropper and handed them both to me. 

“This here is a powerful laxative that I created after the new chef, who between me and you should not be allowed to touch anything edible, started a few years back. Take two drops each night. Do not take more than two drops in a day unless you plan on spending a week strapped to a toilet. Typically, I wouldn’t give you this much, but I understand that it can take a while for stress to wear off, so you keep it until you find you’re regular again, I have plenty in stock and can always whip more up.”

This is even better than I imagined. This whole time I had contrived a smile, nodding like I cared what they said. Now I had a genuine smile across my face. The first step of my plan went flawlessly. 

“Thank you doctor. This is exactly what I needed. I’ll give it a few days and let you know how it works.”

“It is my pleasure. I will be sure to send a message to Heather telling her that you did an outstanding job. Hopefully that will aid in your recovery as well. As you probably can tell, she is not the nicest person in the Burrow, no matter how hard she tries.”

I thanked the doctor again, grabbed my tools and went to report on my job completion. I slipped the bottle into my utility belt for safe keeping. Now hopefully I get lucky in the next part of my plan. The final part, though, will be a true test of skill. I am in such a good mood that I know I can do it. I just have to keep thinking these good thoughts. 

*** 

It took me another two assignments before I got another breakthrough. I only had three more hours until my shift was over so I needed to make sure I got what I needed. This time, my assignment was to do some routine maintenance in the Observation Deck. Due to the nature of the station, it had to be monitored the entire day. There were always four rodents assigned here. Never once have I seen a rabbit here. From what little I knew about this, two monitored the day shift, and two monitored the night shift. They were responsible for guarding the doors and keeping an eye out for any official Burrow-Tec messages directed towards the Burrow. To this day, no one had ever gotten a message. 

Since the place is always occupied, they had their own private lavatory, and a strict monthly maintenance schedule to make sure it is always in working order. I figured with such strict guidelines when it came to the Observation Deck, that Miss Trope would take care of this personally, but I think she was enjoying having a lackey to do her work. When I reported my last assignment, I could have sworn I woke her from a nap. Luckily, this is making my plans go by so much easier. 

Unlike the Medical Facility, the two on duty today were not very chatty. They just told me to do my thing and leave them alone. It’s a good thing I did not need to get on their good side, but rather I needed to get on their bad side, if only a little. While I was checking the pipe system and making sure that the septic tank was holding up (a tank that was way too small to ever be used for a larger mammal such as a rabbit to ever use regularly I should note), I ‘accidentally’ loosened the inflow pipe too much, causing water to spray all over. I quickly cleaned it up, finished my duties and apologized to them, saying that I was new and that it wouldn't happen again. They called me all sorts of names and said they would be putting my ‘incompetence’ in their follow-up report. I feigned embarrassment, but inside I was smiling. This is all too perfect. 

When I got back to Miss Trope she was furious. She must have gotten the report already from the Observation Deck. I apologized to her saying that some bolts were too loose and that I when I went to tighten them, I must have loosened them more by mistake. I said I would make it up to her, and to them, later and that I just would like to continue my work for the day. This is where things went downhill. 

Apparently after this job I was supposed to go and replace the Overseer’s personal sink after it produced a large crack. Miss Trope _was_ going to send me, but after this recent incident, she did not trust me with something as personal as a task for the Overseer, and that she would be doing it herself. Fuck. That is exactly where I needed to be. Think Olivia, think. Before I could come up with something however, Miss Trope told me that I was done for the day and to just go home. I needed to get into the Overseer’s office. There has to be a way. Unless …

I went back to my quarters to get cleaned up and changed. Onion was busy in the tiny kitchen located in the back of the already small residence. Residents were not supposed to have their own kitchens. All foods were to be cooked and consumed by the staff but, thanks to my mother, who just so happened to love cooking, we were able to get one that could be used for small things, like making a cake. Onion apologized that they were not ready, that he did not expect me home so early. I told him not to rush, they had to be perfect. I took out the small vial that I got in Medical and placed it on my nightstand as I grabbed a small square from one of the drawers. Once I was dressed and ready, I headed back out. Time for plan B. 

*** 

I got to the Overseer’s office just as my boss was leaving. She looked at me with utter distaste in her eyes but did not say anything as she walked past me. I looked at the entrance to the office, took a deep breath and walked in. The Overseer must have known that I was coming because she did not seem surprised to see me. When she asked me to take a seat, she did, however, seem surprised when I chose to sit down. 

“What brings you to my office today Olivia? You are not still trying to convince me that the C.A.T. was wrong, are you?”

“No ma’am.” I tried to sound polite and respectful, without seeming overly so. I did not want her to catch drift to what I was doing.

“Well then, after the reports that Heather gave me, I do hope it is good.”

“Well ma’am, I wanted to apologize.” I said it so calm and clearly, as if I actually meant it that I think I caught her off guard. 

“I see. Then this is about the reports. I am disappointed, but also relieved. The fact that you have done these tasks with little complaint, despite a few complications, that you are finally accepting your role in the Burrow.”

“Yes, I am. I did not like it, and to be honest, I still don’t, but I have seen the disrepair in many of the sewage systems that I can’t help but want to fix them. I guess it’s in my nature,” that seemed to loosen her up a bit. “Also, there is the matter of my outwardness after the results of the exam. I guess I was just feeling trapped, like I had lost the ability to make my own decisions. I now know that this is not the case. While I do not have the career I always wanted, I can at least make use of my skills without them going to waste. I promise that my actions from here on will be for the betterment of the Burrow, and that I will try my best to make sure I do not make any more mistakes.”

Maybe I should have dreamed of an acting career because the Overseer seemed to be buying that. She had a look of respect in her eyes as she looked at me. Thankfully she also must have been partially distracted on some abstract thought that she did not notice me take a small flat item and subtly adhere it underneath of the larger desk. The Overseer blinked for a moment and looked away as she spoke.

“You know Olivia, I see so much of your mother in you. She was quite the rebel too. We had been close friends ever since we were young, and when I became Overseer I wanted to make life for her, and in turn you, as comfortable as possible. I did my best to stick to Burrow-Tec regulations while trying to find loopholes to help the both of you. Where do you think all those spare parts came from? Your mother always went on about how smart and crafty you were. I figured that you would be the next lead mechanic in the Burrow so I tried to help you with that. When the tests came back with the results, I, I wanted to change it so much, I really did. If not for you but for your mother. We were closer than you knew, and I think the residents were getting resentful of everything I did for the two of you. 

“When she died, I was heartbroken. I knew I had lost my closest friend, and that she left you alone in the world. You were still so young. I did everything I could to help you, I really did, but eventually the years caught up to me and I had to become stricter. You were getting older and growing more rebellious with each passing year. Without any proper caretaker, I had to make a stand. I had to make sure that you did not end up like your mother. She made mistakes, too many of them to count until one of them cost it her life. I did not want that to happen to you too.”

What did she mean by that? My mother died from a sickness. I had finished what I came here to do, but it was raising way too many questions than I wanted to deal with. I think the Overseer could see that it was bothering me.

“You did not know, did you?”

“Know what? What are you talking about?”

“I, I shouldn’t. It’s not my place. She did not want you to know, but when you used your dead mother against me the other day, it … it brought back too many bad memories.” She cleared her throat and started to act professional again. “You should go and rest. I promise we will talk about this again, but not today. I have a few meetings I need to attend before the day is over. Good-bye Miss Springs.”

I tried to get more out of her. She knew something about _my_ mother that she wouldn’t tell me! She just looked away and did not speak to me, no matter what I said. I finally left in a huff and the door closed behind me. Now I needed to know, but that would require me to stay longer. I was more dead set on leaving than ever. She says she was trying to protect me, but did I ask her for protection? For all I knew, _she_ was responsible for my mother’s death. No. I did what I had to do. 

When I was well out of the sight of the office, I turned to my Pip-Boar. I flipped through the applications until I came across one of my own design. It was called ‘ _Hackatron_.’. It was not the most creative of names but it did its job. After launching the application, I selected the only active link, ‘ _Too Square for You_ ,’ Once again not the greatest names but it did not matter. After activating it, it went through a boot up process as it connected wireless to the small device I planted in the Overseer’s office. It only took about three minutes before it started to feed data into my Pip-Boar. The second she logged into her terminal, the device found its way into the wireless functionality of the terminal and soon began to clone everything the Overseer did, including her log on password. It worked perfectly. Now to wait.

It was, luckily, late enough that not too many of the residents were traversing the hallways. After about ten minutes of waiting, I heard the Overseer’s door click. I did my best Jack Savage impersonation as I hid from her. Once she was safely past, I opened my Pip-Boar to the ‘ _Hackatron_ ’ application and launched the link again. This time, rather than accessing a copy of her data, I was able to reverse engineer it so that my Pip-Boar had a direct link to her terminal. I was able to access everything. It only took a few tries before I found what I needed, the Burrow-Tec Emergency Evacuation Protocols. Unfortunately, it was attached to a bunch of other files that I did not need, but I did not have time to decrypt everything so I simply copied them all over to my Pip-Boar. I would have plenty of time to go through these after I am safely away from this place. Now to set up the last part of the plan. 

*** 

When I got back to my room, Onion had just put the finishing touches on the cakes. It was after seeing these two large cakes that I knew I forgot something - they are both rodents! This cake was way too large. I decided to keep one intact for me, maybe to celebrate when I finally escaped, and I started to trim down the other one. Onion objected at this but I told him that I forgot it was for two small rats, and that this was way too big. After about twenty minutes I had them whittled down to two smaller versions of themselves. I took the rest of the leftovers and put them in a small bag. This was really good carrot cake. 

I went over to the nightstand and grabbed the vial. Only two drops, huh? I opened it and grabbed a small spray bottle. I dumped the entire contents into the bottle, added a small bit of water to dilute it a bit to (hopefully) hide the taste, if it had any that is. I wasn’t about to taste test it. I spritzed both cakes a few times to let it soak in. I then took it and carefully put it into two small containers to prevent them from getting damaged. 

I told Onion to grab all the supplies that we need as I packed my bags. I was initially planning on doing this tomorrow, but things fell into place so perfectly that I couldn’t wait. I was also thinking about what both the doctor and the Overseer said about my mother … all the good things at least. Their words were starting to make me re-think this, but I knew that I would never be happy here. I had to get this done tonight and now is the best time to do so.

I packed my bags with all the essentials: food, first aid supplies, my tools, what little clothing that still fit. Once I had everything that I thought we would need, and, despite his continued objects to my actions, confirming it with Onion, we were ready. I told him to wait a few minutes after I left for him to follow me. Everyone knows that I rarely ever take Onion with me. They did know that he was able to perform duties without myself present. Once we were outside the entrance to the Observation Deck, he was to wait until I sent the all-clear signal to him. He agreed, but probably only because his programming forced him to listen to me. It was finally time go do this. 

*** 

When I got to the Observation Deck, the same two workers were still there, but it looked like their replacements had just shown up. I calmly walked up to them and gave them each a greeting.

“Well isn’t it little miss blunder-bunny. You here to make more of a mess?”

I smiled as much as I could to bear it. I usually don’t think of violent thoughts, but these guys caused them for the second time today - the first being with that bitch Miss Trope. “Actually, I am here to apologize for my actions.”

“Huh, well ain't that something. Well words don’t clean up messes,” he noticed me holding two small containers, “but actions, they do have the tendency to work better. What you got there rabbit?”

“These are two home-made carrot cakes that I brought. My mother’s recipe. I’ve been told that it is bliss in cake form.”

One of the replacements spoke up first, “You’re Jessica Springs daughter, aren't you?”

“Yes, yes I am. My name is Olivia. Did you know my mother?”

“Yeah, the best damn baker in the Burrow. I thought it was a shame that she was put into the classroom instead of the kitchen. Boys, if you have not tasted this carrot cake before, you should be ashamed of yourselves.”

“Well, I did bring two. I was planning on just giving them both to these fellers for all the trouble I caused fixing their lavatory, but seeing on how keen you are on this cake, how about you guys share it four ways? I can always make up another and bring it tomorrow if it is not enough.”

After that one worker gave it such a glowing recommendation, if they were hesitant before, they did not show any as they took the cakes. All four of them dived instantly into the cake. In between mouthfuls they were saying how this was the best cake they ever had. One of them asked for the recipe but I told them it was a household secret. After the four of them were finished devouring it, the replacements got to work as the other two left to turn in for the night. One of them did say that he would have to forgive me if I brought him a few more cakes tomorrow. I told him first thing in the morning. It was getting easier and easier to lie to those fuckers. I kinda felt bad for the one who had nothing but good things to say about my mother, but then I reminded myself that most of these residents were two faced, and that I am sure he would have never said anything if I had not had food in my hands. 

I stepped outside once they were well on their way, and I waited. 

There are two things that you can count on in this world: everyone has to shit and that shit has to go somewhere. That was exactly what happened. While waiting outside I heard a yell. I opened the door ever so slightly and saw one of the two workers pounding on a door, screaming to hurry up. Looks like the medicine finally kicked in. A few seconds later there was a loud noise as one of the outflow pipes ‘ _accidentally_ ’ popped loose. Screams ensued. I stepped into the shadows as the door flew open. 

The first worker to run out was covered in his own waste. It smelled so bad that I almost gagged. Thankfully, my short time in sanitation had helped to suppress my gag reflex, but it did nothing to make it smell better. A few moments later the other worker ran through the door shouting ‘I’m going to blow!’ The Observation Deck was empty. I sent the signal to Onion through my Pip-Boar and entered. Just like earlier, the room was rather small with monitors and communication panels all over. I took a look over the panels until I found what I needed - a locked button simply marked ‘Door.’ Next to it was a connection point that, thankfully, was universal to all Pip-Boars. I unhooked mine and plugged it in. After it registered my Pip-Boar it asked for the Overseer’s bypass code. I used my device to enter it in and it processed it. 

It took longer than it should have. I was beginning to think that either I screwed something up or maybe the Overseer was smarter than she looked and caught onto me. Just as I started to panic, the panel beeped and the latch on the lock popped open. This button, this small red button, was all that stood between me and freedom. I told Onion to get ready as I pushed it. 

The doorway leading to the Burrow Entrance swung open, but something that I did not expect happened. Alarms were sounding. These were louder than anything I ever heard. Lights began to flash as I heard a small rumble coming from beyond the door. Shit, the whole Burrow must be awake by now. 

“We need to make this quick Onion. Let’s go … NOW.”

Onion tried to object again but I ignored him as I rushed out of the room and through the doorway. In front of me was the biggest piece of machinery I have ever seen. A giant needle like arm started to descend from the ceiling, heavy pneumatic systems controlling it’s slow decent. After a moment it started to extend into a giant cog shaped structure. After it was fully attached, the pneumatic system began to pull it out like it was made of paper, before rotating it onto a platform that disappeared into the Burrow walls. In front of me, what I thought to be an observation floor began to extend towards a connecting platform. It created a small bridge that spanned the pipes and mechanical structures below. I started to walk slowly, taking in everything. I was leaving the Burrow. No one had ever done this, yet alone attempted this! I am finally going to be free!

Then shouting froze me in my steps. I could hear people coming, and fast. I told Onion to go ahead of me, that he should scan the outside to make sure that it was safe, but in reality I just wanted to see their faces as I left. I knew security would have gotten alerted when these alarms went off, and I hoped, really hoped that the Overseer would come too. 

At first two rodents in armored security jumpsuits came through with small guns. I did not even know the Burrow had weapons. They trained them on me and I was expecting the worse. Why didn’t I just leave when I had the chance? I closed my eyes, expecting the worse until I head a familiar voice over the loudspeakers. It was the Overseer. 

“Olivia Springs, have you gone insane?!?!”

I kept silent. I had nothing to say and, with all this noise, I don’t think they would be able to hear me.

“It is not too late. You are still here. I know you don’t want to go. You are safe here with us. Out there, you don’t know what’s out there! Please, come back. I don’t know how you managed to open this door, but if you come back I will forgive you. Security, lower your weapons, she is not a threat!”

I still stood there. This had been my home for the past twenty years. My best experiences were with my mother, and she was gone now. What could the Overseer possibly give me to make me stay? I had to go. I needed to go. I turned around and started to walk towards the Burrow entrance. 

“Olivia! Stop!”

I heard a small ting next to my feet. I looked down and saw a dart lying on the walkway. Heh, so they did not have weapons, just tranquilizers. I continued to walk forward. Another ting. Either they were horrible shots, or it was just a warning. I was so close that it did not matter. The next dart did not make a noise at it drove itself into through the jumpsuit and into my flesh. I started to feel dizzy. I used my all my willpower to work through it. I felt another dart impact, only this one did not pierce the suit, but rather bounce off. Then I felt the third one score a direct hit on my neck. The effects were getting stronger but I still had to make it. 

“Security, I order you to stop! Too much and you might kill her!”

Aww, she cared. Fuck her. Fuck this place. I am leaving and nothing will stop me. I heard the sounds of footsteps coming close. Looks like they did stop shooting and were running after me. I lifted my Pip-Boar up and pressed and activated a command. The cog shaped door started to retreat back into its original position. I was closing it behind me. I did not look back as I continued past the door. The funny thing is that they should have caught me. Between the chemicals in the darts slowing me down and the time it takes for the door to close, they should have been able to stop me. It wasn’t until I heard a loud clang that I stopped and turned around. In front of me, on the now sealed door were two numbers: 7 6. I was free. I was finally free!

Onion came back to me and started to say something, but whatever was in those darts finally broke through my will. I told Onion that I was going to take a nap. The last thing I remember was me hitting the ground before the whole world went black.


	5. Free at Last!

Darkness. Everywhere I look, there is nothing but darkness. Why is the world so dark? I try to move my body, but I cannot feel any of my limbs. I try to cry out, but the words just get stuck in my mouth. I blinked. At least I know something is working. Unfortunately, darkness begets darkness. Where have all the lights gone? Where have I gone? I remember, something. I remember being in a place, trapped like a prison. I felt as if I did not belong. I had worked so hard to make that prison my home and, for a while, it worked. Until I lost someone. I blinked.

What was that? I closed my eyes for only a split second, and when I opened it I saw a light within infinite darkness. It lasted a mere moment, but in that moment, my whole world lit up. I tried to close my eyes again, but there was nothing. Maybe I was going crazy, or maybe this _is_ my crazy. My mind drifted back towards that prison. I had found a way to leave it, to leave everything and everyone behind. At that moment, it felt like the right thing to do. I blinked.

There it was again! That light, even more vivid than before. Before the light was simply a break in the darkness, but this time it was something more, something familiar. I felt drawn to it, but I could not summon it before me again. I felt as if I were floating in an infinite void, my body useless as I drifted aimlessly. I recalled a time that I was happy, before everything fell apart, before I found myself here, trapped once again. 

There was someone special to me once. Someone who comforted me, who kept me safe. She was the light in my darkness. Why can’t I remember her? Why do I suddenly feel very lost, without anything in the world to care for me, to care about. I closed my eyes again. I refuse to open them. There was nothing out there, so maybe there was something in here. 

“ _Olivia_ ”

A voice. I think I heard a voice, calling out my name. I opened my eyes but nothing changed, the darkness was still engulfing the world. Who was that? The voice was a familiar and comforting noise from my past. I could feel my eyes burn, as if I was trying to see something that cannot be seen. I closed them again to let them rest. 

“ _Olivia, open your eyes._ ”

I tried to ask who was out there, but my mouth still could not speak. I was afraid to open my eyes. The darkness clouded everything, hid it from the world. Was I truly better off not knowing what was out there? If I opened my eyes, what would I see? I tried so hard to leave my prison. What if that was what was calling for me, beckoning me to return. I could not face returning, but I had to know. I opened my eyes. 

Before me was a light, blinding at first. When my eyes adjusted I could see a figure. It was a rabbit. She was cloaked in a white gown that seemed to blend seamlessly with her fur. It was almost as if I was staring at a ghost. I closed my eyes, this had to be a hallucination. When I opened them again, I knew it wasn’t. She was still standing there, and it almost looked as if she was smiling. 

“ _My sweet, sweet, Olivia._ ”

Mom. I almost choked trying to force the words out, yet nothing happened. I wanted to cry, but my eyes would not let me.

She came slowly towards me, drifting as if she was falling in slow motion. I tried to run to her, but I couldn’t feel my legs. I tried to reach out to her, but my arms would not respond. Even my tears seemed to evaporate from the burning in my eyes. As she drifted closer, I could make out her small black nose, the same nose she nuzzled my belly with when I was younger. Her black ears were covered by a hood, but I still remembered how they would always give away her mood to me. She was not very good at lying to me. She reached out her paw towards me. 

“ _Olivia my dear, it has been so long. I have missed you dearly._ ”

I wanted to tell her that I missed her too, that my whole life changed the moment she died. I kept trying to open my mouth but I couldn’t. What was wrong with me? I couldn’t even cry. I missed her so much. I wanted to tell her that. I wanted to know how much I loved her. Suddenly she began to withdraw her hand. 

“ _Oh Olivia, my beautiful child, why do you not talk? Is it that you do not miss me?_ ”

No, no, no. I can’t let her think that. I have to tell her, I _need_ to tell her. Without her I feel so very empty. I tried to speak again. I got a small chirp out. The feeling was coming back to my arms and legs, but they felt heavy. I could feel the tears finally quenching the fires in my eyes. A small tear drop fell and hit the ground. Its impact sent a ripple that lit up the darkness momentarily. That light seemed to drive my mother back. Don’t leave me!

“ _I must go. I love you my child but now is not your time._ ” 

Another tear hit the ground. The ripple of light drove her back further. She was drifting away from me. Please, don’t go. 

“ _Olivia, I hope that when the time is right, we will be together again._ ”

Mom! My mouth started to move to the words, but it was so faint. I kept pushing it. 

“ _Olivia, good bye._ ”

Mom!

“ _I love you._ ”

“Mom!” I could speak but it was too late. The darkness exploded into light as the image of my mother dissolved into it.

***

“Mom!” 

I shot up and looked around me. My eyes slowly adjusted as I looked for my mother. In front of me floated Onion, and behind them was the giant door with the number 76 on it. 

“I am afraid your mother is not with us, although if she were still alive, I am sure _her_ objections to this whole thing would have actually gotten through to you.”

“Glad to see you too Onion.” 

I shook my head. It was just a dream. I looked down on the rags I was laying on and saw some darts sitting on the ground next to me. What the hell did they put in those things? 

“How long was I out?”

“About three hours Miss. I tried to find some help but it seems we are trapped.”

“What do you mean ‘trapped’?”

“Well, I tried to contact those inside the Burrow, but either the communications link is down, or they did not want to speak to me, and the other end of this ghastly tunnel has some sort of barricade. I simply do not have the proper tools to assist you better.”

I chuckled to myself. Even if he did get through to the Burrow, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it since I kinda changed the Overseer’s emergency override code. I did not want to go through all of this just to have them to reopen the door and drag me back. Plus, they should be glad, if it really is as dangerous as they made the outside world to be, I am sure they would not want that danger ruining their ‘perfect’ home. I started to get up but my legs felt as if they were being stabbed with a thousand needles. 

“Onion, can you help me get up? I can barely feel my legs. I think I need to walk around to restore circulation before they fall off.”

“Aren't you being a little over-dramatic Miss?” Onion said as he hovered low enough for me to grab onto one of his limbs.

When I got up I hobbled a bit, kicking each leg in an attempt to get my blood flowing. I decided to take a better look at my surroundings. It was still a bit dark, with only two small spotlights pointing at the door. I stood in front of it and was finally overcome with how large it was. It had to be at least twice my height. Why would such a large door be needed for such small residents? Both lights converged to highlight the seventy-six that was painted on it in a golden yellow. I decided to look around my immediate area. There was a thick layer of grayish dust over everything. I saw something poking out. It was a small wooden sign. It had the words ‘Let us in you bastard!’ painted on it in a bright red. I saw another near it that another said ‘We are all doomed!’. I went to pick up another that was facing down, but it seemed stuck on something. When I finally pulled it free I froze. Dangling on the end of the sign’s handle was the skeletal remains of an arm. 

“Onion!”

“What is it Miss … oh dear, I told you this place was ghastly. It’s like that all the way up the tunnel. I have never seen anything like it.”

I was about to say something when I heard a beep come from my Pip-Boar. I turned down to it and saw that I have received a new message. A message from who? I activated the messaging program and my jaw dropped when I saw the sender’s name. Overseer Tara Marsh. When the doors were locked down, it must have left the communications channel open. I did not want to think about that woman, yet alone read whatever harsh things she had to say to me. I moved one of my nails over to the delete button but hesitated. Damn that woman. Even now she gets to have the last word. I opened the message:

_Olivia Springs. What you have done is by far the worst thing that has ever befallen this Burrow. You stole a powerful laxative, poisoned all four duty enabled Observation Deck Specialists, and on top of that, stole private data from my office. You have broken so many Burrow-Tec regulations that the Security Chief doesn’t even know what to do even_ if _you were apprehended. I knew that you did not care for many of your fellow residents, and that you were resentful of your chosen career, but I did not know that you would go to such lengths to hurt us all. I am now having to assure the Burrow residents that this was not an emergency, that it was a Burrow-Tec issued test to make sure that we were still able to receive communications for when the All-Clear was issued. This mess, this mess that_ you _created I now have to clean up. As we speak all of your possessions are being claimed to either be reissued to other residents or to be destroyed. Officially you were killed in an accident on duty, and we will be performing the basic funeral rites for you. I do hope that you find what you are looking for on the outside because you no longer have a home in Burrow 76._

Well now, that did not sting as bad as I thought. So what if my possessions are gone, and the whole Burrow things I’m dead? It’s not like I would ever be going home, even if she did allow me. No, I think this is for the best, for all of us. I just wish I could have seen the look on Heather Trope’s face when she finds out that she no longer has someone to do all the crap work. I clicked on the reply button, I wanted to say something but I was not sure what. I really did not want her to have the last word, even if it was a pointless gesture. Unfortunately, I am unable to find an active communications link to the Burrow. Either the lockout finally cut communications, or the Overseer did. Either way I was not going to let that bother me. I tapped the delete button and closed the messaging application. Time to find a way out of this horrendous place. 

“What was that Miss?”

“Nothing to worry about Onion. Now, what was this about a barricade?”

***

The barricade was about a ten-minute hike through a very winding tunnel. Along the way we saw the skeletal remains of various species, most of them still wearing the clothes they died in. While the Burrow consisted of only rodents and rabbits, I was familiar with other species from books. I saw the bones of equines, although it was impossible to tell if it was a horse or a zebra. There were the skulls of what looked like a tiger, or other feline. The bones of two large ones and a small one huddled together in a corner. It must have been a family. What type of horrors happened all those years ago?

There were barely any working lights in the tunnel so I had to turn on the light that was built into my Pip-Boar. They thought of everything. Occasionally there were posters on the walls. Some were torn and faded, but a few were still legible. One of them had the picture of, a gazelle if I recalled, with the words ‘Zootopia, Where Anyone Can Be Anything!’ written below it. Sounds like my kinda of place, if it still exists that is. To be honest, I don’t even know _where_ the Burrow was even located. For all I know I could be on the other side of the world from Zootopia. Guess Burrow-Tec did not think it be relevant enough to be included in their guides.

“Hey Onion, how much farther is it? My feet are getting sore from trying to avoid walking on bones and other potentially harmful debris.”

“Not much farther Miss. Unfortunately, it gets worse the closer we get.”

Great. Well at least the dead can’t hurt me, and it was a good thing too. When we got to the barricade, there were at least twelve skeletons lying on the ground, huddled together. It looked like a few canines, probably wolves, or maybe a fox? I also saw some rodent skeletons, and a couple rabbits, and another equine. 

The wall of, how should I put this, junk, that had been constructed into a crude barricade was made up of benches, cinder blocks, large pieces of plywood, and other things were completely blocking the entrance save for a few cracks in it that light shone through. I tried to pry one of the cinder blocks off but it was jammed in there good. Despite it looking very haphazard, it was a pretty effective barricade. But what was it for?

I told Onion to try to find anything that can help us. The actuators on his arms would not be strong enough to force our way though, so we needed some type of leverage. Against my better judgment, I grabbed a large bone, and tried to use it as a pry bar in one of the small openings. Either the wall was too strong, or the bone was old, but as soon as I put a small amount of pressure on it, it snapped in two. 

As I was searching the area, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. It was half buried under some debris, but it’s bright orange color stuck out among the dingy mess. I bent down and plucked it out of the ground. It resembled a carrot, but was much bulkier and made of some type of plastic. I shook it and heard a small rattle inside. On one side was a small oval with slits in the plastic. The rattling seemed loudest from there. On the side were a few buttons, and the top had green remnants, as if something had broken off. Was it some kind of toy? I pushed the buttons but nothing happened. I heard Onion calling me so I placed it into a pocket, I can figure out what it is later.

“Miss Springs, I think I may have found something useful.”

“What you find Onion?”

I went over to where he was and saw two more skeletons. Next to one of them was a bag and what appeared to be a gun. Next to the other skeleton was a small device. I recognized it from some of my Burrow-Tec manuals. It was an iCarrot mobile device. I attempted to turn it on but the battery must have been dead. It looked like the screen was cracked anyways, so it would be useless even if it did have power. I turned it over and pried off the back plate. Bingo. Inside was a standard C-Chip, a memory retaining device that luckily my Pip-Boar can interface with. Maybe something useful was on here. I put the chip into the slot of my Pip-Boar and accessed the most recent file, it was an audio file.

“ _Yeah, I got the explosives right here. As soon as we finish barricading the entrance to the tunnel, we will proceed down to the Burrow entrance. There is some serious shit going on out there and we don’t want to be on the wrong side of the end of the world. Since those bastards down there had the gall to close the doors right in the middle of an evacuation, I am positive that they have plenty of room, we just need the right key._ ” The voice seemed very gruff, and his tone made him seem like he was in a hurry.

A second, lower pitched voice came on. It wasn’t a rodent, but was probably much younger than the first voice. “ _But if we blow open the door, it won’t be much protection for us and those inside, now would it?_ ”

“ _Don’t worry about it Phil. I’ve broken into enough bank vaults in my day to know that no matter how secure a door is, the right placement of explosives will knock it open without damaging it too much. Once inside we will just close it again. Then those Burrow-Tec bastards will pay for leaving us out here._ ”

“ _Sounds like a plan Barry. Sue and the others almost have the barricade secured and then the gang and us can head down there. Let me just … what the fuck was tha …_ ”

The voice cut off suddenly as a loud noise echoed through the speakers followed by static. I shut off the file and took out the C-Chip. 

“I think that was an explosion Miss. Probably what killed these poor chaps.”

“Probably, but then again shouldn’t it have brought down this barrier as well?”

“Perhaps it’s just constructed very well?”

If that was the case, my escape may just end here. No, I can’t give up now. I went back over to the bag. Inside was what looked like blocks of brown clay. There was a smaller bag inside that contained a bunch of wires and a long stick with a button on it. I looked over everything but I had no idea what it was. The two on the recording mentioned something about explosives. 

“Hey Onion, come here and scan this.”

“Right away Miss.” Onion floated over towards the bag and a small panel slid open in the middle of his spherical body. From it a small probe like device poked out and started to glow. A few seconds later it returned back into his body. “Based upon its chemical composition, it looks to be bricks of plasticized explosives. The other components make up the detonator. I will send some literature on it over to your Pip-Boar, but please to be careful Miss Springs, it is not a toy.”

Explosives. Hmm, maybe I can make use of this. I loaded up the information that Onion sent me on my Pip-Boar and skimmed through it. 

“It looks like a little can go a long way. It also looks like the detonator is wireless. I think I know how we can get passed this barricade.”

I picked up the bag and then stopped when I kicked something. I forgot about the gun. I have no idea how to use one, or if it even works still, but maybe it will come in handy. I bent down and picked it up, placing it in my bag. 

“Do you really think you will be needing that Miss?”

“What do you … oh the gun? Well you never know when any of this stuff will come in handy.”

“Whatever you say Miss.” 

Sometimes I regret the personality I programmed him with.

I took the bag over to the barricade and set it down. According to my Pip-Boar, if I divide the brick into four equal pieces, it should give me enough power to knock down this apart, at least with enough room to get through. If it didn’t, I had a lot more where that came from. 

After setting the explosives Onion and I went down the tunnel a bit so that we wouldn't get hit by any flying debris. After we were far away enough, I flipped the cap that protected the button on the detonator and pushed it. Nothing happened. 

“Seriously?” I yelled as I pushed the button a few more times with no avail. 

Maybe the detonator was dead, or maybe the explosives had expired. Can a bomb expire? I wanted to go check the connections, but I was a bit nervous that it would blow me up if I tried to fiddle with it any. I took the detonator and turned it over. On the bottom was a small screw off cap. I slowly twisted it and found the problem, it was empty. Wonder if they knew there was no battery in it when they sealed up the tunnel? Since I did not have anything that was compatible with it, I turned to my Pip-Boar. Luckily I was able to located and connect to the wireless signal that the detonator used. I love this thing. 

“Ok, for real this time.” I crouched down while my nail hovered over the button on my screen. My nail clicked on the screen as the button was registered. 

The explosion was much louder than I thought it would be. I could feel the concussive blast reach Onion and I even this far down the tunnel. After we gave it a few minutes to make sure there was no after effects to the explosion, we went and checked out what was left. It was not much. The explosion not only blew a hole into the barrier, but there was barely anything left of it. One block of explosives did that, and I still had at least nine more. I think I will be keeping them.

“A little sure did go a long way Miss Springs. The entire Burrow must have heard that.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting it to be that effective. I am glad that they never got to use it on the Burrow doors, otherwise we may not have been around to make an escape.”

As the dust cleared, I could see out past the tunnel. There was much more light than in the tunnel, but the sky was a dark gray color. My mom used to read to me some books that vividly portrayed the sky. Bright blue skies filled with white fluffy clouds, and a bright yellow disk that gave life to this planet. Some of the books even had pictures of it and it was beautiful. This however was much more bleak than I hoped it to be. Maybe the world wasn’t safe to venture into yet. It was too late for that. I made my choice and I am determined to find a place in this world no matter the cost.

“Come on Onion, our future awaits!”

***

“What the fuck are these things!”

I should have stayed in the Burrow. There were monsters in there, but at least I knew them. These, things, I have no fucking clue what _they_ are, but I did know that they outnumbered us twenty to one. 

It started quiet, a bit too quiet when we left the tunnels. There were many more skeletons on the other side of the barrier, and this time there were larger mammals as well. I could make out an elephant and even a giraffe among them. They were obviously much too big to fit into the Burrow, yet alone the tunnels leading up to it. It seemed that whatever killed those inside the tunnel, killed them too. Then we found the _other_ bodies.

Unlike the skeletons in and around the tunnel that had no signs of fur, skin, or any other tissues, these bodies looked like they straight out of a horror movie. Their fur was gone, and many of their appendages were missing as well, but they retained much of their skin and muscles, making them look like a zombie. The first time I saw the movie ‘Dead Mammal Walking’, I was only six or seven, way too young for it, but my mother said it was a classic, and that I should learn all history, even the cinematic ones. I couldn't sleep with the lights off for an entire year.

Now it felt like I was living the movie. At first there only seemed to be a few of them, and they were moving pretty slow. Onion got the bright idea of trying to talk to one, but that only lead to it trying to take a bite out of him. Many of them had scraps of clothing on them, remnants of a far gone era, while some of them were completely naked. I saw one of them, I think it might have been a wolf, attempting to limp on one leg. It kept getting up, walking a few steps and then falling just to repeat it over and over. I would have found it funny if they weren’t trying to eat us. 

Onion and I kept circling the large open area. I think it may have been some kind of arena or stadium, the type that held recreational sporting events that I read about in a few books. My mother even tried to show me a few sports from a few recordings she found, but they seemed rather boring to me. Unfortunately, being in one of these places was anything but boring. Every single entrance seemed to be blockaded by fallen debris. Each time we thought there was an opening, we were greeted by more of these hideous things. 

One of them, a rabbit like myself (only a lot uglier), started to come towards me. I figured I would have more time with how slow these things moved, but this one must have been really hungry because it charged full speed towards me. In a moment of panic, I grabbed the gun that I found earlier and aimed it, forgetting that I have never used one before. I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger.

I think I just gave myself a headache. The shot rang out like I had just detonated a small bit of that explosives right next to my ear. The recoil was so powerful that the gun almost smacked me in the face. The crack that it made echoed in the stadium, and for a few moments I thought I had been deafened. I opened my eyes and saw that the creature that was charging me had fallen down to the ground, unmoving. That sure was something. Too bad I just attracted the attention of _every, single, thing_ to my whereabouts. The slow moving creatures started to pick up pace. I started to feel the ground shake as something large started to plow through the other creatures. It was a rhinoceros.

“Onion, we REALLY need to find a way out of here.”

“Indeed Miss, but it seems that everything is blocked off by more debris.”

Think Olivia, think. In a few seconds this large, charging behemoth will have made this escape very short lived. I doubt this gun would do anything to stop that thing. I jumped over what I thought was a deer that was half my size, before noticing that it was half _it’s_ size, it was missing everything from the waist down, yet it was still trying to come after me! My brain was attempting to comprehend this sight when I heard a loud crash. The rhino had just barely missed Onion and had its large horn stuck in the wall, not twenty feet from me. I watched for a second as it struggled before it freed its head from the wall, leaving its own horn behind. 

“If you have a plan Miss, now would be a good time. It will take weeks to get these dents off my exterior.”

There was too much going on, my brain was trying to come up with a plan while simultaneously attempting to make sense of everything around me. None of this felt real. It couldn’t be real. In a few moments I was going to wake up in my room and this nightmare will all be over. My mother will be there cooking me breakfast and everything will be fine. Then reality came crashing down when I tripped over something and fell flat on my face. I snapped into reality, this horrifying reality as I went to pick up the bag I was carrying, the bag of … Bingo!

“Onion! I have a plan, but I need you to distract these things!”

“Well now, how would I go about doing that Miss? Most of them seem well too eager to make your acquaintance.”

“Play a song Onion! The loudest thing you have!”

My mother had a thing for classical music, such as the works of Bathoven. I however preferred something a little more, rambunctious. Iron Moose’s ‘Fear the Savage’ started to play from Onion’s speakers. He had it on as loud as he possibly could, and it worked. The music’s chorus echoed through the large building, and everything turned towards its origin. This should buy me enough time. 

Without hesitating anymore, I ran along the outer wall until I found what I was looking for. Right in front of me was what looked like a giant scoreboard that had fallen and blocked off what was hopefully our way out. There was a hole large enough for me to peer through, and with a quick shine of my Pip-Boar’s light, I saw that it was indeed the exit I was looking for. I took out another brick of the explosives, broke it into smaller pieces and placed it around the sign. I popped in a detonator device and launched the wireless detector on my Pip-Boar. I was ready. Then it occurred to me, that even if this worked, what would stop them from following us? I took a look at the bag of explosives, there was about six blocks left. It was a dangerous move, but I had no choice. I’d rather get blown up than eaten. 

After preparations were made, I contacted Onion with my Pip-Boar and told him to cut off his music in ten seconds and then move as fast as his floating body can towards where I was. He agreed quick. I think he was getting annoyed at being a target, even if he couldn’t feel anything from the creature’s attacks. I took the bag and ran towards a downed steel beam and ducked behind it for cover. 

Three, two, one. The music cut out right before a loud boom. While the explosion did not seem as loud as the one earlier, it was loud enough to catch the attention of everything chasing Onion. Onion was heading towards me, but so was everything else. Just as I planned. I picked up the bag and ran towards the now cleared path. 

“Ok Onion, we are going to run as fast as we possibly can, and hope that there is nothing blocking us ahead.”

“What about the encroaching mass behind us?”

“I got that covered.” 

I dropped the bag a few feet into the tunnel without breaking speed and started to count in my head. Ten. We had about twenty yards between us and the creatures, that should be plenty of room. The light of my Pip-Boar thankfully showed that there was nothing major impeding our path ahead. A few broken chairs, more skeletons, but nothing dangerous. 

Nine. After jumping over a couple of chairs, I could see a fork in the path up ahead. Eight. I had to choose left or right. Seven. It was too dark, even with my Pip-Boar to know what was on either side. Six. I saw the word ‘DEATH’ written on the wall in what looked like blood, with an arrow pointing towards where we just came from. Five. That would have been nice to know earlier. Four. As we approached the fork I looked behind me. The creatures were just entering the tunnel, bottlenecking due to there being too many of them. Three. I looked ahead again and saw a small bit of light coming from the left fork. Two. 

“Go left Onion!”

One. Without hesitating, I pushed the flashing button on my Pip-Boar’s screen just as we made the turn. This explosion was louder than anything I have ever heard. If that gunshot almost made me deaf, this would have sealed the deal if I was just a few feet closer. I heard the tunnel collapsing on itself, as we continued to run. The sound of rushing winds were rapidly heading through the tunnel. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a bright light that looked like it was following us. Adrenaline kicked in as I picked up space. Ahead of us I could see the small light I saw before getting larger and larger. Soon it turned into an opening. It had debris of its own but there was at least room enough for us to get through. I dove through it and flattened myself against the wall to the immediate right. A loud whoosh tore the debris off where I just exited as I could feel the heat of a fire billowing out. After a few moments, it died down and I slumped down to the ground. We made it. 

“Well that was fun, wasn’t it Onion?”

I waited for one of his quips but it did not come. Oh no. I jumped up and looked around. There, about ten feet from the entrance was Onion. His outer shell charred. I ran over to him. I could feel tears building. I know he was just a robot, but he was _my_ robot, he was my friend. He was the only thing I had. I turned him over and connected my Pip-Boar to his maintenance socket. I pulled up the diagnostic commands. His memory banks were fine. His central processing unit was overheated, and most of his actuators were not responding. I hit the reboot command but nothing happened. 

“Onion, please be ok.”

I tore off a section of charred paneling and pulled out my tools. I began to work on him, not caring that I was now in a large open area. I had to get him working again. I felt tears dropping onto my still working hands. One, and another, and other. They started to fall faster as I continued to work. Every time a drop hit one of his circuits there was a small hissing noise as it evaporated. I checked my Pip-Boar again. No response. I pulled out some fried circuits and replaced them with what I had. More and more drops fell. Suddenly I heard a beep from my Pip-Boar. 

_Reboot Initializing_. 

Thank you, thank you! I wiped away my tears so that Onion wouldn’t see me crying. I must have been crying for a while, my fur was starting to feel damp. Then I saw the lights on Onion’s antenna array start to flicker. I heard the buzzing of his internal gyroscope kicking in as he started to float upwards. While he had no apparent eyes, with all of his cameras and sensors being obscured by the patterns in his outer shell, I knew he was looking right at me.

“Miss. It’s raining.”

I looked up just as a raindrop hit my eye. The rain was coming down hard now, and I never even noticed it. My fur, clothing, everything was soaked. At least he couldn’t see me cry. I jumped up and grabbed him, holding him in my arms.

“Miss Springs, are you ok? Last thing I remembered was my system overheating. I put myself into emergency shutdown, and now my circuits are getting waterlogged.”

“Everything is fine. Let’s go find some shelter from this rain.”

I gathered backpack and scanned the horizon for anything that can shelter us from this rain. To be honest, it was kind of nice. There was no weather at all in the Burrow. It was always a nice temperature, and the only ‘rain’ was used to water the crops. I just wanted to stand out here for a bit longer and enjoy it. Onion however, was very instant that we go before he short circuited. He was right. We needed shelter and I needed to get out of these clothes before I got sick. 

Most of the buildings had collapsed, but there was one small shack that seemed to still have a roof over it. We headed over to it, Onion scanning the area for any movement or heat signatures. While my backpack was water proof, my clothing was not. Despite hating it, I should have worn the sanitation jumpsuit, at least it was waterproof. The waterlogged clothing was making everything seem heavier, slowing me down to a crawl. Eventually we made it to the shack, and unlike the stadium, there were not any surprises.

I put my stuff down, slipped out of the wet clothing and hung them to dry. No moisture was present, so this roof was doing a pretty good job. I unpacked a towel and tried to dry myself off as best as possible. In the corner was a mattress lying on the ground. It was covered in muck so I flipped it over. The other side was better, but not by much. At least it was comfortable enough. I laid down, naked and still a bit damp and just relaxed. I had no idea what time it was, but until this storm was over we were staying put. 

I don’t know how long I laid there before I fell asleep, but I kept hoping that I would not have any freaky dreams this time.


	6. Life on the Outside

When I got up there were two things I noticed. First, it was dark. Very dark. Second, it was very quiet. I felt around for my Pip-Boar and slapped it on my arm before turning on the light. The shack was not very large. Onion and I could fit in it rather comfortably, but I couldn't tell what species it was designed for. The bed I was lying on was a bit larger than me, but not overly so. There was not much else. Opposite the bed was a table and a single chair. There were some magazines scattered around, although they were all too faded to make out anything. I looked at the walls. It looked like there used to be windows on four of the walls, but they had been boarded up, luckily the door was still usable. 

Beside the table was Onion, floating a few inches off the ground, most likely in rest mode. On the wall behind the bed was a large poster. It depicted a large building with a curved roof. It was decked out with lights, and below it said _Come on down for a Wild Time!_. Sounds classy. There was not much else in the shack. I looked down on the bed and remembered that it was a bit … used. I swallowed my nausea. I went through a lot worse in the Burrow. This time, however, I did not have access to a shower to clean off. 

I went over to where I hung my jumpsuit to dry. I noticed that there were a few holes in it and that it was still damp. My fur had mostly dried up, but I really did not want to put that thing back on again. I picked it up and turned it over to where the 76 was emblazoned. I rubbed my paw over the numbers before I threw it on the ground. I did not want to remember that place. Thankfully, I came prepared. I opened my backpack, which thankfully was waterproof, and pulled out the clothing that I packed. It was not much. Some black jeans and a button up blue and white flannel shirt. I thankfully had some clean underwear, I have no idea when or how I will plan on cleaning my clothes, so figured it be a good idea to pack something. After getting dressed I went over to Onion and woke him. 

“Good morning Miss, or should I say night? It is rather dark in here.”

“You noticed that too, huh? How long do you think we have been here?”

“By my calculations, I’d say about five hours. How are you feeling Miss?”

“Better honestly. Between me getting knocked out by those damn darts, and this rest, I am feeling unusually refreshed.”

“That is good news. Now, come first thing in the morning we should try to find some shelter a bit more, clean than this.”

According to my Pip-Boar, it had to be around ten at night. I really did not want to spend the next six to eight hours trapped in this small shack just to wait for some sunlight. I was getting very fidgety and needed to stretch my legs. “Hey Onion, I am going to take a look around.”

“This place is rather small. I am sure you have seen everything.”

“No idiot, outside.”

“Miss Springs, I do not recommend it after that debacle that we barely managed to get through. What if there are more of those, creatures, out there in the dead of night?”

He was right. We almost did not make it out of there alive. If it wasn’t for those explosives, we would have been dead. I can’t just stay here though. I won’t admit it to him, but that little adventure we had was actually a bit exciting. Defiantly the most excitement I had in my entire life. It makes me want to know what else is out there, what other dangers thrive in this unknown world. The safety of the Burrow was well behind me, and it was just the two of us. We needed to stick together. Unfortunately, neither one of us were fighters. 

“Your arm actuators are on the fritz, right?”

“Yes, Miss. My arms are not functioning much above thirty percent capacity.”

“Well, since I am fresh out of parts to fix you, and I want us both at tip top shape, I think looking around for something I can use would be advisable.”

“I really don’t think …”

“You. Stay. Good boy.”

“Honestly, I am not your pet Miss Springs.”

“I know. A pet would talk less.”

Well that shut him up. I don’t blame him though. Yes, I do need parts to fix him. I used most of my spares when I almost lost him the last time. I also need to see what is out there. I was hoping that while I check out the immediate surrounds, I could come across something that could help either of us. I was not planning to go too far, I don’t even know what direction we came from, and the last thing I need is to go wondering back into that hell hole and find out some of them survived the explosion, although I don’t see how they could. I grabbed my tool belt, placed the gun firmly between the belt and my body, although I did not want to use it unless absolutely necessary, and left the ‘comfort’ of the shack. 

“Now don’t go answering the door for strangers.”

“No one can be as strange as you Miss. Do be safe.”

***

The only time I have ever seen the night sky was in some books. The sky always looked so very majestic, a blanket of small lights bursting from the darkness, hints of blues and purples from distant galaxies. My mother told me about the constellations that helped ancient travelers find their way. There was the Mother Bear, and her son the Little Bear. She told me the story about how long ago, before the dawn of civilization, a great bear had lost her child while foraging. She looked high and low for him but could never find him and, in doing so, got so very lost that she could not find her way back home. The mother eventually found her son, who had fallen off a cliff. Stricken with grief, the mother bear stayed by her child’s side until she too died. Mom told me that in her final breath, she begged her gods to never let another soul get lost again. They answered her by binding her and her son’s spirit to the sky in the form of two constellations. They would always be together and would always help those who were lost. I had wished I could see the sky - to see those two bears trapped in the heavens for myself. Too bad my first good look at the night sky was ruined by overcast. 

Reality came crashing down and I shook my mind off and scanned my immediate surroundings. It was too dark to make out much, but after my eyes adjusted for a bit, I could start to see shapes forming in the night. Tents. There were probably hundreds of tents scattered throughout here. Most of them had collapsed, but a few were still standing. Since I had no idea who, or what was out here, I decided to kept my light off. I did not want to attract any undue attention. 

I walked up to the nearest tent and carefully dug through it. Just like in the stadium, it was covered with a thick layer of dust. I found a couple empty cans, a tattered sleeping bag, but nothing useful. I also saw a small pile of bottles. I picked one up and looked at its faded label. It was called _Rad! Cola_. It was like this will the next few I tried. I ignored the tiny ones. I highly doubt anything rodent size would help me any, and tried my luck at a very large one. Unlike the first few, I found a some unopened cans of … food I think? The labels were missing, but I put them in my backpack, just in case. I also found some more empty bottles of that soda. Almost every tent had at least one. Must have been a popular drink. One of the tents had an unopened bottle of the soda, seemed popular enough that I should try it, but not now. I put it in my bag and continued my search. A few of the tents had the skeletal remains of its former residents. The first time I saw one I had to bite my tongue just so I wouldn’t scream. Despite all I saw earlier, the sight of a body, even its decomposed remains, is still a bit unnerving to me.

While most of the collapsed tents were a bust, the first intact one, a dark yellow tent that was almost double my size, held some nice surprises. The first thing I noticed was a metal sphere not much larger than Onion. I closed the tent behind me and risked turning on my light. The light reflected off of the metal plates and almost blinded me. After dimming my Pip-Boar a bit, I could finally make it out. It was an almost perfect sphere save for one side that had been flattened. On it was a screen that had a large crack going through it. Unlike Onion who had all of his antennas and sensors on top of him, this thing had them on either side, like whiskers. 

My Pip-Boar could not seem to connect to it either through wireless or the wired connection port I found just below the screen. Luckily I was able to pry open it’s casing and scavenge a few parts that might be compatible with Onion. I wish I could just take it with me and spend more time figuring out what it was, but it was too large for me to carry. The tent did not have much else to offer though. More empty cans, some shredded clothing that was way too large for me, and a metal box. The box was locked but something in me really wanted to know what was inside. I did not have any lock-picking tools, nor the experience to use them, but I did remember something I read once. I think it was called _Tumblers Weekly_. I don’t know why a magazine about lock-picking was in the Burrow, or who it even belonged too, but it did have one article in it about needing to pick a lock with no tools. Now how did that go? I think it said to find two really thin objects that can fit in the lock. I looked around and remembered the antennas on the robot. I went over and snapped a few of them off, they look thin enough. While trying to recall the article, I carefully turned them. 

Snap! Damn. Luckily there are a few more. I really know I shouldn’t be wasting time with this, but I really do like a good mystery. Plus, it’s bothering the crap out of me not knowing what’s in there. After a few more attempts, and a couple more broken picks, I was finally rewarded with a pleasing clicking noise as the latch popped open. Time to collect my treasure. Inside the box was lined with a rather intact red velvet lining. There were two small velvet pouches. They had a bit of weight to them, and were tied with a small golden rope. I carefully opened and placed its contents in my paw. It was a gold coin. It was large enough to cover my whole paw, but not too large to make it hard to carry. On one side depicted a rabbit. The rabbit looked an awfully lot like me, but then again, maybe I just look like a typical member of my species. I turned the coin over and on the back was printed the word _Luck_. I opened the other pouch and inside was another coin the same size and color, only this time instead of a rabbit, a fox was portrayed on it. The back of this one said _Cunning_. I put them back into their pouches and put them in my bag. I almost felt compelled to take them, and it is not like there is anyone here to appreciate them. 

I grabbed my bag and started to head out when I tripped over something that I missed. It was an unopened bottle of Rad! Cola. I picked it up and put it in my bag, maybe it’s still good. I turned off my light and headed out of the tent. I tried to get my bearings, and figure out where Onion was. I could not see the shack anymore. It felt like it had gotten darker while I was in there. I gave my eyes some time to adjust but it still did not help, all I could see were tents. I activated my Pip-Boar and turned on the tracker program. Thankfully, I had a tracker on Onion, and within a few seconds it told me that he was located behind me. I found some parts for him, and it is way too dark to continue looking around, so I may as well head back. As I started to walk I heard a very loud crack in the air. It sounded an awful lot like the gun I had. 

My ears twisted in the direction of the sound and I waited. Maybe I was imagining it? After a moment of silence, I figured it was nothing and started back when two more shots fired off from the same direction. Now I _know_ I’m not imagining it. I turned in the direction of the noise. It was still too dark to make out anything, but after a few seconds that changed. A small light flickered into existence a distance away. I really should head back, what if it’s more of those creatures? Then again, they did not seem smart enough to use a gun, and that was defiantly a gun. Perhaps they are in trouble just like I was? I know that I would have loved help back there, so maybe I can offer some assistance. I headed towards the light, moving carefully as to not make a sound. Just in case. 

I finally was close enough to the light to make out that it was a fire. I could hear voices but was still too far to make it out. As I got closer I was able to make out some words. I kept hidden as I listened for a moment, last think I needed was to spook them and get shot. 

“I tell you Griff, those savage ghouls seem to be out numbering us. Last week we ran into, what, five of them the entire week? I’ve shot five just this past hour!”

“You know those fucking things are everywhere, I am sure that explosion we saw probably just woke some of them up.”

“Yeah, about that, what do you think it was? Better question, why the hell are we heading towards it!?”

“You know the boss wants us to find more salvage, what better place than Zootennial? It’s been off most radars due to the large amount of ghoul activity there, but maybe someone finally decided to clean the place up. If that’s the case, we should try to take advantage of it.”

“And if it’s already cleared out, or worse a rival gang, what then?”

“We will just play it by ear Jay. As long as it ain't those Red-Neck freaks, we should be fine. Then again, I doubt it’s them, or else that place would be one giant bonfire.”

Gangs? Red-Necks? Just who are these people? I was sure they needed some help, but now I am wondering if that’s not the case. I should just head back. Onion is probably worrying about me. I slowly turned around and started to leave when a noise froze me in place. Fuck, did they know I was there?

“Hey! Who goes there!”

Fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck. I am a goner. Maybe they will just see me as a lost soul and take pity on me? Maybe these guys are actually decent folk, who just so happen to be collecting scrap for a living. Yeah, I will be fine. Right? I should have just listened to Onion and stayed at the shack until morning. What should I do? I could try to run, or I could just give myself in. They had to know where I was by now, so why haven’t they found me?

“Help! Please help me!”

A new voice, a female? Maybe they didn’t know I was here after all. I turned back and attempted a peak at what was going on. Until now I was just listening. I folded my ears behind my head and took a look as carefully as possible. The two who were talking earlier were standing with their guns pointing the opposite direction of me. One of them looked to be a deer, but most of his antler’s had been broken off into stumps. He was dressed in a ragged trench coat. The other one was a wolf, his black fur matted underneath some scrappy looking clothing made of, was that hide? Where did … no, I did not want to think about that. At least after two decades, predator and prey still seem to be working together. 

“My husband … We were attacked!”

The new voice belonged to a feline, a cheetah perhaps? She was wrapped in what looked like two dresses of opposing colors sewn haphazardly together. I guess when the world ends, fashion dies with it. She was holding her arms across her chest as if she was trying to comfort herself. 

“Ok, ok calm down miss. What attacked you?”

“It was ghouls!”

“Yeah, we’ve seen a few more than usual around here. What were you doing out here so late at night?”

“My husband and I, we are traders. I wanted to rest the night, but he was insistent on making it to Beaverton by daybreak.”

“Hmm, well where did you get attacked?”

“Over…” she points in a direction, then hesitates and points in another. “It’s near the Highway 21 junction. We were trying to pull our wagon through the remains when we were attacked.”

“Perfect. Don’t worry ma’am, your wagon will be safe with us.”

“But what abo…”

That was all she could say before the deer fired his weapon. He must have been a good shot because she dropped right where she stood. What kind of monsters were these?! Shooting a helpless woman who was just asking for assistance. I better get out of here before they see me. Not the kind of first impression I expected out here, and don’t want it to be my last. Thankfully they did not seem to notice me as I snuck away. After I was sure that I was far enough away from them, I turned my Pip-Boar to Onion’s signature and followed it, being careful not to leave any trace so that they can’t follow me back. For once I was thankful of the darkness.

***

I returned to the shack with no further incidents. I took a small look around the outside to make sure that everything was sealed. I did not want any of my Pip-Boar’s light to bleed out and make us a sitting target out here. When I was content I opened the door. I should have knocked because I was inches away from being stunned by Onion’s shock baton. 

“Oh Miss! So sorry. You were gone so long that I was beginning to worry. Then I heard something slinking around the outside and feared the worse.”

“Yeah that was me Onion. Just wanted to make sure this place was secure for the night.”

“So, besides me nearly electrocuting you, you discover anything interesting?”

“I found some spare parts to fix you with and I saw a woman get killed.”

“My audio processors must be on the fritz, I thought I just heard you say you watched someone get killed?”

I filled in Onion on everything that happened. The coins that I found, the robot that I salvaged the parts from, and the events that played out involving the death of an innocent woman. I know that if Onion had eyes, they would be wide with disbelief when my story ended. I tried to forget what I saw and took out the parts I salvaged and began to work on fixing him up. 

“My word Miss. I do hate saying I told you so, but the Burrow sounds like a much safer place than here.”

“To tell you the truth Onion? I am actually feeling, happy.”

“Say again Miss? You just said you watched someone die! How can you be happy with that?”

“Not at that. If anything, that makes me mad and nervous at who else we might meet. It’s this whole thing. Life in the Burrow was boring after my mother died. Sure, I enjoyed fixing the things residents brought to me. I loved fiddling around with any piece of tech I could get my paws on, but even that was getting stale. While I thought we were going to die when those, I think they were ghouls based upon those two’s descriptions, were after us, I felt an unfamiliar rush of excitement.”

“If you plan on putting us in more of those situations, I am just going to go scrap myself to get it over with.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic Onion. I don’t plan to purposely put myself into those types of situations. I still want to find a nice place to settle down, to live life how I want to, not how others tell me too. If a little excitement is thrown at us here and there, well, it will help keep us motivated.”

I think Onion was about to make a remark on that when I shut his power off. I had to do a few detailed fixes and did not want to fry anything. That and I really did not want to argue with a robot right now. My heart was still racing from what I witnessed, and that was almost an hour ago. My brain was still trying to process what happened. Part of me wanted to go and get revenge against what they did, but my logic overthrew that fast. They were obviously used to this, and knew how to use a gun. I however, did not have that luxury and would probably die before I could even attempt anything. Another part of me wanted to go and see if I could help the husband, but between the unknown number of ghouls that might still be there, and the fact that it was still too dark out to see much turned me away from that idea. Something tells me I will need to try to find some protection, and fast. One of them mentioned a trading town nearby, Beaverton was it? That should be our first destination. 

After I was done fixing Onion I turned him on. It would take a while for him to fully reboot, so I decided to make use of this quiet time. I took down the towel that I had hanging on the wall and placed it on the bed. Now that I see how dirty it is in the light, I don’t think I will have as easy a time falling asleep on it without something between me.

I sat down and brought my backpack to me. I fished out the canned items and looked them over. I was feeling a bit hungry. I have some rations with me, but I was curious. I got up and went over to my tool belt that I slung over the chair. I happened to have a multi-function tool that had a can opener on it. I pried open the can, being careful not to spill anything. When it was opened I took a look inside, it looked like some kind of soup. It smelt fine. No mold. I stuck my finger in it and pulled out something foreign. It was a whitish color and very flaky. I got a strange whiff of something from it. I still couldn’t tell if it was good or not, but only one way to find out. 

“Miss Springs! Stop right there!”

He was awake. “Ugh, what is it Onion? Can’t you see I am trying to eat? I’m starving.”

“Yes, but that is not for you. It is meat. Fish to be precise, and species like yourself are not meant to digest such foods, it could make you sick.”

Fish? My entire Burrow were mostly vegetarians. The few that could eat meat, did so through some kind of imitation meat paste. I remember once when I was a kid a couple rabbits and myself were daring each other to do stuff. One of them suggested to try eating that paste. I knew that we were not supposed too, but apparently he decided to accept the challenge. He ate an entire can of it, a week’s worth of rations to some of the smaller residents. It did not agree with him. He was in the medical facility for a week before he recovered. 

“Yeah, I better not. I doubt medical help is easy to find around these parts.”

I threw the can onto the ground and put the other one away. I wasn’t about to see what was in it, and who knows, if it isn’t something I can eat, maybe I can give it to someone who can eat it. If I even find anyone who isn’t cold hearted enough to shoot a defenseless woman. I really hope I do not have bad dreams about that. Nightmares are the last thing I need. 

I grabbed my back and dug through it some more. I pulled out the two pouches with the coins and took them both out. They were really shiny. I wonder if someone was polishing them? Everything else out here was covered in grime or dust, these coins stood out. I noticed that Onion had gotten closer, as if he was looking at them too. Did he develop a taste for shiny object?

“My word Miss, where ever did you get those?” 

“I found them in a small box when I was searching for parts. Do you have any idea what they are? They look too pristine to be simple bits of currency.”

“Actually, my database pinged as soon as I registered them. They are called the Treasure of Zootopia. Commissioned by famous singer, and peace activist Gazelle, twelve coins were created representing the diversity of animals and personalities that made up the City of Zootopia. Four known sets were created. One was given to the Mayor, Gazelle kept one set, a ZPD officer named Judy Hopps was given a set, and the last set’s whereabouts is unknown.”

“Hmm, so they are part of a set. I will defiantly be keeping these, maybe I can reunite them with their friends.”

I stared at them for a bit longer before putting them back into the pouches. I don’t know why but I have the urge to collect them all, or at least one whole set. They had some kind of radiance about them. I put them back into my backpack and remembered the strange plastic carrot I found. I pulled it out and gave it a closer look. It has buttons, so it must be some sort of electronic. I noticed two very small screws on one side. I got up and went over to the desk to have a little more room. After grabbing my screwdriver set I went to work taking it apart. The inside was very basic - three buttons, a microphone, a speaker, and a power source. The batteries were dead, but the unit itself seemed intact. Since I did not have access to whatever primitive power source this thing had, I did the next best thing. Through some fancy rewiring, I was able to hook it up to my Pip-Boar. According to it, there was a small memory unit built in, and there was a recording stored on it. I downloaded it to my Pip-Boar.

“I am about to go to sleep Onion. You better power down and recharge yourself. We leave in the morning and I want us both well rested. I heard about a town called Beaverton. Apparently it’s a trading hub, might be worth checking on. Maybe we can find supplies, or even work there for us.”

“I do hope we don’t run into any more of those ghastly creatures, or worse. I don’t think my circuits can take any more worry.”

I smiled at him and laid on the bed, being careful that I was on the towel and not the actual mattress. I turned off the light and turned on the recording. 

“ _I tried to make it in time Carrots, I really did. I just_ knew _it was a mistake for you to take on that case alone. They should have sent an investigator from Little Rodentia instead, but you … you just had to be so adamant on taking this damn case didn’t you? Things are turning to shit out here Carrots. Ever since the explosion in Tundratown there has been rioting, looting, and everyone is turning on each other. No one knows who did it, and everyone is blaming each other. The precinct is drowning in emergency calls. We don’t have the animal-power to handle this. We need… sigh, maybe it is a good thing you are in there, safe and secure. I don’t want to lose you, but I’d rather know you are safe than for the worst to happen. You said that this Burrow would only be sealed for thirty years, so maybe I will see you again. If, no, when you make it out you know where to find me. Oh and Carrots, remember that test you submitted? Well the results … what was that? No, not here, not now. Remember that I will always love you Judy, and don’t forget …_ ”


	7. Beaverton or Bust!

Overwhelming. There is a sense that everything is coming down all at once, with no possibility of escape. I could feel the walls of my world closing, squeezing more and more out of me. I said I had nothing to lose, but in reality, I have lost it all. I try to close my eyes. I try to concentrate on the world around me. but It feels as if my eyes are pried open, being held by some unknown hand, forcing me to see everything for how it was, how it is, and how it will be, merged together into one singularity. 

I was told that it was fate. Me being born deep under the protection of the earth. Growing up having the one person I truly cared for torn away. Being chosen to clean up the messes of others. Being trapped within my own prison. It was all fate - predetermined by the same invisible hand that forces me see everything. I was beginning to dislike fate, and at times I think the feeling was very mutual. 

I needed to find a way to break away from my prison and to escape the fate that had tied me down for so long. I finally managed to do just that - to escape my fate, to make a new life for me, away from the prison, away from the hate, away from my old life. I threw off my shackles, shed my skin, and am reborn. To some that is only the next step in my fate, but I say that fate can go fuck itself.

***

My head hurts like hell. Guess that’s what I get for being so existential so early in the morning. It is morning I hope. 

“Onion, did we pack any headache medication?”

“We, Miss? As I recalled your choice of packing was to grab anything that wasn’t nailed down and throw it into a bag.”

I had to have been a little more selective than that, right? Shit. I tried to get up from the bed but the world started to spin. It threw me off balance so much that I went crashing down on my bed. No, wait. This is the floor. It’s too dark in here. “Onion, can you shed a little light for me? I can’t even find my Pip-Boar.”

Onion paused for a moment before activating something that pulsed with a low blue light. That works. There it is. I grabbed my Pip-Boar and slapped it on my wrist, missing once since apparently I had three arms, when did that happen? Shit, I really need some medicine. When I finally got the Pip-Boar’s light activated, I saw my bag over near Onion and attempted to get up again. Easy. There we go. Now, to get some support. I reached out towards Onion to have him help support me as the room swayed back and forth. I really hope I don’t vomit. I grabbed onto something that made the pain in my head extend to my entire body as all my limbs locked up and I fell, once again, to the floor, I think I was swearing, but I couldn’t feel my mouth moving to the expletives. 

I just laid on the ground for a moment until I was able to feel, and move, my limbs again. The pain slowly returned to my head. 

“What the fuck was that Onion?”

“Well Miss, since you said you needed some light, and as you should know I do not have any form of standard luminescent capabilities, so I activated my only source of light - my stun baton. It was rather ill advised to touch it Miss.”

Rather ill advised? I need to remind myself to take a good look at his personality programming sometime. After that fun wake-up call was over, I remembered my head still hurt and decided since I was so close, and already on the ground, I would just crawl over there. Luckily I knew where the first aid kit was. I dug around in it until I found the small metal box. I unlatched it and sorted through everything till I found what I was looking for. It was a small piece of paper rolled into a tube with its ends crimped. On it was a red cross with the words ‘Quick-E Fix’ on it. I tore open one end and poured its contents directly onto my tongue. I forgot how nasty this stuff tasted. Thankfully it worked fast. 

While I waited for the food to kick in, I pulled out a dried carrot snack and nibbled on it. Within ten minutes my head was feeling better enough to allow me to get up, and stay up, off of the floor. This stuff might only be a minor pain reliever, but it’s totally worth the horrible taste. I sat down and finished my carrot snack, and drank half of my bottled water. I only had two more bottles with me, so I better hope this Beaverton really does have good water. 

After another fifteen minutes I was feeling almost good as new. I checked in with Onion to make sure that the repairs I made were still holding up, and I reminded him that if he shocks me again, even if it was my own damn fault, that I would be replacing that with something safer, like a stick. A dulled stick. 

“You don’t by chance know the time do you?”

“Well Miss, if my internal clock is properly adjusted, it should be about seven in the morning.”

“Well then, let’s be off, shall we? Oh and one thing, we need to keep a low profile, just in case there is anything out there that might mean us harm.”

“Will do Miss. At least I know my baton works, in an emergency of course.”

I don’t think he will let me forget that one. I grabbed my backpack, latched my tool belt on, and placed that gun between my belt and my body. After what I saw last night, I may have to use it sooner than I would hope. Once I was sure that we had everything, I slowly opened the door and peeked out. I was almost blinded by the sunlight. 

“Seven in the morning, huh? Pretty bright for that early, isn’t it?”

Onion and I stepped outside and saw that the sun was almost directly above us. 

“Looks like I was off by a few hours. There, my internal clock is updated, syncing it with your Pip-Boar Miss. Looks like the Burrow time was off by a few hours.”

Step one of my grand adventure, leave the Burrow. Check. Step two, survive my first night. Check. Step three, and this is the most important one, set the proper time. Check …

“Ok Onion, from what I overheard, Beaverton is a trade town that has a water purifier. That tells me two things. First, don’t drink the ground water. I will assume if a water purifier is a big deal, the water around here is not too good for drinking. Secondly, if we are going to have a chance for survival, I think we need to outfit ourselves better. Beaverton sounds like a good start to me.”

“And like you said Miss, maybe our trip will end there if there is something for us to do.”

“Correct. Now only one, teensy, tiny, problem.”

“That would be?”

“I have no idea where Beaverton is.”

“That would be a problem Miss.”

“It’s not like I could walk up to those two rough looking guys who just shot a defenseless lady and ask them ‘Sorry to intrude on your murdering, but can you point me towards that Beaverton place she mentioned? Thanks kindly.’”

“Well Miss, I have good news. The files you uploaded from the Burrow’s history server had a map of the surrounding area.”

“That’s great news Onion! So, which way we go?”

“That’s the thing, I do not see any mention of a Beaverton. According to this, we are near Zootennial Stadium, that dreadful place that we narrowly escaped. Other nearby map markers show Animalia Amusement Park, Highway twenty-one …”

“Wait! Highway twenty-one? That is where that cheetah said her wagon was attacked.”

“Yes, the one you said was attacked by those ghastly things? We should stay far away from there then.”

“Ghouls, I think they called them, and no, that is exactly where we need to go.”

“Excuse me Miss?”

“Think about it, she said they were heading towards Beaverton when they got attacked, right? That is at least starting in the right direction, don’t you think?”

“Logically yes, but what if we are attacked again? Surely that gun you found will be of no greater use than last time.”

“Oh I have it all planned out Onion. You play music and run around again while I try to find some more explosives. Worked like a charm before.”

“You’re not serious, are you Miss? I still have dents from that.”

“Of course I am kidding. I think the first explosion is what riled them, if we keep a low profile we should be fine. They did not seem like the smartest things.”

“Well if you insist Miss. I guess we cannot go back now, so forward _is_ the most logical course of action.”

Logic and me don’t make good bed fellows at times, and Onion knows that. I think he also has come to the conclusion that I am not giving up. So what if a bunch of crazed ghouls almost killed us, and I saw someone get killed right in front of me? If that is the worst thing this world is going to throw at me, then we should be fine. Of course, the sooner we find somewhere to call a home, the better, and Beaverton sounds like the best, if not only, course of action to take. 

We set out, slowly walking through the collapsed tents. Occasionally I would poke my head into one of the standing ones, or try search through the fallen ones, trying to see if I missed anything last night. I did not find much else useful. There was more empty Rad! Cola bottles, empty cans, and otherwise useless things. I did find something odd, however. Inside one of the tents was tucked a small box, positioned like someone was trying to hide it. This one did not have a lock on it so curiosity got the better of me. Inside was a small bag of soda bottle caps. Most of them had the word Rad! on it, although a couple had ‘Sunset Slothsparilla’ printed on it. I guess even after the world ends someone has to have a hobby. I threw the bag back on the ground, not wanting the unnecessary baggage. They were worthless trinkets anyways. 

When we passed where I saw the cheetah killed it was mostly empty, save for her nearly naked body. It looked like they stripped her of all of her possessions, and just left her. I know she was dead, and that there was nothing I could do for her, but I felt that I should do something. I went back and grabbed a smaller tent, tore out the frame and draped it over her, covering her entire body. 

It’s funny. You would think that I would be affected more by seeing a dead body. Sure it hit me hard when I saw her get killed, but looking at her corpse, just lying on the ground, it just looks like she is sleeping. In her own blood. The blood that is now turning the green tent a sickly yellow. Ok there it is. 

“Are you ok Miss? Is your head still hurting? I know that they can cause bouts of nausea.” 

“No Onion, it’s not that. I think the realization that I am standing next to a dead body that I saw alive not too long ago is getting to me.” Well now, I probably shouldn’t have said that. Looks like last night’s carrot snack is about to make a return.

After I cleaned myself off and swigged that nasty taste out of my mouth with the remaining water from that bottle, I was good to go. As long as I did not think about the … no Olivia, no. Ok, try to focus. Beaverton. I looked at the map that Onion downloaded into my Pip-Boar’s navigation. I never had the need to use it before, it was pretty minimal, so Onion took the liberty of downloading what he had into it. It looks to be almost an hour’s walk in this direction. How long was she looking for help?

***

Thankfully the trip was pretty uneventful. I saw some of the local wildlife, two very large cockroaches. Did they really get that big? Then again I only ever saw them in a book. Most of my knowledge came from books, there was very little to do in the Burrow other than read. Even when my mother passed away, I tried to read everything I could, and what I couldn’t I saved for later. Most of Onion’s original programming came from whatever digital file I could access. I didn’t know everything, but that’s why I had Onion. 

There was not a cloud in sight, so that made the overhead sun a bit menacing on me. It was not very hot, but the direct sunlight made it feel much worse. I moved my ears around the best I could to facilitate my cooling, but my mouth was drying and my fur was getting all frizzy. I started to drink from a new bottle, but I did so sparingly. I had no idea how long it would be until I was able to get more water. What I wouldn’t give for a nice pawpsicle, or a frozen carrot stick. Anything cold really. I guess I did take certain things for granted in the Burrow. Well it’s too late to dwell on the past now. 

After we had left the tented area, I started to take note of my surroundings better. There was not much around here. The land was mostly flat. Any plants that existed two hundred years ago were not here today. Guess nuclear radiation is not the most fertile thing. Speaking of radiation, I was reminded of the fact that my Pip-Boar had a radiation detector a few times when it started to click. The few bits of water I found, most likely from the rain the other day, spiked in radiation as I got closer. No drinking that. 

There was not much else to look at. Any buildings that were nearby were either dilapidated, or boarded up. Some were barely standing on their own. Curiosity really wanted me to check some of them out, but getting side tracked now was not a good idea, especially since I had no idea how long it would be until we could safely rest. Last thing we need is to open a building and find it’s filled with ghouls. Now if I found a nice, open, inviting house, that would be a different story. 

I could see the fallen remnants of highways that must have covered this area. At one time these must have crisscrossed each other, each road taking its travelers to a new destination. Now they lay crumbled to the ground, a shadow of their former selves. None of them, however, were our highway. According to my navigation, it should be coming up any minute now. Time to be a bit stealthier. 

“Hey Onion, you are not going to like me, but could you scout ahead a bit? I think we are near our destination, and those ghouls did not pay too much attention to you until you blasted that music.”

“The music _you_ asked me to play.”

“Well then, just keep it off and you will be fine.”

I could have sworn I heard a grumble come from him, or maybe that was just his floating unit switching power levels. Either way he was obeying. I switched on his tracker and followed from a safe distance. I waited, crouching behind the ruined husk of an automobile. It was a decent sized vehicle, probably for a lion or something. After ten minutes Onion activated the communications link. 

“Miss, I think I found it and, oh dear. You should really come take a look.”

Well, he did not complain about his dents again, so it must be safe. Maybe I can find some sort of hardened combat A.I. to replace him. Actually no, last think I need is to be taking order from him, no matter how much he would probably enjoy it. I slowly got out of my cover and followed the tag to his location. 

The very first thing that I noticed were the three bodies. One, a male cheetah, must have been her husband. He was lying dead on the ground. One of his arms looks like it was chewed off, and there was a large gaping cavity in his chest. I think I am going to be sick. Again. The smell from it cooking in the mid-day sun was not pleasant either. Holding back the urge to vomit I looked at the other two. It was the deer and wolf from last night. They, however looked much worse. There were giant slash marks on both their bodies. Both the deer’s arms looked like they had been torn, not chewed, from his body. The wolf was much worse off. His head was missing, along with at least one arm and one leg. He was lying crumpled on the ground. My gag reflexes started to kick in. I held it back as I turned to the wagon. 

It was actually less of a wagon, and more of a truck, or at least part of one. The bed of the truck looks like it had been separated and had a giant tent like structure attached to it. Attached to the front of the truck were two more wheels on a crudely welded axle. I noticed what looked like a bicycle attached to the very front. I remembered reading about them when I was young. I really wanted my mother to get me one, but she always told me that there is no room in the Burrow to ride it. This one, however, had four wheels, as opposed to two. That must have been a pretty hard trip, peddling while pulling that metal thing. Then again, this might be a common example of transport and that they were used to it. 

While attempting to ignore the decaying bodies, I went and looked inside the back of this vehicle. Inside was a whole bunch of everything. I saw clothing, canned food (most of them even had labels), bottled water, and an assortment of random things. Since the owners were dead and had no use for this (did I really just think that?), I guess I could help myself. I took what water and food I could, checking to make sure I can actually eat it this time, and sorted through everything else. I found a few blankets which I asked Onion if he would cover up the bodies with, to save me from losing the lunch I have yet to have, and continued my search. 

Two things struck my eye. There were three small bags, each of them filled with the soda bottle caps again. These must be really popular. I couldn’t see the appeal, but decided to keep one of the smaller bags. Maybe they are worth something to someone? I also found another gun. This one looked very similar to the one I had except it had a much longer barrel on it. Since Onion had downloaded many of his reference guides into my Pip-Boar, I looked through them until I found one on small arms. From the sound of some of the descriptions, this longer barrel was a silencer, designed to reduce both the sound, and recoil of a gun. That suited me much better. I traded it with my other gun and found a box of ammo that went with it. Luckily that guide informed me on the different ammo sizes and how to reload the gun. I should probably test this out, a book won’t do me much good if I am in trouble. 

Nothing else really seemed to interest me. Most of it was either worthless to me, too heavy or bulky, or it was unrecognizable. I did however find a black trench-coat. It was a bit worn, with holes throughout it, but it fit me pretty well. From what few animals I saw, my clothing looked way too clean and intact, and it might make me stand out a bit too much. This coat however, might make me look like I belong, and not some unexperienced rabbit, which sadly, is the case. 

Once my head cleared a bit I realized something. While we found the wagon that was supposedly heading towards Beaverton, I was still no closer to finding out where that place was. Sure we could just start walking in the basic direction that the wagon was facing, but for all I know it got turned around when it got attacked. I also realized that I was getting hungry, and with all that nausea, my stomach must be empty. I told Onion that I was going to go short distance from here and eat away from the smell. 

Once I found a nice shady area I sat down and took out one of the cans I found. The label said it was canned spinach. Mom always told me to eat my greens, and this is probably the greenest thing around here. I took out my tools and pried open the can. Inside was a green mush. It looked disgusting, but smelt like the best thing ever. I took a small bite. It was edible, and that is what counts. I scarfed down the food, it settling comfortably in my stomach. I followed it up with another carrot snack. I went to take a drink of water but changed my mind and drank the remaining spinach water that remained in the can instead. I had no idea how I should ration the food, so I kept it at that. I will see how long until I get hungry again and go from there.

On my way back to Onion I just happened to notice my reflection in an intact car mirror. I almost did not recognize myself. The trench coat hid most of my features from the neck down, including my tool belt. The normally white fur on my neck and face had grime all over it. I tried to wipe some away, but managed to simply embed it into the fur some more. I almost took some water out to clean up before I stopped myself. From the looks of it, dirty is the new black. The rest of the auburn fur on my head and ears did not fare well either. Half of it was frizzing from the heat, the other half was caked with who knows what. Maybe Beaverton will have a shower. Now that I am thinking of it, I have high hopes for Beaverton, I really hope it pans out. First I got to find it.

“Oh Miss, there you are.”

“I told you I was going to rest and grab something to eat.”

“Yes, yes, but I think I found a solution to our navigation predicament.”

I walked over to him and in one of his gripping claws was a small rolled piece of paper. I took it and rolled it out on the ground. It was a road map, only it had been heavily modified with paw written words and images. Circled in red was a name that gave me hope. Beaverton.

“I cross referenced this map with my internal one and it seems that the town now known as Beaverton was built on the site of a pre-war water purification plant.”

“That would explain why the popularity. If they kept it running all these years, they could have a near limitless supply of fresh, clean water. Could you update my Pip-Boar’s navigation with this new data?”

“Already done Miss. I calculated that with our current mode of transportation, or lack thereof, we should make it in roughly three hours, provided there are no unforeseen detours, and from what I have seen of this place, that is highly unlikely.”

For the first time since leaving the Burrow, we have a destination. Along with the new clothing, supplies, and good weather, this day is turning out to be pretty good. I really hope that I did not just jinx myself thinking that. 

“And Miss, I also found this.”

Onion handed me a small letter. It was sealed with the words: _Urgent! For the Eyes of Mr. Brown Only!_

“Mr. Brown? She did say that they were in a rush when they were attacked. By the way Onion, where did you find the map?”

“While you were gone, I took the liberty of giving these poor unfortunate souls a proper rest, or at least the best I could. It seems that the cheetah was holding onto this when he died.”

“That is actually quite nice of you Onion.”

“A little kindness can go a long way, even if they are unable to recognize it.”

Kindness. It’s only been about two days since I left the Burrow, but everything that I have seen makes me think that kindness is a foreign word. Then again I have only seen three (intelligent) people since arriving on the outside, and two of them were cold blooded bastards. I still have a lot more to learn and see so, hopefully, my first impression of this world is not the representative of it. 

“Time to go Onion. We have quite a ways to go, and I want to make sure we get to our destination before nightfall. It’s only three hours away but, like you said, anything can happen and we need to be prepared.”


	8. A Game of Chance

Ever since I could read, I have loved books. Educational, fictional, even technical manuals, if it had information or a story to tell, I wanted to read it. While I loved reading books with practical knowledge, I had a soft spot for fictions, and one series stood out the most for me. The Savage Chronicles, featuring international rabbit of mystery, Jack Savage. I read all three of his books multiple times. _Savage Seas_ was defiantly my favorite. Action, adventure, drama, and even romance. Everything a good story needs. At times I pretended that I was Jack Savage, sneaking through the Burrow as if I was on a mission to steal some secret plans, or find a kidnapped ally. My mother always told me to be careful, not to bother anyone with my playing. I often pretended that she was Jack’s boss, the strict mouse that lead his entire organization. The one who kept reprimanding him for going too far with his work, but always forgiving him in the end because the job was completed. 

Today I really felt like Jack Savage. Onion and I chose the least conspicuous routes and tried to keep as low of a profile as possible. Sure we could run into someone friendly, but from our experience so far, it’s better to be safe than dead. Thankfully, we did not encounter much during the first half of our trip. I saw a few more of those cockroaches, and some large flying things, but they pretty much left us alone. Maybe it was me looking all bad-ass, sneaking around in my battered trench coat, like I just came from a war-zone. That, or the fact that every time one of them got too close, Onion brought out his stun baton. Nothing like an over-sized bug zapper to deter over-sized bugs.

The route we took followed the ruins of Highway twenty-one, and, with all the abandoned cars and steel and concrete from the wrecked roadways overpasses, we had plenty of places to hide in case of an emergency. We passed houses of all shapes and sizes, most of which did not look very hospitable anymore. The land was fairly flat, so we were able to see for a decent distance, but not once did we see any signs of life other than insects. That was probably a good thing. 

Since nothing was happening, and we still had almost two hours till we made it to Beaverton, I was getting a bit antsy. I needed to do something to get me better focused, but what? As I was climbing over a car that had formed some kind of makeshift blockade, I heard a clink on the ground. I looked down and at my feet was the gun I had gotten earlier. That gives me an idea. 

I rummaged through my bag and got out that unopened bottle of Rad! Cola. Using my multi-tool, I popped off the cap and it went clanging down onto the ground. Not wanting to waste a perfectly fine beverage, and the fact that I was down to one bottle of water now, I put it against my lips and took a sip. It was warm … very warm. It also tasted stale. It kinda tasted like recycled food chips before any actual flavor was added to it. It, however, did have a small bite too it. It was almost like drinking a near tasteless acid. Either it was better fresh, or people’s taste buds died with the rest of the world. I downed the entire bottle, not wanting to waste what water was in this slurry, and held it up to the sun. It acted almost like a prism, creating a small rainbow across my chest. Pretty.

“Um, Miss? My indicators show that you have just taken a small amount of radiation poison.”

“Excuse me?”

“That, drink of yours? It’s irradiated.”

A radioactive soda? What the fuck world? “Tell me you’re kidding. You’re not kidding, are you?”

“I am afraid not Miss. I can, however, inform you that it was a very minor dose of radiation, there should be no negative consequences, although I would advise you against drinking anything you find laying around for the time being.”

Great, just great. Since Onion did not seem too worried about it at the moment, it must not be a big deal, although next time I eat or drink anything I find I will use my radiation detector on it first, just to be sure. Then I remembered something and started to laugh. I think that caught Onion off guard.

“Oh dear, I guess that radiation was worse than I thought. You seem to be having bouts of uncontrollable laughter.”

“I am fine Onion. I just remembered something. You know that C.A.T. that started this whole, adventure of mine? One of the questions actually feels applicable. It said that I was suddenly exposed to a large dose of radiation and now I am growing an extra limb, and asked what should I do. And here I thought it was a stupid test.”

“All tests have meaning Miss, even if you can’t see it.”

“Yeah, well, if I start to grow an extra limb, please don’t choose the first answer.”

“And what would that be?”

“A bullet to the head.”

“Rather grim if I do say Miss.”

Rather grim indeed. So far this entire adventure has been a lot like that test. Confusing, misleading, and bound to put me where I don’t belong. However, unlike the test, I have a much greater control of my outcomes. Now to get back to the reason I drank that radioactive soda. I took the bottle and placed it on top of a nearby car. I stood with the sun behind me and took aim with the gun. Unlike last time I used a gun, I had ample time to see what I was doing. The targeting of it was rather simple. On the back half of the gun were two small posts, with another larger one near the end of the barrel. I knew enough of a gun from my reading that I needed to line up the single post between the two rear ones. I did this and took aim at the bottle. Click.

Shouldn’t something have happened? I pulled the trigger again. Click. What was I doing wrong? Last time I pulled the trigger, a bullet went burrowing into the ghoul in front of me. I looked over the gun, why was it not working? I wish I knew more about these things. I put down the gun and activated my Pip-Boar’s item database. Luckily there was something in here that gave me a brief rundown on how to use a gun. I probably shouldn’t have had access to this, hell I did not even know the Burrow _had_ guns until I escaped. I bet I have my mother to thank for this. I read through it for a bit. Aha! I bet this is the issue. 

I followed the instructions and ejected the magazine. Just as I thought, it was not even loaded. Good thing I wasn’t in a fight, I’d be screwed. I removed the box of bullets from my bag and loaded eight into the magazine. That was not a whole lot, but then again I really hope I don’t have to use it. Once the magazine was in and the gun cocked, I took aim at the bottle again.

Unlike with the last gun, when I pulled the trigger it was almost silent. I heard a small noise, like air quickly rushing out of tube. I also felt very little recoil. I like this thing a lot better. Unfortunately, I completely missed the bottle. I shot again, and it was another miss. It’s only ten feet in front of me! I pulled the trigger once more and this time I made contact. I must have just barely nicked it because it did not shatter until it hit the ground. I really hope I don’t need to use this thing anytime soon. Unless it’s the size of a house. Then _maybe_ I could hit it. I reloaded the magazine and put it back into its home between my belt and body. I’ll try again when I find more bottles. 

“Umm, Miss? I think we have company.”

What? Fuck. Did they see us? “Onion, keep out of sight.” I tried to hide as well, but I think I was too late. 

“Hey! You there!” The voice came from behind me. 

I chanced a peak up over the car I was behind. There were two wagons. Unlike the one before, these were actually crafted out of scraps into something out of the frontier time. Both of the wagons had a similar tent-like covering, preventing me from seeing their goods. They must have been connected because when one stopped, the other did as well. In front was the largest animal I have seen, apart from that rhino ghoul. It was a bison. He was huge, and not just he was taller than me. His muscles bulged from beneath his shirt. I think he could bend steel just by breathing on it. From one side of the wagon walked out two wolves. They contrasted each other, one’s fur was white, while the other’s was black. They both wore simple vests and slacks. 

“You, rabbit! I know your there, no point hiding.”

Fuck. Maybe these guys are nice? 

“Oh, me? Sorry. I got, um, startled is all. Got attacked by some ghouls yesterday, just trying to be cautious.” I shouted at them, trying to be composed, but I don’t think it worked. I put my hand on my gun as I whispered towards Onion, “I am going to meet them, stay hidden and be prepared for anything.”

I stood up fully and slowly walked towards them, attempting to not seem threatening. It must have been working, because the now visible guns the wolves had were still in their holster. Phew. The bison stared at me as I walked, but he did not say anything. He did not have too. His muscles were obviously doing all the talking. They said ‘Don’t try anything, or else I will break you in half.’ I gave him as much room as possible. 

“Ok, stop right there and don’t make any sudden movements. What you doing out here rabbit?”

What should I say? I escaped my Burrow and am now trying to find my way in this world? Heck, they would probably laugh, shoot me, and be on their merry way. I wanted to punch myself. Stop thinking the worst Olivia.

“I, well,” I had to be focused. I needed to plan my words carefully. “I am on my way to Beaverton, my brother is expecting me in a few hours. Unfortunately, I was attacked by a couple of ghouls about an hour’s back that way, and it slowed me down a bit.”

“Ghouls you say? You look pretty healthy for being ghoul bait. You alone?”

“Funny story. I had this radio with me, one of them emergency wind up ones, and I was able to distract them with it while I ran. As for being alone? I actually have a friend with me. He went to look for some food while I rested. He should be back anytime now. I’ll be fine, you can be on your way.”

The wolves looked at each other for a moment. The bison still had not moved or said anything. The wolves reached for their holsters, I went to move my paw towards my gun, knowing that I was probably dead. My paw froze when I saw them unbuckle their holsters and place them on the ground near their wagons. 

“We mean no harm rabbit. We are just a couple of friendly traders out to peddle our wares,” said the black wolf, giving a very large, and slightly unnerving smile.

“That’s right. My brother and I simply travel from town to town, collecting and buying anything that seems worthwhile, and we sell it at fair and honest prices.” The white one seemed to say it more naturally, as if he actually meant it. 

I started to feel a bit more comfortable. I slowly opened my trench coat, took out my gun where they could see it, and also placed it down on the ground. If they openly disarmed themselves, it would be rude not to do the same. If they meant me any harm, they probably would still have them on their body instead of on the ground.

“See? We show peace and they show it back brother. Now then, I have a proposition for you Miss Rabbit.” The white wolf must have been the one in charge, he seemed to exude confidence from himself.

“The name’s Olivia, and what is this proposition?”

“You see Olivia, ma’am, we just so happen to be heading towards Beaverton. It’s still quite the journey to be doing this on foot, and since you said you are waiting for your friend anyways, let’s make a small wager.” He continues to talk as he folds out a small table attached to the side of the front wagon. “My brother and I love a nice card game. Helps to pass the time, and often we find some nice travelers such as yourself to deal in a game. We usually play for trade, if they win, we give them something for free, if we win, we simply charge them full value for something they were planning to buy anyway – it’s a win-win situation.”

He pulled out two chairs from the back of the wagon and placed them on either side. He then pulled out a deck of cards and placed them on the table as he waved me over. “Tell you what. Play me a nice game and if you win, we will give you and your brother a free ride to Beaverton.”

“And if I lose?”

“Well then, you can offer up something of yours. Don’t worry, you don’t have to decide now, let’s just see how fate unfolds.”

Fate, there’s that word again. In my experience, every time fate deals a hand, it is filled with nothing but misfortune. Of course this is just a simple card game, right? What is the worst that can happen? The most valuable things I have on me are probably my gun and my supplies, both can be re-obtained once I get to Beaverton, and both are worth potentially cutting my trip in half. 

“Ok, deal me in. What’s the game?”

“Perfect. The game is called King of Queens.”

“Never heard of that one.”

“That is because it’s a house specialty. The rules are simple,” he takes out the cards as he speaks and pulls the top four and lays them down face up in front of me, “these are the four kings. Each one has its own suit and color. The object of the game is to be the first one to pull a matching Kind and Queen of the same suit and color. That’s it. I’ve seen a hand won in two turns, I’ve seen it play out for an hour.”

He deals takes the four Kings and shuffles them into the deck, he then cuts it twice and hands it to me and asks me to shuffle and cut it once. I have never played a card game before, but the rules sounded very simple. It seemed like it was less strategy and more just pure luck. I handed the deck back to him and he deals out two cards face down, one to him and one to me.

“Every turn we draw one card. It draws it out, but makes every card pull suspenseful. You can’t have fun without a little suspense.”

I took a look at my first card. It was a ten of diamonds. Dang, I was hoping for a good draw for my first turn. I looked at him but his friendly face was replaced with one void of expression. Looks like he was really getting into this. I tried to break the ice a bit, maybe see if I could get him to show a little hint at his hand. 

“So, I did not catch your name.” 

I drew a card, it was an Ace of Hearts.

“That’s because I didn’t throw it, but since you obliged me with yours, the name is Jack, and this here is my brother Max.” 

“Jack? I was actually just thinking about a Jack earlier, Jack Savage, you ever read any of his books?”

This time I got lucky, I drew a Queen of Diamonds. Now I just needed a King to match.

“Yeah, I’ve seen a couple of them, never read them myself. Tell you what, I got a copy of the fourth book, if you win I will throw it in, free of charge.” He drew another card, but his expression did not change. 

“A FOURTH book? I thought there were only three.”

There were more than three? If I had an expressionless face, it was gone now. A free ride and a book I haven't read? That would make this the best day ever. I drew another card and got a Six of Hearts. Damn. Come on King! 

“Yeah, from what I have seen, they made six of them I think, then the war happened and they closed down the publisher to make more room for military funding. I have seen the others, but never a complete set. I heard a full set is worth a bit of caps.”

Caps? No, don’t tell me …

“Caps you say?” I just opened my mouth and said what was on my mind. Shit, if they realize I am new to the outside, they could take advantage of me, then again, he has been friendly thus far. Better not risk anymore slips, just in case.

“What, you from a Burrow or something? Caps, you know those bottle caps from sodas like Rad! and Slothsparilla?”

“Well you see, my family deals mostly in direct trade. Food for clothing, ammo for medicine, that type of stuff. You can put a price on something, but if you don’t have the money, it’s worthless.”

“Ha, you got that right kid. I’ve run into many who did not have a single cap to their name, but we still managed to make a deal. Do I know your family? I’ve been all over.”

Eight of Diamonds. Damn, at least he seems to have the same luck as me. “Probably not, you know us rabbits, we like to multiply so it can be kinda hard to keep track of, especially when some of us leave the family to find fame elsewhere.”

“I know what you mean. I had a sister once, she left the family to go exploring some abandoned factory, she heard rumors about a ton of pre-war weapons there, wanted to start her own gang. Stupid girl. She did not even make it there before becoming a snack to a pack of savage ghouls.”

“I, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It was her own damn fault that she lost her life. Just like how you just lost this game. Read ‘em and weep.” He slapped down a King of Spades and a Queen of Spades. 

“Well damn it. Ok so what possession do I have to give up?”

I was so preoccupied with listening to him, that I never saw his brother sneaking up behind me. Suddenly I felt his arms grab me and yank me from the chair. He was tall enough that he was able to lift me a few feet off the ground with relative ease. He bent in, his muzzle touching my cheek and the stench of his breath invading my nose. 

“Your life.” Max said the words slowly, like he was enjoying each one.

“Let me go! I thought you were simple traders!”

“We are, rabbit. We trade in all sorts of things. Food, supplies. Slaves. And you, my dear Olivia, are our newest piece of inventory.”

“You better let me go this instant! Once my friend gets back …”

“Oh, I don’t think I buy your story. You are alone, and in fact, I do believe you are not from these parts. How did life in a Burrow treat you? Not good enough since you’re up here I am guessing.

How, how did he know? Did some Burrows actually open on their own? I knew that we were not the only one, but no one knew how many there were, or even where they were. I couldn’t give up. I had to think of something to do. 

Jack pulled back the sleeve on the arm where my Pip-Boar was attached, “just as I thought. Only Burrow residents have a Pip-Boar, especially one in such good condition. This will fetch at least a few thousands caps, on top of what I can get for you. What do you think a purebred Burrow dweller goes for? Ten, twenty thousand caps?”

“She smells sweet. I bet we can get at least thirty for her. From the looks of it, she has not been around here for more than a couple days. Probably doesn’t even have any radiation poisoning.”

“You got that wrong asshole, I drank a nice big bottle of Rad! Cola, so there!”

They both started to laugh, so much that Max almost dropped me. “Rad! Cola? You would have to drink a hundred bottles of that to even make it worth a trip to the doctors. Stupid bunny.”

Fuck. What the hell can I do? I can’t overpower two of them. They were about to take my Pip-Boar, so signaling Onion was out of the question, and even if they did not take it, it’s not like they would let me take the time to call him. My gun is at least forty feet from me, and theirs are within reach, so even if I could make a run for it, they would gun me down in a heartbeat. On top of that, I could still see that bison standing there, emotionless. He must be a body guard or something. Onion, I wish you were here. 

I suddenly got dropped to the ground. I smelt burning fur as I turned around to see Max convulsing on the ground. Right behind him was Onion, stun baton extended. I just wanted to kiss him, but now was not the time. I turned towards Jack and saw him running towards his gun. I had an idea. When I was younger, I was always told that rabbits were great jumpers, and because of this I pretended that I was a gymnast, jumping over everything, doing back flips off the wall, anything that could make my mother proud. The wagon seemed sturdy enough so I quickly jumped to my feet and put all my strength into my legs. I jumped into the air, rebounded off the wagon and right on top of the wolf. I impacted him so hard that he went flying a few feet, away from his gun. I grabbed the gun just as I saw him extend his claws. He was pissed.

“Why you fucking cunt! You will pay for that!” 

He was charging full speed towards me. I hesitated for a second, but only a second. When I heard Onion shouting at me to watch out, my instincts kicked in. I pulled the trigger. Jack let out a loud howl as he fell to the ground, blood coming from his leg. On that cue, Onion floated over to him and gave him a long enough jolt to knock him unconscious like his brother. My heart was still racing when I noticed movement out the corner of my eye. 

I turned around to see the bison, no longer motionless coming straight for me. I forgot about him. I pulled the trigger but it only clicked. Fuck, only one bullet? Even I had the common sense to reload my gun after using it. Onion was still floating over Jack, and he was not fast enough to reach me in time. I braced myself as the bison grabbed me in his arms and held me up high. It would only take a few seconds, and I would be dead. I did not even last a full three days out here. Or so I thought. I was still alive. Was he, crying? 

“Thank you! Thank you little bunny!”

That was, very unexpected.

“You can thank me by not crushing me, I am starting to lose the feeling in my legs.”

He put me down, and wiped away his tears. He stood, no, towered in front of me. I don’t even think I could jump that high! I killed these two wolves, yet he was thanking me. What kind of twisted world is this?

“Ok, ok. Tell me something. Who are you. Who are they? And why the fuck did they just try to take me like some piece of scrap lying on the side of the road?”

“You really are not from around here, are you?”

“No, I am not. Please enlighten me.”

“They are slavers. They go around finding helpless animals and trick them into captivity before selling you at the nearest slave camp. That’s how they got me, that’s how they get everyone. At least until you came around.”

“But your twice as big as them, you could probably kill them without breaking a sweat.”

“It is true. I am very strong. I used to be a pit fighter before I met my wife. Once I found out she was pregnant, I put that life behind me to start a family. My family is why I was enslaved. Here, let me show you.”

He led me to the rear wagon. Onion floated near me but I assured him that it was all over, and to watch over the wolves in case they wake up. When we got there he threw back the fabric panel and standing in the dark interior were two figures. He assured them it was okay and they both slowly got out of the wagon. Despite being a different species than me, and her clothing more tattered than my trench coat, she was actually very pretty. Her dark brown fur was surprisingly clean, compared to his. She was wearing a simple dress but I noticed a flashing light coming from a strange collar on her neck. Behind her was a small girl. Her fur was lighter than her parents, but had the same cuteness her mother had. She must have been very afraid, she kept hiding behind her mother. I noticed the same collar on her as well.

“Your family is very lovely. I can’t believe that there are animals that would buy and sell others like property.”

“It is a very unforgiving world we live in. I should have been able to protect them, but one day when I was out gathering wood for a fire, these filthy creatures broke into our home and held my family hostage. When I got home they said that if I played a card game and won, they would free them, if I lost, that I would take their place as a slave and they would be free.”

“Let me guess, you lost. I get that, they went back on their word, but like I said before, why did you not simply over power them? I doubt a small gun would have stopped you from protecting your family.”

He asked his wife to step forward and pointed at the collar around her neck, “you see this? It’s a special collar that is used by slavers. It contains a small explosive. If they push a button, or if someone tried to take it off, it will explode, severing their head, and killing them instantly. Some of them are even rigged so that if their owner died, the collar would go off. They already had them on, so even if I tried anything, I would be killing my family.”

Bomb collars? That’s messed up. I am guessing since they are still alive the wolves did not get a chance to activate them. Thankfully they did not place one on me yet. I would have been really screwed. I walked over to Jack who was still unconscious. I went through his pockets and found a small brick shaped device with a single button on it. The detonator.

“So, how do you get these things off?”

“You can’t. Only the slave camps have the ability to remove them. Prevents the slavers from double crossing them and stealing the slaves for their own.”

Of course. Why wouldn’t there be a simple solution? Time to make use of my brain. I told them I will not leave until I figured out a way to free them from the collars. The bison looked a bit hesitant. 

“You see that robot over there? Say hi Onion.”

“Err, hi.”

“Well I made him all by myself. From scrap I found lying around. I even programmed him myself. I did that when I was a kid as well after my mother … well let’s just say I had no help whatsoever. I think I can disarm a small bomb.”

“Ok. But please, be careful. They are the only things left that matter to me.”

Great, put more pressure on me. Thanks. I took out my tools and found a screwdriver small enough to open the remote. It was a simple enough design. Push button, activate transmitter, boom. Unfortunately, it was too simple. There would be no way to override the collar’s lock with this. I set it down, away where it won’t accidentally get activated, and asked if I could take a look at one of the collars. He looked at his wife and gave her a smile. She sat down on the ground as I stood on one of the chairs to get a better look. 

This thing was a mess. I found the explosive easily enough, and the transmitter, but it looked like it was thrown together in the dark. Some of the wires did not even connect to anything. I did, however, see a large bundle of wires that went throughout the entire collar. They must be what senses if the collar is cut. Best to leave them alone. At this distance, if I set this thing off it would probably take us both out. Since I couldn’t physically do anything, I got down and retrieved the detonator again. 

“I have an idea that should work. There is at least a ninety percent chance of it.”

“And if you are wrong?” He asked with worry in his eyes.

“Then, I will give my own life for that of your wife’s. It’s only fair.”

“Miss Springs!”

“Quiet Onion. If I kill her, I am no better than these fuckers and I would deserve anything that happened to me.”

“That … you are not like anyone else I know. Please, do what you can.”

I took out my Pip-Boar’s physical connector and spliced it with what I hoped was the main wire of the transmitter. I opened up my _Hackatron_ application and started to punch in some commands. I successfully interfaced with the transmitter. It seemed that it had two separate channels. One of them was connected directly to the receiver that connected to the explosives. Don’t want to mess with that. The other signal was buried deep within the first. It took me about twenty minutes, but I was able to finally isolate it. Once I decrypted it, modified it and re-encrypt it, I was ready. 

“Ok, ma’am? Would you please stand over there, and sir, I would take your daughter. I promise you, with my own life, that this will work.”

He hesitated again before calling his daughter over. She started to cry, calling for her mommy. I was starting to tear up. If I failed, she would grow up without a mother, and I know that pain all too well. No, don’t get all emotional now. I _know_ this will work. It has to! I closed my eyes and activated the program.

I braced myself for an explosion that never came. Instead I was greeted by a small clank on the ground. I opened my eyes and saw that the collar had fallen off. She was free. Both of them started to cry, and since they were crying it caused their daughter to cry even more, but I could tell these were tears of happiness. I found the signal for the daughter’s collar and successfully disarmed that one as well. I was starting to cry to as he ran over and grabbed me again. I just stayed there, giving into his hug as I could feel his tears falling on my head. 

“I’m starting to have trouble breathing.”

He put me down just as the wife, smaller than him, but still much taller than me, hugged me as well, only this time she bent down and it felt like a loving embrace, rather than a wrestling move. The daughter gave me a hug, even though I could tell she had no idea what was going on. She had to have been around four or five years old. 

I smiled at them, wiping my own tears away and asked, “So what will you do now?”

“Head very far from this place. There is a town called Hope far North of here. It is the only place within a hundred miles that one can truly feel safe. If we sell these slaver’s goods, we should have enough money to sustain us for some time.”

“Hope? Haven’t heard of that. I was heading to a place called Beaverton myself. Heard it was the nearest trade settlement, and I am searching for both work and supplies.”

“I would stay clear of Beaverton if I was you. I never been, but I hear that they are not the friendliest bunch. Sure they will trade you anything for anything, but at what cost? How about you join us? We can travel to Hope together.”

That was a very good offer. Protection and company, plus I wouldn’t have to worry about my feet getting sore from all the walking. Then I remembered the letter.

“Sorry, I appreciate your concern and your offer, but I have an urgent letter for someone in Beaverton. Two cheetahs were killed trying to deliver it in a rush. To tell you the truth I have no idea what is in it, but I can at least deliver it for them.”

“I am sorry. Did you know them well?”

“Actually, I did not. They did not even know me. I watched as the wife was killed - too afraid to do anything. They were killed by animals that feigned kindness, just like these two. They were the first people I saw since leaving the Burrow, so I did not know any better. Her husband was killed by ghouls, and I found the letter earlier today. Even though they did not know me, I owe it to them. If I was stronger, I could have at least saved her life. That’s part of the reason I helped you, I already saw one death, I did not want to add any to it.”

“You really are something rabbit. If there were more like you, this world might actually stand a chance. If you ever find your way to Hope, look us up. I promise you a place to stay, and food to eat. That is the least I can do to thank you.”

“I will take you up on that offer. If Beaverton is the place you say it is, once I am done I will make my way to Hope.”

The bison asked me to wait a moment and went into the first wagon. He rummaged in there for a few moments and came out with a small bag. “Here, take this. Food and medicine. There is plenty here for our trip.”

“Thank you, Mr.?”

“You can call me Bo.”

“That reminds me, what should we do with these two?”

“Leave them, they will get what’s coming to them. Now if you excuse me, we should get some rest before our travels. Good travels Olivia.”

“Likewise.”

I smiled and waved at him as he climbed into the back with his family. As I was heading to get my gun I stepped on one of the collars. Explosives came in handy before, so I picked them up and put them into my bag. As long as the transmitter was disabled, they should be fine. I signaled to Onion that it was time to go. 

After we were a good distance away Onion was the first to break the silence. “You really shouldn’t gamble with your life like that, what if you failed?”

“It was a risk I had to take. So far our encounters with bad animals has greatly outnumbered the good. Someone has to be the hero.”

“I just wish that someone wasn’t you.”

***

The rest of our trip was met with little resistance. We ran across two of those large flying insects again, but this time they tried to attack me, spitting some sort of sticky acid at us. I did not hesitate to pull out my gun and shoot them. My aim was getting better. It took only three bullets to take both them down. I was getting better at this, and somehow that scared me. 

The highway ended about twenty minutes ago, and with it so did the abandoned cars that we had been using for cover. Everything was open, and it was making me nervous. There were still buildings here and there, but nothing really worth investigating. Those supplies that Bo gave me came in handy. Three more bottles of water, some canned asparagus (which I never had but it was amazing!), and some more of those carrot rations. Guess they were not exclusive to the Burrow. There were also some basic medical supplies. Gauss, antibiotics, and more Quick-E Fix. If Beaverton doesn’t pan out, and we get to Hope, I will have to find a way to repay him for the supplies. 

Speaking of Beaverton, according to my Pip-Boar, it should be right over this ridge. From the topography on the physical map, it seemed that this flatland ended at a cliff that divided Savanna Central, where we were, and Sahara Square. I pulled up a geology book on my Pip-Boar and saw that we were actually walking in what was a river. Since there was no sign of water anywhere, I am assuming it was long dried up. The river flowed over the cliff face into the harbor that the water treatment plant was built on. 

As we got closer to the edge I could start to smell something, like something was burning. I also could see a bit of smoke rising up. A fire in this weather? Then again, we were nearing a desert biome, so maybe they like it hot. Also, if it was anything like the water purifier in the Burrow, it used the heat from the power generator to filter the water through evaporation, maybe this is how they did it. It would make sense. I am sure electricity is hard to come by out here, but fire, that can be made anywhere.

We finally got to the edge of the cliff and I froze. I expected to see a large bustling town, homes and people everywhere. I thought I would see children running through the streets, while their parents worked the businesses, and traded their wares. I expected to see life, a civilization thriving in the middle of a wasteland. That is not what I saw. 

Ruins. The smoking ruins of a town. Nothing was left. Buildings were burnt to the ground, some of the fires were still burning, but it was mostly smoke. Then the smell hit me. Even from up here, I could smell burning flesh. It was horrible. Who could do something like this? Slavery and murder - that was one thing, but this? This was unadulterated evil. I don’t care what someplace did to deserve this. No town can be so bad that you have to burn it to the ground along with their own. 

“Oh dear. That is, was Beaverton.”

I closed my paws together and held them with every ounce of my strength. “I will find out who did this, and they will pay.”

“You don’t even know who they were. What if it was an entire town like those two wolves, or even worse, what if this was a slave camp?”

“I don’t care Onion. If these were lowlifes like them, they still deserve better. A trial, jail time, or something! There still has to be some sort of justice out here. Even if it was a slave camp, wouldn’t that mean that slavers and slaves alike would have died? Shooting someone is quick, do it right and it should be painless, but burning someone? No one deserves that.”

Sure, I don’t know what it is like to die. Get hurt, yeah, but not die. I do know, however, the pain of getting burned. It was only a few years ago. I was working on making Onion when one of his circuits caught on fire. Stupid me decided that I would just put it out with my paws. I burned not only my fur off, but a layer of my skin. For the few moments that I felt the burn, it was like no other pain I felt. Imagine going minutes, or longer with that feeling, knowing that it will never end until you do. From the looks of it, this place looks like it must have housed a population of at least a hundred, if not more. 

“We need to check for survivors.”

“Do you really think that would be wise Miss? What if whoever did that is still here?”

“I don’t care. We need to offer whatever help we can, even if it is simply to ease their pain.”

This world is chaos. Only Bo and his family have shown that there is good still left in the world. I keep hoping that there is more than just them, that good cannot be so easily defeated, no matter how much evil is in the world. Burrow Seventy-Six was safe, safer than this, but it was misguided. Those who could help were put into positions where they couldn’t, at least not to their full potential, out here you are free to choose your way. May it be good, evil, or balancing the line between both, you can decide your own fate. I have narrowly escaped death three times now, coming from it unscathed. I for one am starting to believe in fate now, and I believe that fate has chosen me for something greater than myself. 

This world needs good. This world needs a hero. Until it finds someone better, looks like I need to be that hero. Your move fate.


	9. Beaverton, City of Ash

Smoke and ash, everywhere. Here rest the smoldering heaps of what was once a thriving town. I could feel my heart pounding. My muscles were trembling, wanting to trash out in anger, while my brain was telling me to panic, to run away from this. I could feel my anxiety build as I got closer and closer to what remained of the town’s entrance. Great walls were once erected around this town, but they lay, reduced to charred wood and warped, melting metal. What, who could have done this?

I think Onion was trying to tell me something, but my focus was singular, with one goal in mind: find any survivors. As I moved into the town, a strong wind started to blow smoke and ash into my face. I started to cough, the combination of loose slag being tossed into the air, and the increasing putridness of burning flesh writhed into my lungs and eyes. It was making it hard to concentrate on the task before me. I stopped, pulled out some safety goggles and a bandanna that I wrapped around my mouth and nose. It wasn’t perfect, but it helped immensely. I buttoned up my trench coat and continued on.

Whatever did this was merciless. Not a single building was left standing, even what I assumed were the holding tanks for water had ruptured. If it held water once, it was dry, the heat of the flames must have evaporated it. The first thing I noticed was a giant charred sign lying on the ground before me. It was split in half, but I recognized the word _Beaverton_ on it. The charring looked fairly recent. This attack must have happened earlier in the day, if I had to guess, I’d say three to four hours earlier. I could still feel the heat from some of the wood scattered around me, and saw the occasional flickering of flame. 

While there were no buildings left standing, I did what I could to dig through the rubble. I told Onion to keep his sensors open, monitoring for sounds, movement, or any signs of life. So far all I found were bodies. Even through the fabric on my face, I could smell dead. I did all I could to hold back my nausea. I found the remains of a table, with what once looked like food scattered around, with four bodies surrounding it. They had been enjoying a meal when they died. There were no signs of struggle. At one moment they were alive, happy, and the next they were dead, burned alive in their own home. 

I moved onto the remnants of other buildings and it was all the same. Many died in their own homes, doing whatever it was they typically did. It was even worse once I got to the center of town. The attack must have happened during the peak of trading hours. I saw what looked like booths and burnt tents scattered. It must have looked like one of those old fashion outdoor markets I read about in the history books. Vendors selling their wares, while troves of people made their way though, trying to get what they needed. There, in the dead center of it all was a crater, lined with ash. That must have been ground zero for an attack. Was it a bomb? I looked closer. There were no bodies here, the explosion must have been so strong that it vaporized anything within a few feet of it. It was still hot. 

The fallen ash had covered any signs of who was responsible. Paw-prints, hoof marks, nothing was identifiable, and even if they were, it would be hard pressed to tell whose was who. This placed looked like it saw hundreds of animals a day. I wanted to try to figure this out, but my head was not having it. Between the smoke, smell, and the anxiety, I could not think straight. I got up and continued to look. There had to be someone alive, or at least something to tell me who the fuck could have done this. 

“Miss? You should come over here.”

Did he find a survivor? I turned and headed in his direction. Once I got past the initial blast radius, the bodies and debris appeared again. I moved carefully, not wanting to step on anyth …, anyone. I couldn’t help them, there were too many to even give a good burial, but I can at least make sure I treated their bodies with respect, and once I find out who did this, I will give them these poor souls the retribution they deserve. 

When I got to where Onion was, the first thing I noticed was that it had been a much larger building than the rest. The foundation was at least three times the size. It must have held a great deal of animals in it. Was it a place for travelers to rest? The one thing I did notice, however, was the lack of bodies. Thankfully this place must have been vacant. I saw Onion over to one corner where part of the walls and roof were still intact. 

“What did you find Onion?”

He did not have to respond. I took my goggles off so that I could see better. Crouched in a corner was a pig. I could not make out the gender. Its skin was blackened. Most of the clothing was burned, but I could tell that some of it had gotten ripped as well. I walked over, taking it very slow so that the pig did not see me as a threat. It did not say anything, but suddenly collapsed on the ground. I rushed over.

“Onion, vitals!”

“He’s alive Miss, but just barely.”

I went over and tried to help him up. I grabbed his burned arm but suddenly recoiled as he spoke. 

“I … can’t feel …”

“Sir, I am here to help. Please, what can I do?”

“How …”

“Easy there, you are badly burned. Onion! Do we have anything that could help?”

“I am sorry Miss, even with the supplies that Mr. Bo gave us, we have nothing that can help with such bad burns.”

“No, there has to be something we can do!” I couldn’t take no for an answer. I had to help him, but how?

He tried to get up but then fell down again. “Please … are they? I tried … I tried …”

“Who? Are there other survivors?” If I could save even a few.

Onion drifted towards me and spoke with a low tone, “There do not appear to be any other life signs on my readings.”

“Who did this to you?”

“Red … Necks.”

Red-Necks? That name sounded familiar. Didn’t I hear those two outside the stadium mention them? The wolf seemed rather nervous when he mentioned their name. 

“The … children … are … they …”

Children? Oh no. Please, no. I got up and looked around. I saw no bodies. Then, I noticed a large piece of metal that was very out of place on the floor. I went over to it and grabbed one end. It was very heavy but I managed to move it enough to see that it covered an opening. Then it hit me. The smell was worse than anything here. I think part of me knew what to expect, but I had to make sure. I went around to the opening and glanced down. Heat billowed up and distorted the air around it. I covered my mouth and nose with my paw, the bandanna being useless. I turned on my Pip-Boar’s light and shone it down into the hole. I couldn’t hold it anymore, I vomited.

Inside were at least a dozen bodies. Their fur falling off, the skin bubbling. I knew who they were. It was the children. This was a school. This was a fucking school! When the attacks happened, he must have lead them down there thinking they would be safe, not knowing that he just put them into a giant oven. To mindlessly kill adults, that was one thing, but these were children. These were fucking innocent children! These Red-Necks, whoever they are, they will pay. 

When my nausea calmed down enough to collect myself, I dragged the metal back over it. There was nothing I could do. This would be their tomb. I walked over to the pig, my thoughts swimming with what I would do to those responsible if, no when I found them. I knelt beside the pig and placed my paw on his back. His nerves must have been deadened from the burn because he did not react. 

“The children? Are … are they ok?”

“They … they’re …” I just could not get myself to tell them that they were all dead, that his helping only caused them to suffer greater. The tears were starting to fall.

“Miss?” Onion started, his voice low again, “I ran a complete analysis of his condition. It’s not good. Even if he somehow managed to live, his skin is so badly burned that there is no chance of full epidermal recovery. He is blind in one eye, his lungs are severely damaged due to the smoke inhalation, and at least one leg has suffered enough trauma that he will probably not be able to walk again without proper medical treatment – treatment, that I am sorry to say, is probably not within reach.”

He wasn’t going to make it. 

He struggled to look up at me, one eye a clouded globe, the other looking as if he wanted to cry, but the tears were not coming. “Miss … please. I know that … my time is … done. I cannot … feel … anything. Please … end my … suffering. Protect the … children.”

“No, you can make it, you have to. The children are … “ Dead? Cooked to death from your mistake? No. One one deserves to know that. “The children are safe. But you …” 

“I’m already … dead. Please …”

I don’t know how, but I knew what I had to do. No one should be able to live with this pain. Even if he did manage to make it through, he would eventually learn of his mistake, and have to live with the pain of both their loss and his disability. I started feel tears fall down my face as I pulled out my gun. Part of me did not want him to see me like this, but the other part, I know that in his position, I would want to see that they cared when they ended my pain. I put the gun to his head as he closed his eyes. 

“Thank … you.” 

I pulled the trigger. It was clean and quick. He fell to the ground, a smile on his face. I didn’t even know his name. He could have been a teacher, a parent, maybe he was the mayor. I will never know, just as he will never have to know that he was protecting those that were already dead. They say ignorance is bliss, and at times like this I couldn’t agree more. 

“Miss?”

“Not now Onion. Not. Now.”

I collapsed to the ground as I let it all out. This world was cruel. This world was horrible. Why the hell did I even being to _think_ that I could find a better life out here? Everything that I have seen of this world makes me wish I was still back in Burrow Seventy-Six cleaning out toilets. At least then I would still be ignorant of the cruelty that exists. 

I don’t know how long I was sitting there, my tears still flowing as if they came from some never ending river. Every time I thought this world had flung its worst at me, it comes up with something even more horrible. I have only been on the surface for a few days, and I already could feel my life being drained by some unseen lich, draining the life-force of everyone who comes here to extend its own horrible existence. Each time I closed my eyes, I could see the faces of those taken by cruelty. The cheetah who simply wanted to help her husband, Bo’s wife and child, fearful of their lives as they were sold to someone who would do who knows what to them. I saw the faces of children, screaming as their flesh melted from their bones, the surrounding smells emphasizing the vivid image. I tried to vomit again but I had nothing in me. I was feeling as empty as those around me.

I felt a small poke in my backside. I turned towards the source, my eyes feeling sore from all the tears I have shed. It was Onion. He was floating beside me, not saying a word, but I could tell that he was doing his best to comfort me, like an arm around my shoulder. 

“I’m sorry Onion.”

“It’s ok Miss, this is a lot for anyone to handle.”

“No, I am sorry, for everything. You were right. I was being selfish, to me and to you. I dragged you out here when you advised against it, because of what? Not getting my ‘perfect’ job? Not having friends or family to lean on? I am a stupid selfish rabbit who doesn’t even deserve to be by your side.”

“Miss Springs. Olivia. You are not stupid. Misinformed, brash, stubborn, and at times a bit scatterbrained, but you are not stupid.”

I wiped my eyes and actually felt a smile run across my face, “gee, thanks for the compliments.”

“In the time we have been out here, I have seen you find a way to save us from ghouls, rescue animals in distress, and even disarm explosive collars with relative ease. On top of that, if those slavers _had_ made it here, they would have all befallen the same fate as this town. You have contributed more out here for your fellow mammals than you would ever have in the Burrow. Yes, I thought it was a mistake to leave, but as you have said, something has chosen you. Be it fate, destiny, or simply luck, I believe that if anyone can help, it is you, but not if you keep sitting here wallowing in self-pity.”

Onion was right. I am here and there’s no turning back. If I can do anything to help a fellow mammal, I will do it, even if that means making sacrifices of my own. This world may be broken, but I have a knack for fixing things, and I will die trying to. I slowly got up, trying not to look at the pig or to that metal plate. I had to keep focused, I can’t do anything to help them now, but I can at least try to get some retribution. 

“We need to see if anyone else is alive, we need to help anyone we can.”

“I am afraid it’s too late Miss. I decided that you needed some time alone, so I went searching for any survivors. I am sad to say I was unsuccessful. It looks like the Mayor will not be receiving his letter.”

The letter! I almost forgot about the letter Onion found on the cheetah’s wagon. I tore open the side of the envelope and pulled out the folded letter inside. 

‘ _Mayor Augustus Brown,_  
I hope that this letter reaches you in time. I have reports of a group of Red-Necks heading towards your town, and I do not believe that they come to trade. Rumors have been spreading that you are trying to cut into the Slave Prince’s operation. My people have assured him that it is not the case, but it seems that he has hired the Red-Necks to pay you a visit, and I do not think it will end well. I have dispatched this letter with some trustworthy traders who just so happened to be en-route to Beaverton, to deliver this warning. Do not try to combat them, I suggest complete evacuation. I will try to fix things on my end, but until this blows over, Beaverton will be a target.  
Sincerely, your friend, Matt.’

It was a warning. They were trying to warn Beaverton. If those damn ghouls had not attacked the wagon, if those fuckers did not kill that cheetah in cold blood, then this town, these children may have been spared. Even if the town was burned to the ground, as long as they lived, it could be rebuilt. But no. The message did not make it, and these people, innocent or not, these people suffered, and all because some fucker thought these people were cutting into their business. A paw-full of caps is _not_ grounds for a mass murder! 

I needed to pay this Slave Prince a visit. Unfortunately, I am lacking the knowledge to his whereabouts, and despite what I have been through, I have only survived through pure luck, and if he can afford someone to destroy an entire town, I doubt I could do anything. I needed help, and I had an idea on where to start. 

“Onion, we are leaving. There’s nothing left here and we need to get moving.”

“I agree Miss, but where too?”

“Hope. We are going to pay our friend Bo a visit.”

***

“It’s getting dark Miss, maybe we should find a place to rest?”

I lost track of how long it’s been since we left Beaverton. I didn’t really remember what time it was when we arrived there. The only thing I could think about was tracking down the monster that did this and making him suffer. The burned corpses, the faces of the children, it was all I could think of. Every time I closed my eyes I saw them. My tears dried up a while back, I wanted to be sad, but I couldn’t anymore. Anger and hate was slowly consuming me. If fate had chosen me to be a hero, it could have at least told me what I was getting into. To be honest, if I knew about any of this, I would have probably just laughed in fate’s face and said no, nothing could be that bad. I couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

I did not even know where we were going. I blindly followed a blip on my Pip-Boar. Onion had programmed our destination based upon what maps he found of the area. I didn’t care where I went, or what I encountered along the way, I had to get to Hope and ask Bo for help. I needed a strong set of arms to help me. I just hoped that he would agree to help, he did not talk too kindly of Beaverton, but what if his slaver’s had been there when it was attacked? If they did not meet me, Bo, his wife, and his daughter might have been among the corpses. The thought was so deep in my thought that I did not notice the obstacle below me until I tripped and planted my face on the ground. 

“Miss are you alright?”

“Do I looked alright!?”

“Miss, I was only …”

“I … I’m sorry Onion. I shouldn’t have snapped at you, it’s just, I have a lot on my mind right now. I am having so many emotions pour through me that I don’t think my brain has the capability to process everything.”

“It has been an exhausting day for you Miss, both mentally and physically. That is why I believe you need to rest. You already know what dangers are out here, and adding exhaustion to the mix is not healthy.”

Once again he was right. Onion might annoy me at times, but he does care. Having a mind comprised of logic can be helpful at time, especially when I am feeling so very lost. 

“Alright Onion, let’s find a good place to set up camp. How about over there?”

Despite the encroaching darkness, I was able to make out a few buildings that looked mostly intact. One of them was boarded up really well, but another one had a small opening that Onion and I could barely fit through. Onion asked to go in first, to make sure it was safe. I agreed, knowing that if there was something inside, I was not sure if I would be able to think myself out of it in my condition. My head was starting to clear a bit, and hopefully after a good night’s sleep, I would be able to think straight again. 

It was a two story building, and while it seemed fairly intact from the outside, Onion was in there for while without informing me of anything. After about fifteen minutes I was starting to get worried. I did not hear anything, but from what I have seen out here, I should expect anything. For all I know, something could have developed the ability to eat robots. That be just my luck too. 

After another five minutes I was getting antsy, and decided that I would go in after him. I turned on my Pip-Boar’s light and shone it through the hole. I did not see anything out of place, so I risked entering. I was very careful about going through the shattered doorway, trying not to impale myself with a shard of wood. Last thing I needed was a splinter getting infected. Death by splinter, wouldn’t that make for a lackluster demise after what I have been through. 

When I got inside I turned to take a look around and my face was placed inches from something. In panic I threw my paw forward and hit whatever it was. Fuck! That hurt!

“Miss, why did you just punch me?”

It was Onion. Great Olivia, you just punched your only friend. That would explain why it felt like I just punched a brick. 

“Sorry Onion, you startled me is all. I was getting worried, is everything ok?”

“Apart from some structural damage that would not pass the most lenient inspection, it appears to be safe. I, however, now have an extra dent to deal with.”

“I said I was sorry.”

I looked around the room I was in. Just like everything else, there was a good amount of dust over it. Nothing looks like it had been touched for a very long time, so hopefully there were no surprises … I was starting to hate surprises. I saw an almost intact bookcase standing against a wall. Most of the books were tattered, age having destroyed them. The bookcase itself was only missing a few shelves. I walked up to it and put my shoulder against it. With what little energy I had left, I managed to push it against the hole we came in. I did not want any unexpected visitors tonight. 

“There are beds upstairs, but the floor is looking rather degraded, perhaps we should just stay on this floor?”

“Would it support me, just for a moment? I wanna look around to make sure everything is good. Not that I do not trust your sensors, but I think I need to give myself a little piece of mind.”

“As long as you do not do anything like play hopscotch up there, it should be fine. Just be careful Miss.”

I smiled at Onion, I think the first time I smiled since I arrived at Beaverton. I was feeling better already. Sure I still wanted to take vengeance against whomever destroyed Beaverton, but I did not feel Hate’s claws guiding me anymore. Once I get some sleep, I think will be a lot better. 

I slowly climbed the stairs, every step creaking louder than the last. I think if anything was here, they would have heard me by now. Once I got to the top of the stairs I noticed three rooms. One on either side of me with their doors closed, and one directly ahead, it’s door slightly ajar. I slowly crept past the two closed doors and reached the ajar one. Placing my paw on it I slowly opened it as it squeaked. Inside was a baby crib, with a small bed next to it. Some kind of mobile hung above it, featuring tiny stuffed dolls on it. One looked like the gazelle from the poster in the stadium, while the others were tigers. I reached out and spun it. 

I searched the room but did not find anything useful. On one of the dressers was were some framed pictures. I picked one up and dusted it off. In the picture were three sheep. The ewe on the right was dressed in a cute little sun-dress, while the ram on the right was dressed in some kind of uniform. I think it was a police uniform. They were holding what looked like a baby. While the parents had large fluffy wool, the baby was barely covered in a white fuzz. It had to be only a few months old. I put the picture down and dusted off another. This one had a picture of the father, dressed in the same uniform, outside this same house and standing in front of a large police car. That thing looked more like a tank, with its hard edges. The last frame’s glass was shattered, and its contents missing. I wonder what happened to them?

I left that room and closed the door behind me. I know that the residents would never come back, but it felt like the proper thing to do. I went to the left side room and slowly opened the door. Minus the same layer of dust and a broken window, the room looked spotless. The bed was neatly made, there was nothing scattered on the floor, save for the window glass. The only thing out of place was on the dresser. There were frames like the ones in the baby’s room, but this time, all four of them had their pictures removed. 

I searched the room, but once again did not find much. All the clothing was too large for me, and there were no supplies or other helpful items. I did, however, find a locked drawer on a desk over in the corner. I knew I should be respectful, but for some reason, every time I see something locked, curiosity overwhelms me. I pulled out two of the antennas that were left over from my previous lock picking and went to work. I almost snapped this one, but after a minute the lock popped. I was getting better at this, although I may have to find a replacement soon, I doubt I would get lucky again. 

There were only four things inside. A small gun, a box of ammo, a small box, and an unmarked envelope. The ammo was luckily the same that my gun used, so I pocketed it, and I also took the gun, if anything it might be worth trading. That left the box and the envelope. The envelope was not sealed, rather it was tucked in itself. I opened it carefully and read its contents. 

‘ _Dear Mrs. Stocktram,_  
It is my solemn duty as Chief of the Zootopia Police Department to inform you that your husband, Officer Marty Stocktram, was killed in the line of duty. He served both his department and his community with utmost regard. In his twelve years in the ZPD, he has upheld the law with compassion for both his fellow officers, and his fellow animals. As with standard procedures, we have delivered all of your husband’s belongings to you, along with a gift that was to be given to him upon retirement. We know that this will not help to ease your loss, nor is it meant to, but rather to show that he was both an upstanding officer and citizen of the city of Zootopia. His funeral expenses will be paid for by the ZPD, and you will be contacted within twenty-four hours to make arrangements for the funeral. You have the deepest regards from myself along with the entire precinct. If you need anything, feel free to contact me directly.  
Chief Bogo, ZPD Precinct One’

With that, my emotions started to flood back. I did not know them, but I knew what it would be like to grow up not knowing your father. That letter must have been devastating, and to happen after starting a family? I pulled myself together and picked up the box. This must have been the retirement gift. I opened it slowly. Inside was one of the Treasures of Zootopia coins. The side that was facing me was the head of a ram, not too dissimilar to the one I saw in the picture. I carefully took it out and flipped it over. On the other side was printed the word _Kindness_. I wanted to put it back, I _should_ have put it back, but just like the other two, they seemed to be calling to me. I placed the box back into the drawer with the letter, and put the coin into the bag with the other two. It did not have a family to call home anymore, so what better than to unite it with its other family?

I left the room and closed the door behind me. One more door left. After what I saw, I really hope I did not find their bodies behind the door. This place looked way too orderly for them to have just vacated it. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and opened it. I opened one eye and then breathed in relief. It was empty just like the other ones. While the other two were bedrooms, this one was more like an office. Handing on the wall was a map of the City of Zootopia. There were posters of the gazelle, each of them having some kind of motivational message. _Try everything_ , _Harmony Between Predator and Prey_ , and _Zootopia, Where Anyone Can Be Anything!_ Sitting on the desk was a picture of the gazelle signed, Gazelle. So the gazelle’s name was Gazelle. Kinda odd being named after your own species, but at least it’s not hard to forget. He must have been a fan. Next to it was a picture of him standing next to a rather rotund cheetah. Both of them were wearing the same white shirt that featured a large red heart above the word Gazelle. Guess they were both fans. 

Next to the desk the ram’s police uniform was hanging neatly, like a museum piece. On the wall were plaques commemorating Officer Stocktram. He must have been a really good officer. This world needs animals like him. There was nothing else that stuck out up here, except for something sticking out from under the bed. I bent down and saw that there was a very large black case. I slowly pulled it out and wiped off the dust. Inside was some more ammo that I did not recognize and the disassembled parts of what looked like a very large gun. I pulled up some files on my Pip-Boar and was able to identify it. It was a Ramington M-24 police issued sniper rifle. Thankfully the file also told me how to assemble it. I was very curious as to what it looked like put together. Thankfully it was easy enough, like re-building a stripped down micro-pump, only without the excessive rust. Once it was assembled I could tell it was not meant for someone as small as me. From the barrel to the stock, it was almost twice my height. There was no way that I could use this, let alone carry it. Even disassembled the case for it was huge. I decided to strip it down again, saving any parts that could be potentially useful. 

“Hey Onion!”

I think I was starting to worry him again, because at the sound of his name he came rushing upstairs. “Is everything ok Miss?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. This place doesn’t look as bad as you made it sound to be. I think I am going to try to rest here. Do me a favor and keep an eye out on this place. If you detect anything inside or outside, you are to come and wake me instantly. Do not call out or use a communication channel, come and get me personally, just in case.”

“Yes Miss. What do you have there?”

“It’s some kind of rifle, it’s way too heavy for me to use, but I may find use for some of the parts. After I tinker around with this I am going to try to get some sleep. It has been a very long day, so I doubt I will have any trouble falling asleep. First thing in the morning we set out towards Hope.”

“Yes Miss. Sleep well.”


	10. The Journey Continues

Chapter 10: The Journey Continues

Pain. I could feel everything, and I wanted it to stop. I could feel my skin blister as it was licked by flames, I could feel my blood boiling as heat overwhelmed my body. I couldn’t move. I tried to lift my arms to fan away the fires, but they hung limp at my side. I tried to get up, but my legs were unresponsive. I couldn’t even feel them. Why couldn’t I feel my legs? I tried to look at them, but the smoke was burning my eyes. I blinked a few times, trying to fight away the smoky tendrils. My eyes began to clear, seeing through the haze and focusing down towards the ground. My legs, they were … gone, my lower half disappeared into the floor.

Anguish. I could hear the screams. They were so very loud, so many voices, merging together in my head. I could not separate them, save for one word. _Help_. I wanted to help, but I could not move. I started to lose the feeling in my arms. I looked down, fighting against the haze, to see my flesh and muscles, melting off of my bones. I tried to call for help, but every time I opened my mouth, I couldn’t speak, my mouth filling with the taste of death.

Fear. I was going to die. The dread feeling that my life was slipping away and there was nothing I could do about it. The taste of death lingering in my mouth. The feeling of despair, knowing that these were my last moments alive. I couldn’t think about that, I had to do something. I tried to pull my arms up, to find something to grasp onto. The skeletal remains of my left arm shattered as I lifted it. Pushing myself through the pain, I worked on my other arm. This time I was able to free it, causing me to fall forward. 

I won’t give up. Taking my free arm, I tried to pull myself free from the floor. I felt resistance, but edged myself forward. I dug my claws into the wood beneath me and pulled with all my might. I could feel myself moving, inch by inch. Suddenly, I was yanked backwards. I tried to cry, but the heat evaporated the tears before they had a chance to form. 

I won’t give in. This world was swallowing me whole, but I have to do what I can to help someone, anyone else. I sank my claws into the floor again and tried to pull myself forward. I could feel my body stretch as my resistance to my movement hardened. Forward, move forward. Don’t look behind, keep looking ahead. I was pulled back again. Eyes forward, eyes …

I froze up at the sight. I thought my body had melted to the floor, that I simply had to tear myself from it. No, it was far worse. Paws. Dozens of paws were grabbing me, dozens of disembodied limbs, grasping to pull me into some unknown void. The horror filled me as I tried to scream again. Of all the screams around me, I was the only one silenced. I tried to pry one of the arms off me, but it was in vain, my remaining limb melted before my eyes, flesh, muscle, bone. It was gone, just as I am to be. 

I looked forward, trying to avert my gaze from the horrors behind me only to be greeted with new ones. My vision was clear, clearer than it had ever been. I wish it wasn’t, because right before me were children, their arms missing and their faces bubbling and melting, only they were not the ones screaming. They were smiling. They crept closer to me as I was dragged into an abyss. Their mouths moved as if speaking, but no words left their lips. They continued to smile as they drew closer. Closer. I tried to close my eyes but the flames melted my eyelids. I couldn’t escape the horror. Closer.

I dared to look back. My torso covered in grasping claws, being pulled into what now looked like a fiery pit. Flames burst out, but nothing burned. The heat increased, flowing over my body as I got closer. I could feel my flesh starting to boil. The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t scream for help, I couldn’t close my eyes to hide the horror, I was helpless. The arms finally pulled me into the fiery abyss as I fell. The last of my fur burning off. I fell. The flames covering my body as I could feel my eyes about to pop. I fell. My flesh and muscles falling off me.

I fell.

***

The world crashed around me as I was suddenly awoken. 

I was laying on my back staring up at, was that the bedroom? I tried to get up, making sense of everything. That dream, it was so … real. No, it was not a dream. It was a nightmare. So many had died, so many had suffered with their deaths being the only form of release from it all. I slowly got up, my back hurting as assessed my situation. 

Onion was right, again. I saw small bits of the floorboard had started to rot. I must have been asleep when it finally giving way to more weight than it was used to. The mattress seemed to have taken the brunt of the impact, otherwise I would probably not be getting up. I wiped myself off as I carefully stepped over shards of wood and rusty nails.

“Miss! Are you alright? I heard an awful noise and feared the worse.”

“Yeah, a bit bruised, but I'm fine. Can’t say that much about the house though.”

“I told you it was not safe.”

“Yes mister know-it-all, I’ll remember that in the future.”

“Well someone has to know it all Miss.”

“I think I am finally rubbing off on you.”

“I will take that as a compliment, Miss.”

I smiled at him, trying to forget about that nightmare, though I doubt something like that can be forgotten so easily.

“Hey Onion, it looks like I forgot to bring my luggage on that trip, could you be so kind as to get my bag? I really don’t wanna risk for a second fall, going to be sore from this one for a while.”

“Yes Miss, it’s good thing you didn’t build me any legs.”

“If I did do you think I would be walking when you could carry me? I am a lady after all.” I flipped back my ears with a wave of my arm with the most elegance I could. Of course I do not have an elegant bone in my body, and Onion knows that. If I did not know any better, I thought I heard a small chuckle from him.

When Onion got back with my bag, I checked to make sure I had everything. I only salvaged a small bit from that gun, but I kept the scope. It had a pretty good range on it, and I figured it would make a good scouting device. The supplies that Bo gave me were starting to run low, I was planning on stocking up when I got to Beaverton, but looks like I will have to wait a bit longer. I would have to portion it better until I can find something. 

I also noticed something large and heavy in the bag. I pulled it out and realized it was the gun I found in the now floor-less bedroom. I must have been a bit tired when I saw it, because I remembered it being much smaller. While only a handgun, it was obviously meant for a larger species than myself. I could barely put my paw around the handle. I could manage pulling the trigger, but based upon the recoil of the first gun I fired, I would be lucky if this didn’t turn _me_ into a projectile. I managed to pop the magazine and to my surprise, it used the same bullets that my smaller, more manageable gun used. How could something so much bigger use the same ammunition? Maybe it was just for this very reason, so that scavengers such as myself do not have to be picky about their ammo. If it shoots it’s compatible. Or maybe I was just lucky, that sniper rifle did have different ammunition. 

I tossed the gun on the floor, If I can’t use it, no point having it weigh me down. I was getting hungry, I hadn’t eaten since arriving in Beaverton, and even if I _was_ hungry then, I wouldn’t have been able to stomach it. I grabbed a carrot snack and started to eat it before remembering. I snapped it in half and re-wrapped that half and kept it for later. I took a small swig of water wishing I could finish it off. The taste of vomit still clung in my mouth. Then I realized something - something that I should have thought of before.

“Hey Onion! I’m an idiot.”

“And this is news, how?”

“Shut up. This is a house, right?”

“Yes, people used to live here.”

“No, what I mean is, what should all houses have?”

“A usable floor?”

I was starting to miss the overly emotional robot from yesterday. Did I accidentally program him to be bi-polar? Or maybe even this place can effect a robot’s mind. “No, I was talking about a kitchen.”

“A kitchen? Oh! Well thought Miss. Although I am sure two-hundred years of aging is not going to make for a good culinary experience.”

“As long as it keeps me alive, it can taste like shit.”

We looked through the first floor until I found what must have been a kitchen. Like everything else, it was covered in a layer of dust. There were still no signs of the family that used to live here. Maybe they were evacuated in time? I know that my Burrow was not the only shelter. Of course, even if they did survive, they would be long dead by now. Fuck Olivia. Stop thinking about death.

There was only one window in the room and it was still intact. It was a decent sized kitchen, multiple appliances, an island in the middle, and a very large refrigerator. I went over there immediately, but was dismayed that it must have lost power a very long time ago. Any food that was in it had rotted away to nothing, only small remnants of plates and empty containers remained. I checked the cabinets for whatever I could find. I found a box of grass thins that had turned to dust. Behind it was something more promising. A box of _Fruity Bombs_. On the box it showed a small squirrel flying holding a strawberry and dropping it as it exploded into multi colored spheres that landed into a bowl. In a smaller print at the bottom of the image was: _Ten Times the Fruit and Sugar!_. Next to it was something in even small print: _Contains 0% Fruit_. So it was a box of fruit flavored orbs that didn’t actually contain any fruit? Then what was it flavored with! At least in the Burrow if we were handed dried fruit, it was actually made from _real_ fruit! No wonder it’s so crappy out here, maybe the same geniuses were responsible for defending us.

It did, however, taste really good. The box was sealed and when I opened it I was greeted by a very pleasant aroma. This stuff was still edible! I grabbed a pawful and ate some. It might not be the healthiest thing around, but it’s food. I continued to look and found two more items that were still (I think) edible. A can of _Hungry Maw Canned Carrots_ , and Nifty Cub Apples, another canned item that promised to _last forever!_. I did not open them, if they were edible, it would have to wait until later, I doubt they would last long outside their cans.

Once I was content with my search (which also turned up three more bottles of Rad! Cola, I’ll make sure to keep the caps this time), I grabbed my bag and we headed out. I opened the door slowly and peaked out to make sure it was safe. I did not notice anyone, or anything so I opened it the rest of the way and headed out with Onion taking the rear. 

“Oh my, what a gloomy day it is.” Onion remarked a bit sourly. 

Yeah, it had been a very nice day yesterday, but today it looks almost as if the sky was depressed. While it was light out, I saw no sign of the sun, the clouds were thicker than I even remember seeing in books. I hope it doesn’t rain. Then again, maybe the rain is safer to drink than what we’ve found so far. I reached the bottom of the steps that lead off the porch when a voice startled me. 

“Welcome to a typical day in the wasteland. Can’t be all sunshine and rainbows every day, can it?”

The voice was very gruff and raspy, like he, at least I think it’s a he, had been smoking every day of his life. Smoke. Was it a survivor!? I looked around me but could not seem to find the source of the voice. 

“Show yourself. Are you from Beaverton? You sound hurt, I can try to help you.”

“Heh, I am long past anyone’s help.”

From around the side of the house stepped a figure, at least a foot or so taller than me. He was dressed in a ragged button up shirt, I couldn’t tell what color it was supposed to be, I don’t think it was ever washed before. His pants were torn into makeshift shorts, but the most noticeable thing was his fur, or lack thereof. His fur was gone, with his skin shriveled and wrinkled, as if it was pulled taught over his muscles. It looked just like a …

“It’s a ghoul miss! Stand back!”

There was something different about him though. I don’t recall any of the ghouls before standing so non-threateningly, I don’t recall them talking before either. He was obviously not a burn victim, at least not from Beaverton, his skin looks like it has been like this for a very long time. I also couldn’t make out his species. His ears were missing, but he could obviously hear me, and what looked like a tail is simply a wiry mass of bone and tissue.

“Typical,” he started, putting one of his hands into a pocket in his pants, “I show myself to you, and what do I get? ‘Oh no, it’s a ghoul! Quick kill it before it eats my brains!’” 

“You’re different from them, aren't you?”

“And the rabbit hits it right on the nose. Take it this is the first time seeing a more, civilized, ghoul sweetheart?”

“Don’t call me sweetheart, and yes. Our previous encounter did not leave a very good impression.”

He pulled something from his pocket, my instincts made me reach for my gun, but they were swayed when I saw it was nothing more than a stick. He put it in his mouth and started to chew on it. Was that a … pawpsicle stick?

“Whoa, easy there carrots. What, did you think I was going to do, attack you? A defenseless ghoul like me would not stand _any_ chance against you and your butler-bot.”

“Don’t call me carrots either. I have a name. And for your information, we have had a bit of a rough couple days, so we are a little on edge.”

“Don’t call you carrots? Well I just figured, you being a bunny and all, that you would have a love for all things carrots.”

“Just because I am a rabbit doesn’t mean … where’s my bag? What? How did …”

How did he? One moment he was standing there and the next he had my bag, I didn’t even see him move!

“Let’s see here,” he said as he started to rummage through my bag, “you got some small packs of dried carrots, a couple cans of carrot paste, and even a small plastic carrot …” he paused for a moment as he pulled out the now broken carrot recorder. He stared at it for a few seconds before he shook his head, “and I can’t call you carrots? And if I can’t call you sweetheart, what should I call you?”

“The name is Olivia, and I would appreciate it if you gave me my bag back. Now.” I was starting to dislike this guy.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Olivia.”

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you that. This is _obviously_ not your home, so that would make you a, what burglar? I would say cat thief, but you seem to lack the necessary species for that.”

“For your information, we were not breaking in here to steal, we needed a quiet, safe place to rest for the night. It’s not like this is _your_ house either. I don’t think anyone has lived here for a very long time.”

“Your quite right, _Olivia_. This is not my house. Nor is it yours. I guess we are at an impasse you and I.”

Who does this guy think he is? He may not be one of those other ghouls, but at least they were not as chatty.

“Bag. Now.”

“Alright, alright. Here you go.”

“Thank you, now if you will excuse us, we have a long trip ahead of ourselves, and would like to get going while there is still light, Mr.?”

“The name’s North, North West.”

“Umm, I hate to break it to you, but that’s not a name, that’s a direction.”

“Well of course that’s my name. See?” He pulled out a small scrap of fabric. It looked like the bottom half of a neck-tie. It was much cleaner and well-kept compared to his current clothing. On the back of it there was a monogram, stitched in gold.

“N.W., so that could mean anything, how do I even know it’s yours? You took my bag so deftly you could have stolen that too.”

“Well it’s my word against yours, sweetheart.”

“I said don’t call me, ugh! Never mind. Onion let’s get out of here, this guy is really annoying me. Onion?”

I turned saw Onion sitting on the ground, completely disabled. My jaw dropped in disbelief as I saw a small round object stuck on his casing. How the hell? I turned around to confront this North fellow, just to see he was gone. I ran across the lawn and looked all over, but he was nowhere in sight. I ran back to Onion and grabbed my bag, I had a spare energy capacitor in here someplace. I noticed something as I was looking, the small bag with the coins. It was missing.

I was beside myself, doing the only thing that came to my mind. I screamed louder than I think I ever had, “North! You fucker!”

He was gone.

***

“What happened Miss? One moment we were talking to that ghoul, thing, and the next I was deactivated.”

“That asshole somehow snuck up on you, placed a small EMP module on you and took my bag. The fucker also stole my coins!”

“The Treasures of Zootopia? Oh dear, I know you had a bit of a fondness of them. I was kinda hoping you would be able to collect the whole set. What of the rest of your stuff?”

“The coins were all he took. I know it could have been worse. He could have taken the food or supplies, but he made a fucking fool of me! That’s what makes me so angry.”

“I am just as baffled as you Miss. I made sure to monitor everything just in case he turned out to be dangerous, yet my sensors detected no movement.”

“Well I guess danger can take many shapes Onion. How the hell did he manage to do all of that? I don’t think even a cheetah in peak physical shape could have moved that fast.”

“Another mystery to be solved, but I am sure that can wait for another day Miss. We really should get going.”

“Yeah, your right. Let’s go, but if I see him again, I _will_ have a few choice words with him.”

I was fuming over that whole thing for at least another hour before I started to calm down. It wasn’t so much the fact that he stole from me, but rather _how_ he did it. I tried wrapping my head around it, but I just couldn’t comprehend it. Did they somehow develop technologies that enabled someone to teleport? No, it can’t be. An energy surge that large would be bound to leave some kind sign, like a giant bolt of electricity or a bright flash or something. At least that’s how it was my books. Maybe some science fiction was less fiction than I thought.

I shook my head of these thoughts. I had to be thinking of my immediate future. I may not even run into that fucker again, and he better hope he don’t run into me. Even trying to not think about it kept making me think about it, and now it was also causing my head to start hurting. Again. I put my paws on either side of my head, pretending I could just simply squeeze all this out of me, but I was only met with a bump on the head after running into Onion who had suddenly stopped. 

“Ugh. Onion, why the abrupt stop?”

“Miss, I think we should get off of this road.”

“Why?”

He did not have to give me an answer. In the distance I could see what looked like a pillar of red smoke extending far into the air. What was that? I knew it wasn’t a fire, at least none that I have seen. The smoke from a typical fire is grey or black, not red. It was pretty far away, but I was able to make out two large shapes near the base of the smoke. I couldn’t tell how big they were, but from this distance they were obviously much larger than Onion or I. I wanted to get closer, but previous experiences kept telling me no. Wait a second … 

I remembered the scope I took from that gun and pulled it from my bag. I knew it would come in handy. I close my right eye as I put up to my left. After a few seconds focusing it, the shapes started to come into focus. They looked, metallic. I could see that one of them resembled a rhino, while the other an elephant. Robots? No, wait, I focused in on the rhino a bit better, it wasn’t a robot. I saw his head, his light gray hide revealing that he was simply a mammal, in some sort of over- sized mechanical suit. The elephant however still had its head piece on. Who were they?

“Hey Onion? Can you identify those two by chance?”

“I am afraid not Miss. They are too far for my sensors to pick them up, and the range on my ocular unit falls too short to get a clear image.”

“I’ll have to see about upgrading that. It looks like they are wearing large mechanical suits of armor. Ring a bell?”

“Give me a moment to process that.”

I went back to the scope and watched them some more, making sure that we had enough cover so they did not see us. Luckily they were not facing our direction. Yet. I could see the rhino talking to the other one, but even if I was closer, lip reading was never my thing. For all I knew they were trading cookie recipes. The red smoke was still strong, and when they got close enough, it gave their dull chrome armor a red hue to them. 

“Well Miss, the only thing I have on record involves a pre-war group of soldiers called the Steel Guardians. They were formed from elite members of the Zootopia Police Department’s Special Response Squad. Originally the S.R.S. was tasked with protecting Zootopia’s citizens from domestic attacks that regular officers would not typically be able to handle. When the war broke out, the Steel Guardians were formed out of the S.R.S. to help combat the rising hostilities and its advancing wartime weaponry. They were known for their powered exoskeletons that increased their resistances and allowed them to easily handle larger weaponry. Not much else is known about them I am afraid, most of the records were lost during the war.”

“Sounds like they survived, or at least their technology did. Steel Guardians, huh? While they sounded like very helpful mammals back in their time, now I am not so sure. For all we know, these are simple thugs who just so happened to find these suits and are taking them for a joyride. Best if we stay our distance. I think we should try to …”

I was interrupted by the sound of a loud buzzing that was getting closer. I looked around to see where it was coming from, but I saw nothing that could have made that noise. It was getting louder, so it must be getting closer. Then I looked up. 

“Onion, hide!”

The noise got almost deafening as it flew over us. It was large, larger than any of the vehicles I saw scattered around us. The body of it was long enough to fit at least half a dozen elephants. While it had many hard edges, almost like paneling, it seemed to flow together smoothly. Extending from either side were two large wings. As it started to get closer to the ground, I could see a giant disk in each of them that held a propeller. It bent forward and back as it attempted to set down near the billowing red smoke. I focused my scope the best I could, inching forward a bit. I could see the cockpit. Inside was someone much smaller than the others, but I couldn’t make it out, although I could tell the pilot was not wearing the same armored suit. After it finally landed a door slid open on its side. The rhino grabbed something off the ground, his headgear I assume, while the elephant lifted a large duffel bag and tossed it onto the flying machine. They both climbed on as it sped up its engines again and started to take off. It flew towards us and we did our best to hide. If it saw us, I didn’t look like they cared. 

“Whoa. If we had one of those things get to Hope in no time.”

“Ok Miss, next time we see one feel free to ask for a ride. After all the _kind_ mammals we met so far, I am sure they would oblige.”

“And maybe I will pay for that ride in scrap metal.”

I looked Onion straight in the eyes, or sensor, or … hell, I really need to put something on him to indicate where he’s facing. It worked though, because he shut up as we both checked for any other surprises. First ghouls, then bandits, and now mammals in giant tin cans. What next, giant crustaceans? Aliens? At this rate I think it would take a lot to surprise me. 

“Let’s try to avoid these guys for the time being. Friend or foe, I would rather not learn it the hard way.”

“Agreed Miss.”

I looked at my Pip-Boar. It’s navigation menu still open. According to this we have about five miles to go until we get to Hope, or at least where I hope it is. Five miles. That really doesn’t sound far, but that is nearly three times the distance as it was between the stadium and Beaverton, and that felt like forever, plus who knows what else we will run into. Best to take it one step at a time, we are no use to anyone dead. Except looters. And those savage ghouls. And anyone who … 

“Gah!”

“Miss! Is everything alright?”

I sighed. “Yes, everything is fine. I just keep thinking things I don’t want to think.”

“Well, how about some nice relaxing music?”

“No music Onion, the last thing we need is to wake the dead again.”


	11. Behold, This Miraculous Invention!

Wake the dead. Why did I have to use those words? I could have said: ‘I hope we don’t find a gazillion caps,’ or ‘I would hate to find some fresh food.’ No, I had to say that I hope we don’t wake the dead. And look where we are now, at the bottom of some pit, surrounded by those crazed creatures again, and me fresh out of explosives. 

Here we were walking along, enjoying the gloomy mid-day sky when all of a sudden there was fucking earthquake. An earthquake that just so happened to open a fault-line directly below us, causing us, or should I say me, to fall into a sinkhole. Or should I say stink-hole. This place reeks. What is this crap? Oh, it’s crap. Fuck. Look at me: ex-sanitation worker who just so happened to fall into a sewage system - in the middle of fucking nowhere! To make things worse, this isn’t even run of the mill sewage. No, I’m not _that_ lucky. I fell into two hundred-year old rotting sewage. Shouldn’t this stuff have, I don’t know, dried up by now? Fuck me. Well it can’t get worse can it? Oh right, the ghouls. Fuck.

“Onion, get the fuck down here, now!”

“Miss, are you alright?”

“No, I am not alright. Stop asking if I am alright when I obviously am _not_ alright!”

“No need to yell Miss. I am right here.”

“And so are a dozen fucking ghouls!”

“Oh dear, not this again.”

‘Not this again’? How can he say it so nonchalantly? Oh yeah, he’s a robot. 

I looked around, luckily the ghouls were in front of me, leaving my back exposed. I glanced around, trying to map the place out. Thankfully it wasn’t too deep that it cut off the light from above, but it was deep enough that it would take some effort to get out. I saw a small shimmer of hope, a loose pipe hanging down from near the surface. If it held, I could probably climb out. I had time to think. Wait, why did I have time to think? Last time they were on me within seconds. I looked back at them.

The ghouls were just standing there. It was mostly smaller species closer to my size. I think a couple of them were rabbits, but most of their features were missing. Some of them were hunched over, while others looked at the ready, yet they were still. Normally, I would be relieved that they were not trying to eat me, but it was actually kinda freaking me out. Maybe they were like that North fellow? Maybe if I tried to talk to them.

“Um, hello?”

Nothing. They did not respond, verbally or physically. Maybe they were all deaf? 

“Hey Onion, go say hi.”

“Excuse me Miss?”

“They don’t seem to be attacking us, they are just, standing there. Maybe they are friendly?”

“Friendly or not, I have had enough being bait.”

“Aww, come on.”

“Miss? They are doing something.”

I turned back to them. All of them seemed more alert now. Even the hunched over ones seemed to be standing up straighter. All at once they began to move, slowly to each side, cutting a path between them. Maybe they were friendly, and were inviting us in for a cup of coffee. I hope not, I hate coffee, maybe some nice carrot juice. Fuck, North was right, maybe I do like carrots a bit too much. I took a step. No response. I took another step. This time they turned their heads simultaneously towards the path. Before I could take another step I saw something glowing. There was a faint green glow coming from the path. It grew brighter and brighter until I saw its source. It was a ghoul. One much larger than the others. It was also glowing. It was a large green glowing ghoul. The radiation detector on my Pip-Boar started to tick furiously. This can’t be good. 

“Your plan Miss?”

“Um, try to get the hell out of here before we become a walking glow-stick?”

The glowing ghoul took a few steps past the others. Was it me or were they looking healthier now? At least as healthy as a rotting bag of bones could look. The glowing ghoul just stared at me for a minute before it raised its arm, pointing it directly at me. Its mouth opened and released loud raspy roar. Then the other ghouls started to run, right for us.

I turned and ran towards the pipe. My feet sloshing in the muck below. What I wouldn’t give for my water-resistant jumpsuit. Oh right, I left it back in the Burrow because I never wanted to see it again. Of course, to be fair, I never thought I would be in a septic system ever again. Boy was I wrong. Too late to reminisce. I need to get to that pipe. 

I took a brief glance over my shoulder to see Onion floating just out of reach of the ghouls. Some of them were trying to reach for him, but failing every time. He was only distracting three of them, but at least that was three less chasing me. I jumped onto a large piece of concrete that had fallen down with us. I am lucky I didn’t get crushed by any of this. I leaped off of it with all my might and landed on a small outcropping on the side of the sinkhole. I was still too far to reach the pipe, and everything was too slippery to risk a jump of that height. I saw one of the ghouls getting uncomfortably close and I pulled out my gun. I took aim and nailed him right in the forehead. He fell like a rock. One down, too many to go. I shot again and missed. I took aim again and hit my target. Another one down. Then the glowing one started to get close.

I tried to aim at the glowing ghoul, but at this range the aura of green made it hard to make out his features. I did not want to waste a bullet if I can’t hit it right. I turned and tried to get a grip on the wall of the hole. I managed to pull myself up a bit before my grip slipped. My water-logged fur was making it hard to get a good grip with what little there was here. I turned towards the glowing ghoul, maybe if I just …

My thought was interrupted when I saw it stop between the two I killed. It closed its eyes as the green glow became brighter. Suddenly it shot out like a firework. My Pip-Boar spiked for a second as the radiation washed over me. It was not enough to do any irreparable harm to me, but it was enough to revive the two I killed. Wait, what?! 

I watched as the two ‘dead’ ghouls slowly got back up. What. The. Fuck. The raised dead can raise the dead, really? That’s not fair. That’s really not fair. 

“Onion! Things just got worse!”

“How can that be Miss?”

“The green fucker just revived the two I killed, that’s how!”

“Shall I play the music now Miss?”

Something tells me that won’t work this time. I looked around but there was nothing here. I doubt I will find a handy bag of explosives this time. Wait … Idea!

“Onion! Play something and try to distract them the best you can! I have an idea!”

When Onion turned on the music, it sounded louder than ever. The walls of the sinkhole reverberating it throughout. The glowing one and his two ‘friends’ looked towards the source of the sound long enough for me to find a way past them. I ran as hard as I could, almost tripping over a rock in the water. I ran as far away from any of the ghouls, which was not far enough for my taste. While they were distracted I dropped down my bag and dug out one of the slave collars. I knew this would come in handy. I saw a slab of concrete that was lying against the wall, leaving an opening large enough to use that as a temporary workspace, and hopefully keep me out of their attention for a minute or two. 

I took out my screwdriver and started to work on taking the collar’s access panel off. It was still disarmed, but if I just reversed the connections here and … here. The light on the collar turned green. Perfect. I tweaked it a little more before syncing it with my Pip-Boar. I only had one shot at this. I took the collar in one paw and went back out into the open space. 

“Hey! Big, green, and ugly!”

I don’t know if it understood what I said, but it worked. I got its attention. Now that I got its attention, a thought occurred to me. This is a small scale explosive. How the hell am I supposed to get it on the ghoul that is emitting deadly radiation? I looked around me for a solution. I can’t just run up to it, if it did not kill me, the radiation probably would. Can’t drop down on it, there is no ceiling. Unless … 

“Onion! Catch!” 

I hope this worked. I really did. I tossed the collar with all my might towards Onion who was still floating inches above the ghouls. I probably should have warned him what I was going to do first. The collar fell short of him, landing on the ground outside the mass of ghouls around him. 

“The collar! Grab it, quick!”

Now that I had his attention, he was able to zip down and pick it up with one of his grasping arms, before floating right back above the ghouls. 

“Now is not the time to be accessories Miss!”

“It’s a bomb!”

“A bomb! Why did you just give me a bomb Miss!?”

“You need to get it on the glowing ghoul! Can you do that!?”

“Yes Miss, I can try!”

“Well hurry!”

He better do more than try. I may not be able to take the radiation, but I am sure it would have little effect on a robot. He floated over to the glowing ghoul who was oblivious to him, his eyes locked onto me. I did my best to evade him and his ‘friends’ as Onion tried to find a good position to clasp it onto its neck. Thankfully these things were designed with a pressure latch, once it is pressed onto the wearers neck, it automatically latched close and tightened. Simple one paw, or in this case, one claw operation.

It took a few attempts. The first time Onion almost dropped it, and the second he missed as the ghoul jumped off of the giant slab in the center. Luckily most of the other ghouls were still paying attention to Onion and the music. Unfortunately, they were hampering his efforts as well. One reached out like it was trying to grab the collar, like a child being taunted with a toy. Thankfully a robot never gives up, unlike myself who am now struggling to catch my breath from all the running. 

“Any day now Onion! I don’t know how much longer I can keep up this running!”

I guess that was all the encouragement he needed. Seconds later he was able to successfully latch the collar around the glowing ghouls neck. That was my cue. I ran as fast as I could until I was able to dive under that slab of concrete where I left my bag. I brought up my Pip-Boar and pushed the button. I could barely hear it over the echoing music, but I was able to hear a satisfying popping noise as the explosion decapitated the ghouls head. Revive from that fucker. 

I poked my head out of the ‘shelter’ just as I saw the body collapse to the ground, it’s head having landed a few inches away. The glowing that was emanating from his body slowly died down, leaving a slightly green corpse. All the ghouls stopped chasing me and Onion, and they just stood there, looking at the corpse. Were they mourning it? Did they even have the capability to mourn? Onion must have thought it was over, because he turned off the music. It was quiet once again. 

Then they all charged me. What was I expecting? Their leader died so they would just die with it? Apparently not. At least I had time to count them finally. Ten. There were ten ghouls running at me, and I was on my last breath. I slammed my pawn down on the screen of my Pip-Boar. I was dead. 

“ _Burrow-Tec Assisted Targeting System, Online._ ”

Umm, that was new. 

“ _Initiating First Boot Protocols. Please Wait._ ”

Wait? For what? Why the fuck was my Pip-Boar talking to me? I didn’t even know it could talk! Well whatever its doing, it better do it quick. I caught a second wind as I continued to run, keeping barely a few feet between me and those hungry maws. Hungry Maw? Fuck Olivia, stop thinking about food, it’s not the time!

“ _User Detected. Springs, Olivia. Synchronizing Biological Environment. Please Wait._ ”

Biological environment? Whatever it was doing, please be helpful. Please be helpful.

“ _Biological Environment Synchronized. Elevated Blood Levels Detected. Heart Rate Sixty Percent Above Normal Parameters. Muscle Fatigue Detected. Radiation Levels at Twenty Percent. Recommend Seeking Medical Treatment._ ”

Medical treatment? You think! Tell me something I don’t know you stupid piece of shit! Ok Olivia, calm down, I’m just running for my life while my fucking Pip-Boar is telling me what I already fucking know!

“ _Threats Detected. Would You Like To Activate The Burrow-Tec Assisted Targeting System At This Time?_ ”

“YES! Whatever the fuck that is, fucking do it now!”

“ _Initializing B.A.T.S. Injection Of Serum X-241 Commencing._ ”

Injecting what now? Did my Pip-Boar say it was injecting me with something! I did not tell it to do that! Did I just activate some fucking suicide pill? ‘Run into trouble and your Pip-Boar is set to kill you before trouble does’. Like hell! I need to get this damn thing off of me before … 

Wow. I feel, amazing! The pain in my muscles is gone, I feel like I can breathe again, and everything is moving so … slow? Did I just slow down time? What the hell is in this thing? I feel like I am moving in slow motion, but everything around me is moving even slower. I looked down at my Pip-Boar. On the screen was an image of the three closest ghouls to me, but it was not like a simple picture, it was a wire-frame rendering. Green reticles were highlighting parts of them, one on each leg, one on each arm, one on the chest, and one on the head. The one near me was flashing the head. Next to the reticle it read: ‘86% Chance to Hit’. Chance to hit? My gun! I pointed it towards the ghoul closest and shot. The bullet went straight into its head and it dropped. I think I am in love.

Then it wore off. Fuck. 

“ _B.A.T.S. Terminated. Threats Still Detected. Please Wait Thirty Seconds While The System Refreshes._ ” 

It has a cool-down? Of course it does. 

“Onion! Turn your music back on! I need thirty seconds!”

“Miss? What is going on!”

“Music! Now!”

The music kicked on but unfortunately only two seemed to be distracted by it as I continued to run, would it be too much for a third breath? My legs were sore, I could barely keep myself up, having to occasionally drag my hand along the wall to prevent me from falling. I nearly tripped twice, once over my own legs. I couldn’t keep this up. Why the hell was thirty seconds taking so long! When I got back to my ‘shelter’ I tried to dive into it, hoping to buy me time. Unfortunately, I only succeeded in bashing my knee on the concrete. That was it. I was finished. 

“ _Imminent Threat Detected. Activate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

“YES!”

I felt the prick of the injection again as time once again slowed. I felt no pain in my knee, and I could think and breath clearly. I did not hesitate this time. I checked my Pip-Boar’s visual targeting and took aim at the highest chance to hit areas. I pulled the trigger. Dead. Pulled it again. Dead. I was able to take down two more before my shots stopped. I needed to reload. Five more to go. I was able to reload my gun before the chemicals wore off. The pain in my knee returned. Thirty more seconds. I just needed to live thirty more seconds. 

There were only three more on me, with the other two still trying to grab Onion. I could handle three. I got up and put my bad knee against the wall as I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the pain and using the wall as support. I counted down in my head. Twenty-five. I kept running, keeping my gun in my outside paw. My legs wanted to give up, but I wouldn't let them. By sheer will alone I was able to keep going. Twenty. Just as two of them got close enough that I could smell them, I pushed against the wall and started across the sinkhole. Fifteen. I ran passed Onion and got the attention of the other two. I had all five on me. I think Onion was objecting, but I ignored him, putting all my concentration into ignoring the pain, and counting. Ten. When I got to the other side I braced myself against the wall, gun held in both hands facing towards the five ghouls. Five. Four. Three. They were getting very close. Two. I could see into their dead eyes. One. 

“ _Imminent Threat Detected. Activate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

“Yes.”

They were within a couple feet of me but to them, I must have been yards away when the serum kicked in. I checked the hit chances and pulled my trigger. One. Dead. Two. Dead. Three. Dead. Four. Dead. Five. Miss. Miss! What the fuck, I was in the zone too! Six. Dead. Thank you!

When the chemicals wore off, and I felt the pain and exhaustion flood back to me, I did the only thing I knew. I collapsed. I really hope this isn’t a common occurrence. I was in pain, I was gasping for air, but I was still conscious. That’s a plus. I put my head down to rest a moment only to remember where I was, and what I was laying in. 

“Miss! I am relieved to see you are ok!”

“My knee feels like it is broken, my legs feel as if they are about to fall off, I am both mentally and physically exhausted, and I am lying in a pool of two hundred-year old filth. Yes, I am doing dandy.”

“You’re alive, and that’s all that matters.”

I was alive. Either I was extremely lucky, or fate was still watching over me. And laughing. I am sure it’s laughing. Hell, I would be laughing too if it weren’t me.

“ _No Imminent Threats Detected. Shutting Down B.A.T.S. It Is Advised That You Seek Immediate Medical Attention._ ”

“Who was that Miss?”

“Onion meet Pip-Boar, Pip-Boar meet Onion.”

***

When I was younger I tended to skip out on many of my ‘required’ education. There was advanced language. I was already reading from mechanical engineering texts when my ‘classmates’ were still trying to comprehend ‘ _One Mouse, Two Mouse, Red Mouse, Blue Mouse_ ’ by Dr. Moose. I did not have time for that. Then there were the math classes. Thanks to my mother, I was creating complex algorithms, in my sleep. Literally! Sometimes I would wake up knowing the answer to an equation that boggled me the night before. My mother taught me everything I needed to know before most started to learn about it, I had no need for school when I already knew everything. Of course when I turned fourteen and finally received my Pip-Boar, I was _supposed_ to take: ‘ _Pip-Boar and You_ ’, a class that taught you everything to know about the Pip-Boar. I managed to find a way out of it as well. Boy was I stupid. 

“Your Pip-Boar started to _talk_ to you Miss?”

“Yup. Don’t know how either. Guess I spent way too much time in the Burrow tinkering with everything else that I never once thought: ‘Hey, why don’t I learn more about this thing that _everyone_ is required to wear.’”

“Well I suggest that you should learn more about it once we get someplace a little safer Miss.”

“And what if I want to sit here, surrounded by filth and corpses? I’m starting to find it rather charming.”

“As charming as that ghoul sneaking up behind you?”

What!? I thought I killed them all! I didn’t even think, I just jumped up, pulled out my gun and fired. There was nothing there. 

“Oh you little …, you made me waste a bullet.”

“Since you are apparently rested enough to leave Miss, shouldn’t we do so post haste? I feel like I may rust if I remain here much longer.”

“I think your right. Plus, we wasted enough daylight down here, and I really should find _some_ way of cleaning up.”

“I highly doubt we would find any running water, especially none that isn’t contaminated Miss.”

“Love your optimism Onion.”

“Someone has to be.”

Since I left Burrow Seventy-Six, I have had back-and forth feelings. At times I was glad to have left, wanting nothing to do with that place. Other times I wish I never left, none so much as I did when I was un the remnants of Beaverton. No matter what my feelings were, there was one thing I always could agree on, the one thing that I missed dearly from the Burrow. Water. None of this contaminated crap, but clean, running water. Sure I still had a few bottles of purified water, but I didn’t want to waste them on something as benign as a bath. Sure I was covered head to feet in filth, filth that was slowly drying into a chitinous-like shell. There are other probably are much worse off than I am, but it would be nice to feel clean again. 

It was amazing how easy it was climbing out of this sinkhole when there was nothing trying to maul you to death. Since my legs still hurt I took it slowly, not wanting them to give out and end up plummeting back into the abyss. Onion had a much easier time, drifting up to the top like he was some kind of fishing bobber in water. Damn it Olivia, stop thinking of water!

When I got to the top I noticed two things. First, while it was still the afternoon, the clouds were making it seem much darker. Second, whatever caused that earthquake sure did a number here. This was not the only sinkhole that formed. From here I could see at least two others, although neither of them were as large as this one. A huge fault-line had formed that split this land into two. It wasn’t wide enough to risk falling into, but I would rather avoid it all together. 

“I say we steer clear of this area. If a small rumble did this, I would hate to see what would happen if a larger one hit, and I really do not want to deal with anything else that might be trapped beneath us.”

“I agree Miss. It will, however, add a significant time to our journey by avoiding this area.”

“How significant?”

“At least an hour Miss. Based upon my readings from when the earthquake hit and the directions of this fault, the epicenter resides in the direction we were previously traveling. It would be safer to give this entire area a wide berth. Plus I would rather not see what resides in those other sinkholes.”

“Looks like we are taking the scenic route.”

“From rust to waste.”

“Heh, that sounds like the name of a book. Maybe I will write one. One of these days. ‘The Adventures of Olivia Springs: Book One: From Rust to Waste’.”

“If a printing press even exists.”

“And there you go, destroying my dreams.”

“Miss? I see something just ahead.”

“It’s not another threat is it? I don’t think I can handle anything else today.”

“No Miss, it’s some kind of sign.”

He was right. There was a large green sign handing over the road not too far ahead of us. It had been faded over the years, and by some miracle was still intact. I pulled out the scope and focused on the sign. I left the Burrow to get away from the mice and rats that always looked down on us larger rabbits. Although, after barely escaping that rhino ghoul, I can kinda relate to them. Size can be dangerous, especially if you are one of the smaller ones. Still, I didn’t miss them.

“What does it say Miss?”

“‘Little Rodentia: Three Miles’.”


	12. A Long Way to Go

Three miles. That really doesn’t sound that far away. Of course the distance between leaving the Burrow and arriving at Beaverton was nearly half that - and in that time, I encountered a horde of ghouls, saw a defenseless woman get kill, almost got taken by slaves, and on top of that had a severe emotional breakdown when I arrived at Beaverton. I keep saying it can’t get any worse than this, but I am starting to doubt myself more and more. I had a feeling that these three miles were not going to be an easy route. At least I am not alone. 

“Miss, I don’t think this that is a very good idea, you really should think more of your health.”

Then again, some alone time can be very helpful. 

“Onion, I am covered in ancient excrement. I can’t even tell where the white of my fur ends and the auburn begins. I need this. You just keep a look out.”

When we got to the bottom of what I assumed must have been an off-ramp from the highway, we started to get into a more residential area. There were buildings of all shapes and sizes, many of them nested together to allow the tiniest of mouse and the largest of elephant to share the same building. There were so many building - scattered at first but clumping together over time. You would think I could have found something useful here, at least if they were intact. Most of them were too dilapidated to provide much shelter, and this area must have gotten hit hard from post war looting. There was barely a useful scrap to be found. I did however stumble into a small lifesaver. 

While looking for anything useful I stumbled into this small alleyway leading between two buildings. Curiosity got the better of me when I heard some dripping noises. The noises belonged to a small pool that was located in a boxed area surrounded by three buildings and a large fence. I found the source of the dripping, it was coming from a drainage pipe that hung from the roof of one of the buildings, letting water trickled down into the pool. While looking around to make sure that it was safe, I noticed a gate in the fence. It had a small padlock on it. I wanted to try picking it, even if it led nowhere, it was good practice, but the sight of the water got the better of me. I placed my belt, Pip-Boar, and bag next to one of the houses and then stripped off my clothes and jumped right in. The water was deep enough for me to mostly submerge my body, leaving my head and part of my feet sticking out, but it had enough to do the job. 

Sure, it was filled with water that made my radiation detector go crazy, and it is probably decades-old stagnant water, but it was surprisingly clear, and it felt amazing. While I had no soap or anything, just being able to scrub off this gunk was good enough for me. It was starting to itch. I did not spend too long in there, about ten minutes or so, and it wasn’t perfect. My fur still had splotches of brownish stains on it, and I still had a stink to me, but I felt better. 

Once I was sure I had absorbed enough radiation for one day I got out tried my best at shaking out the excess water from my fur. Daylight was still present, but the clouded sky there did not provide enough sunlight to effectively dry myself, and I had left my only towel back near the stadium. Rather than putting back on my clothing over my wet fur, I decided to simply put the trench coat on until I had dried off better. It was much more water resistant then the cloth clothing I was wearing. It felt kinda weird not having anything under my coat, but at the same time it made me feel a bit more, free. 

“Miss? I am detecting movement nearby.”

Fuck. Ok, calm down Olivia. Maybe it’s just more of those creepy insects. I grabbed my gun, just to be safe and checked my Pip-Boar. Sure enough two dots were approaching my location. They were a few feet from where that fence was. 

“You’re a riot, you know that Tony?” The voice was faint, but the dots were getting closer.

It’s not insects. Figures.

I whispered to Onion, “Okay Onion. I say we hide this out and hope they pass by. Friend or foe, I would rather not take our chances. Things have not been in our favor as of late.”

“Sounds good Miss. I will be at the ready.”

One of the buildings had a hole in the side of it that was large enough for me and Onion to slip into it and wait. From the looks of it, the floor above had collapsed, creating a barrier that prevented us from getting further into the house, and that left me a bit nervous. Our only escape if things go bad is out this hole and into an open space.

“I still can’t believe that geezer is still alive. After everything we did, he should be dead, but no, he’s still alive and still playing ignorant.” 

The voice was getting closer, and I was not liking what was being said. There was malice in those words. 

“Yeah, but once the boss gets back, he’ll be telling us everything in exchange for quick death.”

“Remind me to never get on the boss’s bad side.”

“You’re telling me. Now let us get back to our little side project.”

The voices went quiet as I heard the lock on the gate rattle. Fuck. Why did I even imagine that they would just pass on by? I’m not that lucky. I heard the gate squeak as it opened. I dared to peak around the wall and my heart sank. My bag and clothes were still sitting there, in plain sight. Stupid, Olivia, stupid.

“What the hell is this?” The voice came from a large orange and black tiger. He was wearing a simple black tank-top with hole ridden black jeans. 

“What is what Tony?” This one was much smaller in comparison. He was an armadillo who seemed to have spikes attached to his shell, and wore some kind of leathery clothing on his chest and legs. 

“There are scattered clothing and a bag near our well Arnie. I think someone was here!”

“Well fuck. Check the well. If some of the other gangs found out that we were trying to undercut them in the water trade, they may have tried to do something about it.”

“I don’t think so. Why would they just come here and leave some random clothing?” The tiger’s voice fell silent for a moment. All I could hear was the dripping of the water until he broke the silence. “Damn it! The water has been contaminated. It’s brown and there is crap floating all in it!”

“What the fuck? Check the bag. Maybe it has an answer. Whoever did this will pay.”

Shit, if they take all my supplies I will be screwed. Maybe I can just reason with them? I could say that I didn’t know it was their water, or that I was sorry for contaminating their radioactive water? From what I have heard, I doubt they would care. I didn’t see any weapons on them, but then again I was barely able to get a look at them without risking getting spotted. I could activate my B.A.T.S. again, but do I really want to attack someone who was unarmed?

“Well shit Arnie. This bag has a ton of supplies. There is food, some medicine, and even a bunch of ammo. We could make a few caps off of this easily.”

Damn it! I should have grabbed my bag when Onion detected them. Fuck it. From what it sounded like, they were torturing some old mammal, and armed or not, that should be enough of an excuse to attack them. Maybe if I just shoot their legs, I could incapacitate them rather than outright killing them. I lifted my Pip-Boar, now how did I activate that last time? Oh right, I hit it. Unfortunately, that did not seem to work this time. Ok then, maybe if I just asked it politely?

“Hey Pip-Boar, activate B.A.T.S., please?” I whispered as low as I could so that I would not attract their attention. 

“ _No Threats Detected._ ” It seemed that my Pip-Boar however did _not_ know how to whisper.

“What the fuck was that? Who’s there!?”

Fucking shit. I need to figure out how to adjust the volume on this thing. What to do, what to do? I have two choices. I could go out and attempt to incapacitate them with my gun, or I can go out all friendly and apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused. 

“I smell something Arnie. It’s coming from over there.” 

He was pointing at where I was, wasn’t he?

“Hey! You! I know you are there!”

Why can’t I come to a decision? I’ve weighed both options in my head and I did not like any of the results. If my damn Pip-Boar would just do what I tell it, then maybe I would have a better way out. No threats my ass. Am I have to be near death for this damn thing to work? 

“Tony, get the javelin.”

Javelin? That can’t be good. Suddenly I felt all my hairs stand on end. Maybe I should just … before I could finish that thought, I felt part of the wall behind me give way as a large, and very pointy, spear pierced it. Three long spikes buried themselves into the wall as started to retract. The entire wall was buckling outward until it shattered completely, showering Onion and I with shards of wood and chunks of brick. I looked over at the two, my cover completely eradicated. I saw the tiger pulling on a large chain that was attached to what must have been the javelin. He used his own strength to pull down this wall! Is this a threat enough Pip-Boar?!

I did not know what to say, so I just let something slip, “Umm, hi?” 

“Well, well, what do we have here? A little bunny. Are you the one responsible for contaminating our drinking water?”

“Ok, here’s the deal,” I just started talking, letting my brain do all the work. “I did not know that this was your drinking water. I was desperate to get clean, and it was the first thing I saw in days to allow me to do so. To be fair, it was a bit radioactive, so I probably wouldn’t have drunk it if I were you.”

“We don’t have time for this. Tony, deal with her.”

The tiger smiled as he finished reeling the javelin towards him and picked it up with ease. Now that I got a good look at it, it was nearly twice as long as I was, and it must have weighed a decent amount to have pierced through wood and brick with little effort. Either that or he was unusually strong. Or both, and I really did not want to find out. He took aim as I readied my gun. He wasn’t stopping so I had to stop him first. I took aim and got ready to pull the trigger. Then the world exploded. 

Ok, so the _world_ didn’t explode, but there _was_ a huge explosion that caught all of us off guard. The armadillo got knocked backwards onto his shell while the tiger stumbled but used the javelin to prevent him from falling by shoving it into the ground. It did, however cause me to fall flat on my face. Why is it always the face? Onion was … wait, where was Onion?

“Onion!”

A roar answered my question as to his whereabouts. I looked over to the tiger as I saw Onion jabbing his stun baton into the tiger’s back. Unlike last time however, the tiger did not falter. 

“You fucking robot!” The tiger exclaimed just as he smashed the back of his paw at Onion, sending him flying into the side a building.

“Onion!”

“ _Elevated Heartbeat Detected, Increased Levels of Adrenaline Detected, Potential Threat Found. Activate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

“It’s about time! Yes!”

Just like before, I felt the pricking of a needle in my arm as the serum burned its way through my veins. The world started to slow, my mind feeling clear. The more I used this, the more I grew to like the feeling. I felt, powerful and invincible. I checked my Pip-Boar, the highest chance of hitting was in the head and the left leg. Now I need to make the decision. Kill or subdue? I looked over at the armadillo. From his position the highest chance to hit was 32%, not enough to risk a bullet, and the tiger was the bigger threat. Fuck, why can’t they have been ghouls? I would not have hesitated. Fuck it. I aimed for the leg and fired just as the chemical started to wear off. 

“My leg! You fucking shot my leg!”

“If you don’t stay there, I will make sure to shoot something more vital. That goes for you too.” I moved my gun between the two as I addressed each.

“Well Miss, that looks like another dent added to my collection.”

“You ok Onion?”

“Apart from being back-pawed into a brick wall, my self-diagnostics seem to be green.”

“Who the fuck are you rabbit?” the armadillo said as he tried to correct his position so that he could face me.

“That is not important. I am sorry I messed up your water, but you still tried to kill me even after my apology.”

“Hah! You think just because you said you’re sorry means that you are safe? This is the wasteland kiddo, there are no rules but the ones we make. Me and Tony here, we’re members of the Grey Quills, and this is our territory.” 

“Grey Quills? Sorry, never heard of you.”

“You … what? You been living under a rock or something kiddo? We are the biggest thing around here!”

“No, and stop calling me kiddo. I’ve had a rough past few days and I am not in the mood.” I tried to sound as serious as I could, maybe that will give them a moment of pause to figure out what I should do. The B.A.T.S. should be cooled down by now, but I had no idea how to activate it without getting into a fight. I really need to work on that.

“You had a rough few days? Hah! What happened, _kiddo_ , did you lose your favorite toy? Tell you what, let’s make a deal. We are going to kill you now, and if you don’t put up a fight, we will make sure it is quick and painless. How you like them carrot, rabbit?”

I tried to think of something snappy to say, but before I could I noticed that the tiger had managed to get back up and was pulling the javelin from the ground. So much for subduing him. I should have just killed him, this armadillo did not look like he could put up much of a fight, I did not even see any weapons on him, then again, I did not see that giant javelin earlier. Where the hell did he hide that thing? I got to think of something. If Onion’s baton failed once, I doubt it will work again, and with that giant shell on the other one, I highly doubt Onion could maneuver to get a good hit in. I got to focus on the tiger, he is the more dangerous one at this time. Hmm, I might have an idea. It’s probably the worse idea in all of mammal history, but if I can pull it off…

“Well, that sounds like a mighty fine deal, I think I’ll take it. I can tell I don’t stand too much chance against you two.”

“Miss!”

I turned my head over to Onion and winked. I have no idea if he saw it, or if he even knew what it meant, but I wasn’t going to say anymore without risking blowing my plan. If it failed? Well I’ll be dead so it won’t matter. No, I can’t think like that. This _will_ work. I was rested enough to make it. Plus, there was something I needed to know, something that has been in the back of my mind for this whole time. I stood there and spread my arms wide. 

“Get it over already, please.”

“Hah! Stupid rabbit, throwing your life away, but you are right about something. You never did stand a chance against us. Tony, do your thing.”

The tiger moved his arm as far behind him as possible. I could see in his face that he was straining against the bullet wound in his leg. Once he was at the ready, it looked like he put all of his effort into the toss. The javelin flew from his hand, dragging the chain through the air behind it. I only had four seconds from the look of it. Please work.

“ _Imminent Threat Detected, Acti …_ ”

“Yes!”

Once again I felt the serum flowing through me as whatever it did slowed the world down. No time to think, I knew exactly what to do. I dove down and picked up my gun and fired right into the head of the tiger. Without even looking at his reaction I side stepped to the left, jumped onto the wall of the nearby building and forced myself off of it. While in the air I turned my body so that my feet were ahead of me and kicked the javelin with as much force as I could. While still flying through the air, it changed directions and headed straight towards the armadillo. Everything occurred so fast that I don’t think he could even comprehend what happened until it was too late. The javelin pierced him right through the chest and pinned him on the building behind him.

Once the chemicals wore off I walked towards him and saw that he was still alive, but only barely. Blood was dripping from his chest and mouth as he tried to struggle against the javelin, but to no avail. I calmly walked until I was right in front of him and rested the barrel of my gun on his forehead. Either my eyes were playing tricks on me or else he was … crying.

“I’m … I’m sorry!” He struggled with the words, coughing up blood between them.

“Too late for sorry. What was it you said? Here in the wasteland you make your own rules? From the sounds of it you broke one of my own. Now tell me, what was this about an old guy?”

***

I wasn’t able to find out everything from him before he died, but I found out enough. Apparently, him and a few of his gang member buddies kidnapped some old buffalo who was out for a walk. He said that the buffalo was special, and that he would be worth a lot to their boss, but the armadillo died before I could find out what was special about him. I did, however, learn where they were keeping him. An abandoned movie theater nearby. 

“Miss, that was … something.”

“What you mean Onion?”

“Putting your life on the line and then pulling off a counter attack like that. I’m a robot but even my processors had trouble figuring out what happened.”

“It’s really hard to explain. Remember when I told you that my Pip-Boar was talking to me? Well it also did something to me, something called the Burrow-Tec Assisted Targeting System. It, injected me with something that put me into some kind of trance. Everything seemed so vivid, so clear. The whole world seems to slow down to a standstill, but I feel as if I can move faster than ever. It doesn’t last long, but it’s quite the rush.”

“It sounds, dangerous Miss. Have you felt any side-effects from it?”

“Other than me missing it when it wears off, not really Onion.”

“That’s called an addiction Miss.”

“Well then I must be addicted to you, because, I _sometimes_ miss you when you’re not here too.”

“What do we do now Miss?”

“Well, apparently these bastards kidnapped some old buffalo and is holding him hostage and even torturing him. If I am going to be any kind of hero, I need to try to rescue him. Plus, it’s on the way.”

“If you keep putting yourself into these situations Miss, one day you won’t make it out.”

“One day, maybe, but not today. Between your sensors and my quick thinking,” and my B.A.T.S., I thought to myself, “we should be fine. Let us not draw any unnecessary attention, and I promise you, if it looks like were in way over our heads, we will call it quits. We can’t help anyone if were dead.”

“If you insist Miss, I’ve come to learn that when you put your mind to something, nothing I say can change it.”

I changed back into my clothes, put my coat back on, and grabbed the rest of my stuff. I peeked out of the gate to make sure we were alone, and once I was certain of it, we moved out slowly. We were getting deeper into the city. More and more buildings kept popping up, along with an increase of abandoned vehicles. 

It was really hard to tell myself not to go scrounging for stuff. I saw a few buildings that were not boarded up, but every time I go to investigate, Onion detected movement. I am sure that most of them were just some of those giant insects, but I did not want to risk it. I still had a decent amount of food, supplies, and ammo, hopefully enough to make it to Hope at least. 

A few of the buildings had been defaced with graffiti. Some I could tell were old, like pre-war old. ‘ _The End is Nigh!_ ’ was written on one, while ‘ _Peace is an Illusion!_ ’ was on another. A few of them were more recent. On the top of one of the buildings was a very large billboard. It was faded with the picture of a lion, with a very fluffy mane. It was hard to make out what it used to say, it was covered in graffiti that said ‘ _Grey Quills, Keep Out!_ ’. I couldn’t tell if that was telling the Grey Quills to keep out, or if it was them telling others to stay out. Either way, we were heading in the right direction.

As we continued down, I noticed that many of the buildings were not getting closer and closer together until they seemed to fuse at points. Makeshift shelters were set up along a few of them, but I still did not see any signs of life. I checked a few of them, but did not find much. One of them had a small bag of caps, probably no more than thirty, while another had some ammo that I did not recognize. I put it in my bag just in case. There were no bodies, so I am assuming that these shelters were a more recent establishment. 

“Miss? I detect movement coming from an alleyway about a hundred feet from us.”

“Quick, lets hide over here.”

Onion and I ducked into an open building. There was a large window that had been shattered, allowing us to get in with ease. I turned to check for any other exits when my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Behind me were five figures. I pulled my gun out but they were not moving. I slowly walked up to them and nearly laughed. They were mannequins. I took a better look around and saw that this must have once been a clothing shop. There were ragged shirts and pants scattered all over of various sizes. 

“Miss, the movements are getting closer.”

I turned my attention back towards the window and found a small table to hide under. I peeked out slightly and waited. 

“That damn Arnie better have a good reason for not showing up when he was supposed to. The boss will be pissed when he gets back.”

“Leave him alone Frankie, I think him and Tony went to go have a little … you know what I mean?” 

The first voice was gruff, like most of the mammals that I have met, but the second one I could tell was a female, and she sounded almost sweet. They were looking for the two I killed, so they must have been part of same gang. The voices were getting closer and I started to hold my breath. No sudden movements, no loud noises. There could be more behind them, and I did not want to take any chances.

“That Arnie always did like his guys built. I’ve seen Tony single handily take on a squad of Guardians without batting an eye. I would hate to be the ones who messes with him.”

I almost laughed.

“Those two should have stayed at the theater then. Those Guardian bastards will be coming back, and we could use ever capable fighter to drive them off.”

“That’s why we are trying to find them June, to drag their sorry asses back to the theater.”

They walked by and I was able to get a better look at them. The male was an elephant, but from my position I could not see his face, only his body, with his trunk occasionally coming into view. The female, however, was dwarfed in comparison. She was a polecat. Her stripes of auburn and white reminded me of my own fur color. She was hunched over a bit as she walked. She wore a loose shirt and some leathery pants, while he had some kind of metal plate armor on his body. The odd thing was that unlike the other two, where the larger one wielded the javelin, I could see that the polecat had it strapped to her back. 

They continued to walk by the window, unaware that they were being watched. Good. When they finally passed out of Onion’s sensors, I let myself relax.

“We need to hurry. If they find the bodies, I am sure they will head straight back to the theater. We need to get there before that happens.”

“Agreed Miss.”

I looked out and did not see any signs of them. I signaled to Onion and we left the building and continued onward, going in the direction that they came from. Odds are they were coming from the theater. It was clear, but I had a feeling that there were more out here. We just had to avoid them. Hopefully we don’t run into any of those Steel Guardians either, I have no idea who’s side they are on, but I did not want to get caught in the middle of a fight.

We passed more of the same. Shoddy shelters placed in front of boarded up buildings. I don’t understand why they did not just try to remove the boards. It would have probably been a lot safer inside a building then under a sheet. While the urge to go savaging has diminished, I did try to keep an eye out for any buildings that could be used as a temporary hiding spot, just in case we ran into anyone else. We moved from car to car, doorway to door way, doing our best to keep hidden. Well I was anyways. A large floating metal ball was a bit more conspicuous, so he hid where he could, and I think it made him nervous when he was forced to hide away from me. 

We thankfully did not see anyone else, although a few times some of those giant insects popped up on Onion’s sensors. What was with those things? They were easy to kill, but they were annoyingly quick. I was really glad that my gun was silenced, otherwise we would have more than insects to deal with. 

We turned a corner and all I saw was smoke. Lying in the middle of the street was one of those flying contraptions that I saw pick up those two Steel Guardian guys earlier. Its engines were billowing black smoke and part of its body was missing. Small fires were still present around and on it. 

“That was probably the explosion we heard earlier Miss.”

“I think your right. Did the Grey Quills do this? I doubt some simple peashooter could take down one of these, they must be packing some serious firepower.”

“Another reason to avoid this whole thing Miss.”

I ignored him. He should be well aware of my response by now. The smoking wreckage was in between us and our destination so I decided to look around since we had to go pass it anyways. This thing used technology that I was not familiar with. A levitation engine was simple enough for someone of Onion’s size and weight, but this thing was huge. The power it would take to run it must have been massive. I tried to look for any survivor's. Maybe if I help them they won’t try to kill me too. 

There were three in the wreckage, all dead. The pilot was hanging out of the cockpit window, a bullet hole coming out of the back of his head. He was not dressed in a large bulky armor, but rather a black jumpsuit, similar to the ones back at the Burrow. One of the other two was wearing a massive suit. Its helmet was missing. It was a polar bear. I checked for life, but like the pilot, there was a bullet hole in the head. I did notice a necklace around the neck. I picked it up and looked at it. It was identification tags. _Haggerton, Karen._ was imprinted on it along with other details that I was unfamiliar with. Right next to her was a wolf. The wolf was not dressed like either of them, but rather dressed in a very form fitting jumpsuit with what looked like flexible plating on it. Just like the bear, there was a bullet hole in the head. I saw the same looking tags. _Wolfort, Gus_. 

I knew nothing about these guys, but I wondered if they had friend, or family that would miss them. I took off the tags from them, maybe I can bring solace for their loss to someone. I have not had any negative interaction with these people, so I had no reason to assume they were as bad as the rest of these fuckers. Of course, I have been wrong about this before. 

I searched the rest of the wreck and did not find anything useful to me. All three of them were much larger than I was, so anything that could have been useful was either too cumbersome to carry or to use. I did find packets of processed food, and since the dead can’t use it, I placed them in my bag. There was one thing that stuck out, however. Inside the intact part of the body was a green crate. It was obviously bolted to the floor, or else it would have been thrown out during the crash. I went over and opened it. Inside were ten small grey spheres. I picked up one and it fit easily into my paw. Each of them had a small cover on the top. Beneath the cover was a red button. What were these? 

“Miss, be careful. I am detecting trace amounts of explosives coming from that.”

Explosives? Were these grenades? Oh, these will come in handy. I grabbed them and carefully placed them into my bag. Thankfully the cover over the button had a latch, so it would not accidentally pop open. I assumed that it was what armed them, but now was not the time or place to figure that out. 

“Let’s go Onion.”

We left the wreckage and was able to slowly manage to squeeze through it. The thing was so big that it took up the entire street. Onion was able to float right over it. Once we were on the other side I was able to spot something in the distance. There was a very large building with a giant sign. I took out the scope and focused in on it. The building had giant pillars that decorated the front of it. Its architecture made it stand out from the rest of the buildings. It had giant arches that flowed over the pillars forming the roof. Two giant giraffe statues held up a sign above the building: ‘ _Regal Giraffe Theater_ ’.

“That’s our place.”

“Are you sure you want to do this Miss? It’s not too late to turn back.”

“I am sure Onion. Now, let’s go rescue a buffalo.”


	13. Live at the Regal Giraffe Theater!

“I do hope you do not plan on just barging through the front door Miss.”

“No Onion, that would be stupid. We are going through the roof.”

I have always been good at making plans, but sometimes they sounded better in my head then in practice.

“The roof Miss? How do you expect us to do that?”

“Well, I figured I would just hold onto you and you could float us right up there.” 

“You know that I couldn’t support your weight Miss.”

“I’m a lady Onion, and you never tell a lady they weigh too much.” I tried to make myself sound regal. I mean, we were heading into a place with the word regal in its name, even though I am sure it is anything but.

“Well Miss, maybe you should try to act like one sometime. I highly doubt throwing yourself into danger is very ladylike.”

He was right, I have been winding up in nasty predicaments lately, but usually they came to me. I think this is the first time where I really tried to put myself out there. Most of the stories I read had some kind of knight in shining armor rescuing a helpless damsel in distress. I did _not_ want to be the one in distress, but rather the heroic knight who helps save the defenseless. I think that is why I was so adamant about trying to rescue this old buffalo. I did not even know who he was. For all I know he could be part of some crazy cult that eats raiders and they are out for revenge. I shuddered at the thought. I _really_ hope cannibalism is not a thing out here. That’s where I draw the line. Sure predators hunted and ate prey a very long time ago, but haven’t we all evolved past that at least?

We were still a block away but I could already see people outside the theater. Just like the other two groups they all were in sets of two, one carrying a javelin and the other one just there doing whatever they do. I could see at least four groups out there. I pulled out my scope to take a closer look. Well fuck, ain’t going that way even if I wanted to. Up until now the largest gun I saw was that sniper rifle, but this one takes the cake. It was massive, with six barrels attached in a circular fashion. I could see a belt of very large bullets coming out one side of it, and to make things worse, there were TWO of them. There had to be another way in.

On either side of the building were more buildings, but they were too far apart to try to jump from one of them to the theater’s roof. Maybe I read those _Jack Savage_ books a bit too much. He almost always used the roof to invade an enemy base, but from a logical point of view it made sense. With how heavily armed the front entrance looked, they were probably expecting a frontal assault. The rear could be a potential access point, but I did not want to risk sneaking through the alley way just to see more big guns back there. Wait … alleyway? I took a closer look. A fire escape, bingo!

“I have a plan now Onion. Keep quiet and follow me, but keep your sensor’s open.”

We took our time getting to the alley. Thankfully we were both small enough that the larger cars made for good cover. We almost ran into a few patrols, but managed to keep low until they passed. I am glad they did not have any motion detectors like Onion, or else this rescue would be over before it even started. We finally got to just outside the alleyway completely un detected. I peered down into the darker alley but could not see any movement. So far it seemed clear.

“Anything Onion?”

“No movement detected Miss.”

Good. I took the lead. Onion’s levitation device produced too small a light to see anything clearly, but enough to have someone spot us in the shadowed alley. We were about twenty feet from the alley, but I already was starting to step softly, watching my step so that I did not step on anything. I was so focused on this that I crashed into Onion as he darted in front of me. 

“Onion!” I tried to keep my voice as quiet as possible, but he had startled me.

“Sorry Miss, but I detect explosives directly in front of us.”

Explosives? I crouched down and let my eyes focus. Within the shadows I saw a steady red light, and then another, and another. There were four in all, lined up in a row just a few feet into the alley. What are they? 

“Miss, my files indicate that these are fragmentation mines. Anti-personnel devices with proximity sensors that when detonated, release not only a concussive blast, but also deadly shrapnel.”

Mines? Well fuck. 

“How close is their proximity range Onion?”

“Hard to tell Miss. My files show that military grade ones have a detection range of only a few feet, but we do not know if these have been altered in anyway. Once the sensor is tripped, you have three seconds to either disarm them or get caught in their explosion, and due to the distance between them, my calculations show that if one explodes, it will probably trigger the other three.”

Great. If I could figure out how to activate B.A.T.S. whenever the hell I wanted, I could disarm these things easily. At this rate I will never have some quiet time to tinker with my Pip-Boar. Ok Olivia, focus on the problem at hand. Let me just assume that these bastards are not smart enough to modify these mines, and that they still have the original detection range on them. If that is the case, then they are far enough apart that I can safely disarm one without triggering another. There is only one problem.

“Onion, does it say _how_ to disarm a mine?”

“Apparently, despite from being a very dangerous weapon, it is relatively easy to disarm one Miss. Next to the red light is a small button. You simply have to push that button and it puts it into safe mode.”

“But since that button is probably well within the trigger range, I only have three seconds to find and push it. Sounds _real_ easy.”

“We can always find another way, or better yet, not do this at all Miss.”

“No Onion, I made up my mind, and this is the best way in from what I can tell. If we spend too much time thinking of a better way, that increases the possibility of us being too late to save him.”

“My files tell me of another way to disarm a mine, one that you can do from a safe distance.”

“Oh? Why did you not tell me that first?”

“Mines can be remotely detonated by shooting them.”

“That is out of the question. One explosion and the whole damn gang will be down our throats.”

“That is why I did not say it initially Miss.”

“Then why even tell me?”

“Just trying to be helpful Miss.”

Helpful my ass, but I should remember that. I doubt this will be my first time with a mine, and I may not have the time to sneak up and disarm them. 

“I’m going in, wish me luck.”

I looked towards the alley way and swallowed. If I failed, well I just hope it don’t hurt too much. Of course my luck it will just blow off a leg or two, leaving me alive and at the mercy of these fuckers. Gah Olivia! Don’t dwell on those thoughts, I _will_ make it, and I _will_ save him. Now, take it one step at a time. Just one. Step. At. A time. 

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Three seconds. Now. I moved into where the mine was and saw that the red light was no longer solid but flashing in tune with a beeping noise. There! Next to the light was a small indented circle, that must be the button! I bent down swiftly and pushed it. The beeping stopped and the light turned a solid green. No explosion, and I was still alive. That was a start. Now to do this three more times. I left the mine alone and continued to the next one. 

Mines two and three were met with the same fate. I disarmed them quickly. Now that I knew where the button was, it felt easy, too easy to do. I better not get too overconfident or else I could wind up losing an arm. The last one on the other hand, scared the crap out of me. It started to beep like the other ones and when I went to push the button it kept beeping. I pushed it again, and again, putting more pressure into it as the beeping grew faster. I was dead. I leaped away, crashing on the ground expecting to hear a loud boom. I lay on the ground for a few seconds, but other than the beeping having stopped, there was no explosion, and I was still alive. 

“ _Elevated Heartbeat Detected, Increased Levels of Adrenaline Detected, No Threat Detected, Activate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

“ _Now_ you ask. No thank you!”

Slightly irritated at my Pip-Boar’s _impeccable_ timing, I went back over to the mine and saw a small stream of smoke coming out of it. It must have been defective. I went back and picked up the other three and placed them in my bag, figuring I could make use of them at some point, but I left the dud alone. I did not want to risk it blowing up while trying to move it. 

“Please don’t ever do that again Miss, and do you really have to start a collection? Every time you find something that explodes, you just toss it into your bag like you found a new toy.”

“Well, would you rather me have them or would you rather these creeps have them?”

“Point taken Miss.”

I hoisted my bag over my shoulders. It was starting to feel heavy. Between the mines, grenades, supplies, and everything else I keep picking up, the weight was starting to stack up. If it gets too heavy, maybe I’ll make Onion carry something. I did put a small storage compartment in him for a reason. Wonder if he would object to carrying the explosives?

I checked the alleyway for anymore red lights but thankfully there were none. They must have set them up here as a deterrent, not thinking someone would make it passed them unharmed. A few feet ahead of us was our target. Sticking off the side of the building was a large overhanging platform that had a winding staircase that went all the way to the top. However, I could not find any way of getting up to the platform. 

“Any suggestions Onion?”

“Turn back?”

Well he was no help. I took a look around me. The alleyway continued down for at least another twenty feet before it met a wall. It must turn towards the back of the theater. I could not see any lights, but that did not mean there wasn’t anything, or anyone there. I turned my attention back to the platform. It was much darker this far in, and while I could see the outlines of everything, I could not make out too much detail. I decided to risk it. 

I turned on my Pip-Boar’s light and turned it to its lower settings. It was very dim, but gave me enough light to let my eyes adjust properly. I saw that underneath the platform was the outline of some kind of door. The hinges were on the outside, suggesting that it opened towards the ground. At the other end of the door I saw a chain hanging down. It was out of my reach but I was a very good jumper. I memorized where it was and turned off my light. I did not want to risk attracting attention. 

I backed up and put all my strength into a forward jump. The first attempt failed as I barely got within reach. I tried again. I took two more attempts before I was able to grab a hold of the chain. I guess I wasn’t as rested as I thought. When I finally grabbed it, the entire chain slowly lowered me, and the door, down to the ground. Once the door was fully open, a ladder extended downwardly. The ladder was large enough to support someone larger than me, like maybe a wolf or something, but I doubt it could be used for anything like an elephant or rhino. There had to be one for larger mammals somewhere. I slapped my forehead. Stop trying to be a safety inspector Olivia! This is not the time, nor the place. I really got to stop letting my mind wander like that.

I grabbed the ladder and started to ascend. Onion floated slowly up behind me, keeping his power on low to prevent too much ambient noise or light. The building was at least five stories tall, so the climb took a little bit. Every other story I stopped and took a look around me to see if anyone had gone down the alleyway. So far there was no one. I had a feeling that since they assumed the mines were still there, that it would be fine to leave out of their patrols. 

Onion’s sensors so far had not picked up anything either as we neared the top of the building. There were no windows on this side, so the roof must have some sort of entrance, or else why would this fire escape even be here. I reached the final set of stairs and I am glad I stopped to look around because sitting near the top of the stairs was a small object with a solid red light. They had a mine up here!? I told Onion to sit tight as I slowly crept up to the mine. 

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

I pushed the button and the light went green. Before I could grab the mine I heard something. Or should I say someone. 

“Willie! I think I heard something!”

Fuck, they had people on the roof. I bent my ears down and risked taking a look. 

“What? I didn’t hear anything. I think your paranoia is finally getting to you.”

I could not see anyone, but I heard at least two voices. The roof was relatively flat but there were large metal boxes all over it blocking my line of sight to wherever the voices were coming from. I ducked my head down and looked at Onion.

“There are at least two mammals up there. Do you detect any more?”

“No Miss, I actually don’t detect any movement at all.”

That means they are not actively looking for someone. That’s good. I could use that to my advantage. I slowly took off my backpack and dropped it over the ledge onto the roof.

“Onion, there are some large boxes that would provide a good cover. I am going to scout around to see what we are up against. You power down your levitator and wait for my signal.”

“Be careful Miss.”

I smiled at Onion to give him assurance and then turned towards the roof again. I took another peak to make sure it was still safe and then I quickly leaped over the ledge. I landed right beside my bag and I grabbed, keeping it in my paw as I snuck over to the closest box. I set my bag beside it and noticed that the box had tubes that connected to the roof. Some sort of air system perhaps. I peeked over the side closest to the front of the building. I could see the backside of the large sign, and I saw a white fox sitting on a chair facing the ledge. There were a bunch of empty bottles next to him, and I could see he was drinking something. Next to him was a very large tube like item. I took out my scope and got a better look. 

I did not need Onion to tell me what that was. It was a missile launcher. While I wasn’t too knowledgeable about weapons, since I never needed to be, many of the ones that I have seen baffled me, but this thing, I have seen it before. In a book, specifically the cover of the third _Jack Savage_ book. Pictured on it was a giant bear firing a missile at Jack as he drove his car off a ledge. The funny thing is that scene was nowhere in the book, but I was able to put two and two together to figure out that that weapon was dangerous. No wonder there was that wreckage in the streets. These guys must have been prepared for an aerial attack.

I tried to see where the other voice came from, but so far I could only see the fox. I had two choices: either wait it out until I could determine where the other one was, provided they were the only two up here, or go after the fox and go from there. The one thing that I did notice was that there was no javelin, so unless it was out of sight, I’ll make the assumption that the other one is wielding it. That could complicate things if I am not careful.

I turned on my short wave communicator and pinged Onion.

“I read you Miss.”

“Onion, I need you to do me a favor. I know you hate when I ask you to be bait, but … can you be bait?”

I swore I heard a sigh from him, “Yes Miss, what did you want me to do _this_ time?”

“There is a fox directly in front of me, about fifty feet away, give or take. I haven’t made tabs on the other one, so I need you to provide a distraction so I can figure out where he is. What I need you to do is hover over to the building behind me. Once I give the signal, go as high above this building as you can and zip across to the building on the opposite side. When you are directly over this building, hit your levitator to max power briefly so that the light and noise can distract them. Once you get to the other building, find a safe place and wait for me.”

“Yes Miss, but this better not result in anymore dents.”

“Oh, and sync your sensor’s with my Pip-Boar so that I can see where movement occurs.”

After a few seconds my Pip-Boar’s screen had an additional signal on it. I pushed the button on the screen and was now seeing a basic overly of the terrain. There was nothing on it yet, but hopefully that will change. I took out my gun and made sure it was fully loaded. I hope that I would not need the use of B.A.T.S., but it better be available if I do. I peeked around both sides of the metal box. The fox was still sitting in his chair and there was no sight of the other one. It’s now or never.

“Now Onion.”

I watched the screen as I heard a quiet humming noise drift overhead. The noise increased a few decibels as he floated over my head. 

“What the fuck is that thing? Zack! You seeing this?!”

I peeked over, the fox had jumped out of his chair and was staring at the sky. I looked back at the screen and his movement registered on Onion’s sensors. 

“What now Willie? You see a flying saucer … what the hell? Is that a firebug?”

I could tell that the voice was coming from near the other-side of the roof somewhere. I checked the sensors. Still no movement. Come on fucker, do something.

“Firebug? That ain’t no firebug, it’s a flying saucer! I told you they were real! Where did I put my tin-foil hat? I knew I brought it for a reason. Zack! Where the hell is my hat?”

“That stupid thing? I told you a hundred times, there ain’t no such things as aliens, and if there were, why the hell would they be vising this dump of a world?”

“Zack you fucking better get over here and help me find it!”

“Alright. Alright you ass. I’ll help you find it. It’s not like those Guardian fuckers are going to try anything again this soon right after you blew their last bird out of the sky.”

Finally! The other one appeared on the sensors. Their blips were both moving towards the center of the roof. I peeked back over to where the fox was sitting. Good, he left his launcher. After making sure that the blips were not moving back, I quietly moved towards where the fox was sitting. Now that I had a better view, I saw that there were wooden creates scattered all over the roof. Some of them were stacked two or three high, giving me plenty of cover. My curiosity was starting to get the better of me. I really wanted to know what was inside them, but first I needed to subdue these two. From what I have seen already, I would feel no remorse killing them. I am sure they would feel the same towards me. 

I darted from box to box, keeping an eye on my Pip-Boar. Both dots were now moving towards the side of the building where Onion went, still far enough from me, and still out of sight. I reached the area where the chair was and went for the launcher. It was large and bulky, but unlike the sniper, it was meant for someone much smaller, maybe not a rabbit, but small enough. I put my bag down and hefted it up. I did not know how to use it, but they did not know that. I also saw something shining in the light of the setting sun. I bent down and picked it up. 

My Pip-Boar beeped as I noticed the dots moving towards my position. Within a few seconds I saw the fox walking back, muttering something to himself under his breath. 

“Looking for this?” I held up a small hat made out of tin-foil.

“My hat! Where did you … wait, who the fuck are you!?”

I lowered the launcher towards him as his friend appeared. It was one of the biggest built wolves I have ever seen. His fur was an almost metallic gray and he had muscles that would have made Bo jealous. He had a javelin in his paw, but had it held to his side. He probably wasn’t expecting someone up here. 

“My paranoid friend asked you a question.”

“I’m not paranoid! They do exist!”

“You’re getting off track Willie.”

“Oh yeah. Like I asked before, who the fuck are you?”

“I’m your worst nightmare, Willie.” I was feeling in the zone, like I was Jack Savage himself. 

“How did you know my name? She’s one of them! I told you Zack, they can read our minds!”

The wolf slapped Willie across the face, “I told you, there are no aliens. She must have over heard us, that’s how.”

“If you do not put your weapons down and surrender, I will blow you off of this roof. I already took care of your friends Arnie and Tony, I doubt you will put up much of a fight.”

“Arnie? Tony? What the fuck are you talking about? They just left like forty minutes ago. Your bluffing.”

“Well, they are dead, but whether you believe me or not is pretty moot when I have a fucking missile pointed at your face!” I was feeling really good! Maybe I wouldn’t even have to resort to violence. Maybe they will just put down their weapons and surrender peacefully.

“Oh I am shaking in my fur little bunny. You hear that Zack? She’s going to shoot us with the fucking _empty_ rocket launcher. Get her!”

Empty? I … but? I pulled the trigger. Nothing. Fuck! Zack lifted the javelin and threw launched it at me. I tried to jump out of the way but he must have been anticipating that. The javelin went right between my legs, just missing my left one and right through the bottom of my trench coat, pinning me it and me to the floor of the roof. I tried to shake off the coat but I saw the fox pulling out a pistol. He had a clear shot to me. 

“ _Imminent Threat Detected. Activate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

“Yes!”

I was getting too used to this. Maybe Onion was right and I was growing too attached to this. I couldn’t control it but I always used it when I needed to. I was starting to get better with my gun before I discovered this feature, but now, I am starting to wonder if this will hurt me in the long run? I just wasted two of my six seconds. Concentrate Olivia! I grabbed my gun and fired. I did not even check my Pip-Boar but it did not matter, the fox fell down as the bullet made contact. I turned towards the wolf as I saw him charging me. I could feel the chemicals wearing off. I only had time for one shot. Even in my heightened state, the wolf was quick. Bobbing his head side to side as he ran, I couldn’t get a clear shot so I did the next best thing. I pulled the trigger. 

I heard him yelp as time seemed to speed up again. He went crashing forward as I saw blood leaking from his leg. His forward momentum was too much for him to stop. He flew past me and right through the brick ledge of the roof. Seconds later I heard a splat come from below. Then I heard the yelling.

“Fuck. It’s Zack! Quick, get teams up to the roof!”

“Onion, I think they know we are here. Meet me back on the roof. We need to make this quick.”

“Right away Miss.”

Now the whole place is alerted. So much for a quiet rescue. I grabbed my bag and started to look for an exit. I found it rather quick, a small bump in the roof with a metal door. I opened the door and before I could enter I heard the sound of animals running up the stairs. I turned around and shut the door. This was going to be much harder than I thought. 

“Onion! Were trapped, there is an unknown number of mammals heading up here.”

“My sensors are going crazy Miss, I detect at least a dozen, but my sensors do not detect height, so I have no idea where they are in relation to us.”

Great, just great. Any minute now they will bust through the door. I was closer to the other side of the roof and could make out the same kind of stairs from before. There must have been another fire escape, but for all I knew it was mined too. Oh yeah, I forgot. I opened my bag and grabbed two of the mines from it. If this disarmed it, then it must arm it as well. I pushed one of the buttons and the light slowly flashed red. I dropped it in front of the door and did the same with the other. Then I ran.

“Onion! Mine! Move!”

I couldn’t quite get the words out but he must have understood. He was right behind me as we both rushed behind one of the metal boxes. We waited. Waiting was always the worst part. When your waiting for something, time seems to slow down to a sloth’s pace, and not like when I am in B.A.T.S., that at least made you feel quick, but rather everything, even yourself slows. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like … 

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._ ”

I doubt they heard the noise, and even if they did, by the time they got the door open it was too late. The explosion was loud. Not as loud as that bag of explosives from the stadium, but loud enough that if not everyone knew I was here, they did now. I expect that the patrols will be coming back soon. I need to find that buffalo before that happens, provided they don’t kill him before. 

I moved towards the door and saw a giant hole in the roof. There were at least three bodies lying near the edge of the hole. I couldn’t tell if they were dead, but they were not moving. I did not hear any more noises coming from the stairs, so I chanced a peak through the hole. The room below us was empty, charred paper scattered everywhere, along with two more bodies. I saw a couple large safes, along with a computer terminal. Since I did not see anyone alive, I decided to jump below rather than use the stairs. 

I landed with a small thud as the floor creaked below my feet. I looked around at the room. It was large enough to comfortably fit a bear, but small enough that not too many could fit in here at once. There was a desk and a single door on the other side of where I stood. I checked the two bodies and found no sign of a heartbeat. They were defiantly dead. One of them, weasel of some sort, had a leathery jacket with a giant white skull and crossbones painted across the front. His pants had large pockets in them, and I saw something metallic sticking out of one. I chanced a look. It was grenade. Ten of them to be exact, this little guy was carrying _ten_ grenades in his pants. I am so glad they did not go off. I already was weighed down with some, so I decided against grabbing them.

The other corpse was a javelin carrier. This one was a zebra. He was dressed in similar fashion to the weasel, along with the same skull and crossbones on his jacket. This one, however, did not appear to be carrying any other weapon other than the javelin that lay beside him. I was tempted to grab it, but I knew that I was not physically fit enough to wield one. Maybe if I find a rabbit carrying one. 

“Miss, are you ok?”

“I’m fine, these guys, however, are not. I told you those mines would come in handy.”

“Unfortunately, they seemed to have alerted everyone to us. I thought you said this was going to be silent?”

“Well, looks like fate has other plans for us Onion.”

I went over to the door and checked it. It was locked, but thankfully I was on the right side of the lock. I turned the bolt on the door and slowly opened it. It creaked loudly. I stopped opening it halfway and waited to see if anyone else heard it. After a few seconds I deemed it safe enough and finished opening it enough for both of us to pass. On the other side of the door was a long thin hallway. The office looked like it was designed for a single large mammal, and so did the hallway. While it was a good size for someone of my size, a bear or a rhino would have to go single file if more than one were traversing these halls. The hallway was rather sparse save for two doors. One of them was halfway down the hall, and upon further investigation, it looked more like an arched window than a door. I turned the handle and it opened, much quieter than the other one. I took a peak through it. 

This window looked directly over the theater’s stage. I could see the stage clearly, despite it being dimly lit. A pair of curtains were drawn back and tied off to the side. Sitting in the middle of the stadium, tied to a chair was a buffalo. I pulled out my scope. He was slumped over with his eyes closed. His fur was a grayish white, showing his age. Both horns were broken, leaving small stubs. He had a long braided beard that was stark white. I could see that he was wearing nothing from the waste up, his bare chest showing that despite his age, he was still fairly muscular. Across his chest however were large gashes, most of them were bleeding. 

Next to him stood an elephant, with a large, tightly braided rope held in it’s trunk. On either side of the elephant were two tigers, both wielding javelins. I could not see anyone else, but then I heard a loud slam come from opposite the room. 

“Bailey! We got intruders! I don’t know who it is, but they came from the roof!”

“Is it the Steel Guardians again?” Her voice echoed through the room. She spoke very calmly, despite no one knowing exactly what was going on. 

“I don’t think so. Patrol has not reported any activity yet, but they did find Arnie and Tony. They’re dead.”

“Dead!? How can that be? Tony was our strongest thrower!”

She might have seemed calm before, but after hearing the news about my earlier run in, her voice started to break and her tone rose dramatically. Was he really that formidable? Either I am better than I thought, or I was just lucky? I really hope my luck doesn’t run out anytime soon. I slowly closed the window. I knew where the buffalo was not, and I can’t stay here too long. Eventually someone will find me if I stay in one place. 

Down the hall was the only other door. I was not about to go back, so I pushed forward. I moved as quiet as possible. The wooden floor creaked with every other step. I had to stop occasionally to make sure that no one heard me. Onion’s sensors were still being broadcasted to my Pip-Boar, but it was not very helpful. I could see at least half a dozen dots moving sporadically, but I could not tell their relation to me. When I reached the door I opened it slightly. It squeaked, but only a little. On the other side of the door was a large staircase that went down at least two floors before making a sharp turn. Just like the floor, every few steps made a small squeak. I saw that I was leaving small paw-prints on the steps. I guess they never made their way up here. 

I had to take my time, each squeak risking detection. I finally made it to the bend in the stairs. I took a look down and saw that there was another floor to go. At the bottom of these steps however was a doorway. The door was open and light shone through it. I stopped and listened for any signs of movement, and when I was satisfied, I continued down, taking each step even more careful. By the time I got to the bottom, I was certain that I had made it undetected. Now I just needed to go through who knows how many other enemies, get pass the two dangerous looking tigers and their elephant companion, and free the buffalo and make it out alive. Sounds easy enough. 

Unfortunately, I wasn’t about to have it easy. On the other side of the door, standing about ten feet away, were six mammals. Three of them had their javelins at the ready, while the other three had some kind of rifle pointed at me. I heard some thumping noised above me, and could tell that the floorboards above me were seeing a lot of action. I couldn’t go forward, and I couldn't go backwards. I was trapped. Fuck my life.

I heard some loud stomping coming from behind the six and saw that the elephant was coming up behind them, the whip still in her trunk. The group split down the middle as she passed through and took a look at me. In each hand was a large knife, both dripping with blood. She looked me up and down, taking me in before smiling.

“Well now, it’s just a cute little bunny, and here I was expecting something a little more, well, more. I don’t know how you got past our defenses, but it was futile.”

Her smile grew as she licked off the blood from one of the knives. She lifted it up towards me and spoke very softly.

“Kill her.”


	14. The Show Must Go On!

When you have no time restraints and are able to think clearly and unobstructed, you can come up with many logical and sane plans to combat any problem. Then there are times like this when you only have six seconds to think and decide to throw logic and sanity right out the window and do something that, when you look back at it later in life, you wonder how the fuck you even managed to come up with that solution and live to tell about it. This was one of those fucked up times. 

There were six mammals in front of me, half armed with guns, the other half getting ready to throw their javelins. Behind me was an unknown number of mammals barreling down the stairs, armed with who knows what and willing to do the same. Thankfully this was imminent enough of a threat that I was able to activate B.A.T.S. before the first bullet and javelin started their short trajectory towards my sudden death. My gun only held eight rounds, and there was no way I would be able to find the time to reload in the middle of this shit storm, and even if I could, that alone would take at least half of my time under the serum. So I decided to do the next best thing. I pulled out two grenades. 

Above me, the ceiling was high enough, giving me plenty of room to _attempt_ to jump out of the blast. I popped the tops of both grenades and pushed the buttons. I simultaneously tossed one grenade forward towards the one set, and the other behind me where I was now able to make out something reaching the final staircase to where I currently was at. Once the grenades left my paws, I crouched down and pushed myself upwards with all my might. As I reached the apex of my jump, the serum had finally worn off. 

“Fuck! Grenade!”

I was not sure if anyone of them heard that in time, but not even a second after those words started to echo through the hall, were they drowned out by a large explosion. The force of the explosion sent me at least another foot up in the air, and I could feel some heat licking at my feet. Then I felt pain coursing through my side as I started to fall back towards the ground. 

I landed with a loud thump and tried to lift myself up. The pain was starting to shoot to my legs and arms. I placed a paw where the pain originated and returned with blood. My blood. I don’t know if it was a bullet or some stray debris created by the explosion, but something had hit me. It hurt like hell, but there was nothing I could do about it now. Even if I _did_ manage to kill or incapacitate my aggressors, that still left Bailey. That fucking elephant who was torturing a defenseless elder. Come on Olivia, get up!

I slowly stood up, gripping my side with my paw as I took a look around. Through the doorway, the three gunners were down, showing no signs of movement. Two of the three tiger’s that wielded the javelins were also down, although I could tell at least one was still breathing, his chest slowly heaving at each breath. I would deal with him later, from the looks of it, he was not going to get up anytime soon.

“M … Miss … are you … alright?” 

The voice was breaking up, with an almost painful sounding buzzing between the words. I looked towards the voice. Laying on the ground halfway up the stairs was Onion, sparks flying from his chassis. Did … did I do that? Fuck, please tell me I did not do that! I started to run towards Onion, completely forgetting why I was even here when I felt something wrap around my neck. It tightened so quickly and I started to struggle breathing.

“You fucking cunt of a rabbit! You come in here, kill my men, and for what? For WHAT? To rescue some fucking buffalo who should have died years ago!?”

I tried to tell her to fuck off, but the rope around my neck was tightening as she spoke. The world started to go fuzzy. 

“Oh, don’t you die on me rabbit, I ain’t _done_ with you yet!” 

As she spoke, her trunk waved and lifted me off the ground, sending my flying down the hallway towards where she was. I flew past her and slammed into the concrete wall at the end of the hall. I think I felt some, if not all my bones break. She unraveled the rope from my neck as I slid down the wall and fell limp to the ground. I tried to speak, but I was having trouble catching my breath. 

“ _Elevated Heartbeat Detected. Vital Signs Decreasing Rapidly. Total Systemic Failure Imminent. Recommended Action: Proceed To Nearest Medical Treatment Facility._ ”

“B … Ba … t …” I could barely speak. I tried to get B.A.T.S. to activate, but I could not form the words. What good would it do me anyways? I could barely move, and even if I did manage to activate it, I didn’t even know where my gun was, yet alone be able to lift my arm to fire it. This was it, my luck ran out. Fate won, I lost. Fuck you fate. 

“ _Vital Signs Reaching Critical Levels. Activating Emergency Procedures. Warning! Prolonged Use Of Experimental Serum X-700 May Cause Mental Deterioration. Do You Wish To Proceed?_ ”

Whatever the fuck it just said, it’s better than dying now. I used all my remaining strength to carefully form the right word.

“Yes.”

If the chemicals used when I am in B.A.T.S. was akin to a euphoric feeling, this was more like having my brain smashed by a slice of lemon wrapped around a brick! I felt all the pain in me vanish, my senses alerted further than I have ever felt. I gained unsurpassed focus and clarity. Despite the fact that I knew some of my bones were broken, I managed to get up was ease. I saw Bailey’s face melt from her sadistic grin and reform into one of horror. 

“How? You shouldn’t be able to move! How the FUCK are you moving!?”

I was right about not having my gun. I must have dropped it, along with my bag when she grabbed me. That did not matter. I may be the size of a rabbit, but I felt like a rhino. The elephant’s face became awash with anger once again as she lifted the rope again. Unlike under B.A.T.S., time seemed to move normally, everything happening at once, only I felt stronger and faster than I have ever in my entire life. The rope came sailing towards me, but I did not try to dodge it. Rather, I ran straight into it. 

I knew that despite me feeling stronger, there was still no way I would be able to physically take on her, so I decided to use herself as my weapon. I jumped up as the rope reached me and I flipped through the air while grabbing it, aiming towards the side wall closest to me. With rope in hand I bounded off the wall, flew behind he, and ricocheted myself off the other hallway wall back towards her. With the rope firmly gripped in my paws, I jumped again, and again until I landed right a few feet in front of her. Now I was the one with the smile. 

“How … you … fucking … little …”

Those were her last words as she struggled to speak them. I had literally jumped circles around her, causing the rope to wrap around her own neck. I was standing there, gripping the rope as she tried to struggle. Under any other circumstances, she probably would have been able to overpower me, but I think I caught her by surprise so badly, that by the time she realized what had happened, it was too late. I just stood there, keeping the rope taught as she dropped to her knees, struggling to get the rope loose and attempting to breath. Then she stopped struggling. Like a massive stone, she collapsed, causing the hall to shake. I let go of the rope and looked at my paws. They were red, the friction of the rope had torn away fur and flesh alike. 

Normally the other chemical would have worn off by now, but I still felt, alive. I turned towards the only other door in the hallway and entered through it into the main hall. I ran up towards where the buffalo was in the middle of the stage. I saw no-one else. The rest were either dead or had scattered. The buffalo looked much older up close, but he was not hanging his head anymore, rather he was looking at me, eyes wide. I could not tell if it was from thanks, or fear. I realized that he was in such a position that my entire fight with the elephant was visible to him. I went to try to untie him, but the knots were very tight, and I did not have anything to cut it with me. 

“Allow me.”

I was startled when the buffalo said it so clearly, like he had not just been tortured. Then she shocked me when he closed his eyes and I saw his muscles start to bulge as he flexed them. He let out a small grunt as the ropes binding him snapped into pieces. He could have done that this entire time?! 

He stood up and casually wiped his pants as he knelt down and held out his hand, “Thank you for rescuing me. My name is Maximilian Lazlo, and I am in your debt.”

I went to shake his hand when a large explosion occurred behind me. I turned around and saw the main hall doors had been blown open and from the smoke at least a dozen large shapes appeared, each of them wearing massive armored suits and all of them pointing guns at me. 

“Wait! I can …”

That was all I could say before the chemicals finally wore off. These chemicals did not just fade away slowly, they simply vanished, instantly bringing back all the pain that they were keeping at bay. My legs sagged beneath me as I collapsed onto the ground. This time, I managed to do so face up. I remained conscious long enough to see that I was now surrounded by these behemoths, but there was nothing I could do. Then everything went black.

***

I felt as if I had been shattered into a million pieces. I was too afraid to open my eyes, knowing that the worse had finally happened. I heard, noises that I could not recognize. They sounded organic, like a worm struggling through the water soaked earth. Some noises got closer as others drifted farther. I heard the rhythmic beat of something float in front of me, only to drift away. Everything felt, cold. It wasn’t a chilling cold, but rather a lifeless one. 

I could feel my body, but it did not feel right. I tried to move an arm, but it felt distant. My legs felt as if they were distant from not only myself, but from each other. Suddenly, I felt one of my legs move closer, and then the other one, each leg alternating between close and far. Was I walking? I did not feel like any movement I knew of. I tried to turn my head, my eyes still shut. My head turned, and continued to turn. I tried to move my arm to stop it but I had trouble telling it what to do. I dared to open my eyes. 

I was floating. I could see a bleak and unending sky. I kept turning but could not find any land, just sky. Why could I feel my head spin, but not the rest of me? I tried to stop the slow spinning, why couldn’t I move my arm? Then I saw it, my arm, just floating there, disconnected from my body. The rhythmic beating passed by me again, it was a heart. My heart. I started to panic. What was going on? My eyes started to focus through the bleakness. As the clouds parted, I could see all of it, all of me, just floating there. My arms and legs, organs and bones, everything removed from each other like some horrific jigsaw puzzle. 

I tried to scream, but my voice was gone. I wanted to cry, but there were no tears. There was nothing but silence. Then I felt it again. The worms had resumed their crawling, only it wasn’t worms. I saw as my torso floated past my heart. Red, bloody tendrils slowly emerged from my torso, wrapping themselves around my heart. I could see them, _feel_ them pull my heart into its empty cavity. I could soon feel more and more tendrils, each of them seeking out their missing pieces. My torso found organs, my legs found their bones. I could see an invisible and stitching them all together. I watched as my own body was put back together, piece, by, piece. 

Soon there was nothing left but my body and my head, both floating in this empty sky. Then I felt something new. My heart started to beat inside my own chest. Faster. Faster. I could feel every blood cell flowing through my veins as they reached out to fill my body with life. I saw my own body reach its arms out as it floated towards me. It wasn’t completed. It wouldn’t be complete until it had it’s, my head. As it approached I saw those bloody tendrils start to extend from the neck, lashing out towards me. I should be glad, I should have wanted it, to be whole again, but at that moment, there was only one thing I wanted to do. 

I closed my eyes and screamed.

***

I woke up screaming. I tried to get up by my arms and legs were strapped down to something. Panic was racing through my body. Bright lights were shining down upon, blinding me. I tried to focus past the lights, but they were to blinding. I looked around, but all I could see were shadows within the brightness. One of the shadows moved towards me. 

“Calm down! Calm down! Will someone PLEASE sedate her?”

I did not recognize the voice. Everything seemed unfamiliar. The noises, the smells, everything was out of place. The last thing I remembered was death. An explosion causing other, and myself pain, both physical and emotional. Tears started to fall as I felt a small prick in my arm and my body’s reactions slowed down. I felt helpless. Just like I couldn’t control my panic, I now could not control my emotions. I felt the fur around my face get soaked as the tears fell. 

Everything I had done, everything that I wanted to do, it was all for me. I did not stop to think of the dangers I could have put my Burrow into by opening the door. What if the radiation was still abundant and it ended up killing everyone? I did not stop to think about those I killed. Did they have family, children who depended upon their care? Worse of all, in my selfish attempt to keep me alive, I hurt my only real friend I had left. I wanted to find him, I wanted to make sure he was ok. I wanted … to sleep.

***

“Are you awake?” The voice was calm.

“What … where am I?”

“Someplace safe. I can assure you. Now please, take it easy. You are still healing.” I could hear genuine compassion from his voice.

I took a look around. I was in lying in a bed, but this time my limbs were free. The panic from before had subsided, and my eyes felt very dry. I blinked a few times until my tears did their best to moisturize them. The room was very plain. Nothing on the walls, no furniture but a small nightstand with a lamp. It was also very clean. The cleanest room I have seen since leaving the Burrow. Next to me, dressed in all white, was a badger.

“I need you to take it easy for a bit. Here, let me help you.”

He gently placed his paw on my arm as I tried to get up. My legs felt weak, but there was no pain in them. I put one foot on the ground, then the next, the badger supporting me the entire time. My knees did not want to stay, and my entire body caused them to buckle as I fell to the ground. The badger tried to catch me but missed. He knelled over and helped me get up. 

“I got you. You have been bed ridden for almost a week, your motor functions will need to adapt.”

A week! I tried to step forward at the news but my knees buckled again. This time I landed on my ass and just sat there, both from the shock of what he told me, and the fact that I may have just broke my butt.

“Where am I?”

“Like I said, you are safe. Please, wait there. There is someone eager to see you.”

He walked out as I did what he said, I just stayed here, my brain wrapping around the fact that I had been where ever this place is for a whole week! I remembered saving the buffalo, and I remembered getting my ass handed to me by a very mean elephant. A lot of the events were foggy in my head. There were explosions, and then I was surrounded by large figures, and then there was …

“Miss! You’re finally awake!”

“Onion!”

I tried to get up again, I wanted to wrap my arms around that floating ball of circuitry, but I only succeeded in falling. Again. 

“Onion, what happened? Where are we? And how? The last I remember, you were lying on the ground, barely functioning.”

“It’s a long story Miss …”

“One that you will find out soon enough.”

There was something familiar about that voice. I looked towards the doorway to see an aging buffalo standing there. He was different this time. He looked much healthier, and was dressed head to hoof in an unfamiliar uniform. It was a black and looked as if it was made of some hardened material. Covering the uniform was a large maroon coat that was left unbuttoned. His once broken horns were now dressed in large metallic ones. He did not look like the helpless old buffalo anymore. 

“Let me formally introduce myself. I am Chief Maximilian Lazlo, leader of the Steel Guardians.”

***

Once I was able to get up and move on my own, Chief Lazlo lead Onion and myself through something that reminded me of the Burrow, only sharper and cleaner. The walls were made of metal, and every so often we would pass some sturdy metal doors. This whole thing reminded me of when Jack Savage snuck into a secret military base to steal top secret weapon plans. Onion floated up to me and I decided to break the silence. 

“So what happened to you Onion?”

“Well Miss, after your bout with the elephant, these Steel Guardian fellows showed up. I think they saw me when they were checking to see if any of those poor bastards you killed were still alive. At first they were going to just leave me, but when the Chief here heard me trying to call to you, he told them to bring me in as well.”

“I did not know what to make of that little robot of yours. We figured that he might have held some information we could have used, so we brought it in to be repaired. Unfortunately, that robot has quite the mouth on him. He kept calling out for a ‘Miss’ and ‘Olivia’. Since I was not familiar with that name among my captives, I figured that he must have been calling for you.”

“I thank you for repairing me Sir, but I would inform you Miss that their attempts to access my memory banks failed each time.”

“We _stopped_ because between your incessant yammering and the fact that you nearly knocked out a few of my men with that stunner of yours, most of them were ready to deactivate you and use you for a kickball.”

“I am glad you’re okay Onion, and thank you for getting him fixed. He’s all that I have.”

“You are welcome miss. I saw how you took down not only that entire gang, but how you managed to take out their lieutenant with such ease after being so badly damaged, I did not want to see what would happen if we didn’t return him in one piece to you.”

Was I really that good? I don’t remember a lot of it, only that my Pip-Boar had … wait, my Pip-Boar!

“Where is my Pip-Boar?”

“We had to remove it in order to set your bones. Don’t worry, that, along with all your belongings, are safe and will be returned to you shortly.”

“Ok then, last question. Where are we?”

“Now that, is something you should see for yourself.”

We reached two very large doors. On either side of them were two enormous elephants, both dressed in that mechanized armor. They saluted as Chief Lazlo approached and one of them turned and touched its armored trunk towards a panel. A red light turned green as the doors slowly swung open. The doors lead to the outside. We passed two more giants, this time rhinos, as the doors closed behind us. We walked down a short tunnel that started to narrow as I started to see some light from the outside. The sky was still cloudy, although I could tell that it must have been midday or early afternoon. In the distance I saw massive tree’s that reached far above the cloud cover. Nearby was the flat lands that I was all too familiar with. There were buildings, but they were more scattered, not bunched together like where I found the theater.

“Welcome to Steel Guardian Outpost Zeta.”

We walked out into the opening and I saw where we came from. It was a … gas station? The doors we had left seemed to have lead from a small shed. Near it was a large building, large enough for a rhino, and a row of fuel pumps. I recognized these from the _History of Modern Technology_ books that my mother gave me when I was young. Places like these were used to fuel up the many now abandoned cars that I have seen since leaving the stadium.

“Tell me Chief, how did you manage to find yourself in that predicament?”

“As you can tell, I am getting old. While my men still respect me as their leader, they would rather me sit behind some desk while they take care of the hard work. I wanted to show them that I was still fit, that I could lead them just as well from the field as I could from some dusty desk. I decided to take a small patrol with me to clear out some small gangs that had been popping up. Typically, these small gangs were disorganized, often fighting among themselves more than against us. These guys were different however. It seems that recently, a few gangs, including the Gray Quills, had been assimilating these rouge gangs into one larger, more organized one. We did not realize how far their influence had spread until it was too late. 

“It was getting dark and my team said that we should head back, to try again in the morning, but I was too damn arrogant. I wanted to show them that I would be able to finish this mission. If the Steel Guardian’s leader turned tail and ran, that would give the rest of them a bad impression of me. The Steel Guardians were founded on honor, made to be a shield against all forms of evil. I should have listened to them. Shortly after nightfall we were ambushed. Despite all our training, all our technology, my team was no match for their viciousness. If only I had a bigger team. If only I had listened and completed this patrol the next morning. They would still be alive. 

“I tried to avenge my fallen comrades, I fought with all I had, but there were too many of them. Bailey, their lieutenant that you killed, she was able to strike me down with that whip of hers while the other tried to hold me down. I managed to break a few arms, but I was overwhelmed. I was there, in that theater, for days. They wanted information from me, and she tortured me for hours on end to try to break me. While my bones may be old, my mind is sharper than ever. She never did get what she wanted.”

“And what was that?”

“The location of all our outposts. You see, during the war, the original Steel Guardians had built hidden outposts like this one that served as a shelter and an armory. Every one of them was stocked with weapons, ammos, supplies, everything that you needed to make it through a war. The largest one, built beneath ZPD Precinct One, deep in the heart of Zootopia, used to be our main headquarters until we were run out by our own.”

“What do you mean, run out?”

“That is a long story, but suffice it to say, be careful, not every Steel Guardian is your friend.”

“How will I know? I mean you all look alike, no offense.”

Chief Lazlo snapped his hooves together and a small rabbit, dressed in a solid black armored jumpsuit, ran over carrying a bag. I looked at him. He was the first rabbit that I have seen since I left the Burrow, at least, the first living one. He held out my bag in one paw, and then held out his other. In his paw was my Pip-Boar. 

“We had our engineers modify your Pip-Boar. It seems that most of it was still in factory default mode, so many of its features were disabled. We took the liberty of enabling most of them, including updating your personal friend-or-foe scanner. Every Steel Guardian, no matter their affiliation, wears special identification tags. Embedded in these are special codes. I uploaded every code from my group into it. If you meet up with any of the good guys, it will show up as a green blip on your screen. If it’s not green, well you might want to avoid them.”

“Friend-or-foe scanner?”

“Yes, every Pip-Boar has one. It takes in account the environment, previous encounters, and your vitals and creates a data structure that attempts to identify a target as friendly or aggressive. It is not perfect, but the more you use it, the more accurate it becomes. All of our Exo-Armor has it. We even have a few Pip-Boars among ourselves, but nothing that is in such good condition as yours. May I ask where you got it?”

I thought about it. Did I really want to give away the location of my Burrow to some strangers? Sure I saved their leader, and sure they healed me, so I doubt I can call them my enemies. Despite their tough looking suits, most of them have given me a wide berth. Did the Chief over exaggerate my encounter with the Quills? He did seem rather impressed. I could use that to my advantage if needed.

“I am actually from a Burrow.”

“A Burrow? I haven’t heard of an occupied one for nearly a decade. That explains the condition. It doesn’t however, explain how you took out that entire gang like that. Even B.A.T.S. isn’t that reliable.”

“Let’s just say I am a _very_ fast learner.” 

I don’t know if he found that funny or what but he let out a loud laugh. “I like you rabbit. Tell you what. Normally we have lengthy selection processes when it comes to new recruits, but you have proven yourself quite capable. I would like to officially offer you a position in the Steel Guardians. How about it, recruit?”

Me? A Steel Guardian? They did have access to weapons and medical technologies that I am lacking, and that place looks very safe. It would also be nice to have some more protection then to just rely on my luck. It was a very tempting offer, but I need to get to hope. Besides making sure that Bo and his family made it safe there safe, this would not feel like home. I needed to be someplace that needed me, not just wanted me. 

“As tempting as the offer is, I think I shall decline.”

“Are you sure? We have everything you would ever need. Even if you did not want to see more combat, there is still plenty to do around here. We also need capable members to help us secure the other outposts before someone else can misuse their contents.”

“I have previous engagements that I need to take care of, and I have been away for too long already.”

“Then I will not pressure you anymore.” He snapped his hooves again and the rabbit returned with another small bag, “This is a thank you gift from us. It contains med-packs, some military rations, and ammo for your weapon.”

“Thank you. The help will be needed on my journey.”

“Also, just in case you need help, or change your mind about joining us, we have programed into your Pip-Boar our private communications access. As long as you are within broadcasting range, or near a broadcasting tower, you can contact us.”

I took the bag of supplies and went to put then into my backpack when I remembered something. I dug into one of the side pockets and took out the identification tags I found on that downed vehicle. 

“I found these on some of your men. I am sorry they did not make it.”

He took them from me and looked at the names. “Thank you Olivia. I will make sure that these get sent to their proper places. These men died bravely trying to rescue me.”

Chief Lazlo, along with the rabbit and both guards at the door saluted me. I copied them and returned the salute. I thanked them again before heading out. I took a look at my Pip-Boar and pulled up the map. It seems they also updated my map because west of here was a name of our destination. Hope.


	15. In Search for Hope

“You’ve got to admit Onion - our day’s deep underground never would have prepared us for sights such as this.”

It’s only been thirty minutes since leaving the Steel Guardian outpost, but with me constantly stopping to look back we haven’t made much headway. The Burrow wasn’t what you would have called a tourist attraction. Metal walls, piping and conduits of all shapes and sizes zigzagging to and fro, and nary a spectacle to behold. When I was younger, my mother would spend her free time showing me all the nooks and crannies within the Burrow. At the time, I was very excited to see these things. I remember spending days in the power room, annoying the technicians with all sorts of questions about how everything worked, and how, after two-hundred years, it was still able to keep the entire place powered. After the power station lost its interest, I had turned my sights on the gardens, where all of our food was grown, and how even without sources of light and fresh water they were able to keep us sustained. After a while even that become boring.

Every time I found something new and exciting, it was simply a short-lived excitement. When your entire world is stagnant, it’s hard to remain excited about anything. That’s why I loved to build and tinker. Making something out of nothing kept my imagination and desires fueled. Out here, however, was a completely different story. Sure, the majority of what we have seen has been desolation and destruction, but there were still new things, unfamiliar things to keep me going. Those towering trees in the distance, they were beautiful. 

I remember reading about the pre-war ecology of Zootopia, how it was divided into different districts to help mammals of all backgrounds thrive. Based upon the terrain, we were currently in Savanna Central, so that meant that behind us was the Rainforest District. Being underground for such a long time, really does mess with one’s perception of space. Nearly all the trees I saw were jutting far into the clouds overhead. I nearly fell trying to walk backwards while tracing one of them up as far as it could. It was at least a mile or two away, if not more, but part of me wanted forget everything and go there. Imagine it, towering over the entire world, getting to see everything it has to offer - but every time I got lost in my own imagination, reality comes knocking. And by reality, I mean Onion.

“Miss, you should really stop daydreaming and concentrate on the road ahead, quite literally if I may say so.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m watching …” I tripped over something hard and fell ass first onto the cracked pavement, “… my step. Ow.”

“I told you Miss.”

“Fine, I’ll make sure to keep my eyes … hey, what’s that?”

I was craning my head back while talking to Onion when I noticed something in the distance. It was a large building that stood out from all the rest by its shape. While most the other buildings nearby had hard edges and seemed to have ‘grown’ around other smaller buildings, this one looked a lot more “organic.” I couldn’t make out all the details, but the large tower, and flowing arches that appeared over the road made it stick out. I could see a large chain fence that divided the road from whatever that building was, but time had deteriorated it, leaving large gaps in the fence.

“I am not sure Miss. It does stand out from the rest of the architecture.”

“Well, it’s not far, and it _is_ on the way, so let’s take a look shall we?”

“Just as long as you promise to be extra careful Miss. I am very wary of buildings at the moment. With the exception of those friendly Steel Guardians, nothing good has come of one.”

“Maybe _we_ will be the ones to ambush for once, instead of the other way around.”

“I would rather avoid any conflict entirely Miss. I am sure the Steel Guardians good grace extends only as far as their medical supplies.”

“It will be fine, plus like I said, we have to pass it anyways, so might as well.”

I picked myself up off the ground. Beside me was the source of my new found ass pain: a long metal pole. From the looks of it, it must have been a sign holder placed alongside the road we were on, but the sign was long since gone. I dusted myself off, albeit pointless since I will just get it dirty again soon, and we set off in the direction of that building. 

I had no idea where I was in relation to the theater where I rescued Chief Lazlo. Sure, my Pip-Boar showed me the distance between then and now, but there was so much that I missed, and the fact that one moment I was in an area of the city densely populated with buildings and the next moment I was in a section of the city where the roads outnumbered the buildings, was a bit disconcerting to my brain. Or maybe it was the fact that I was unconscious for a week. Actually, I’m sure that’s it. 

This area was not like where Highway Twenty-One was. There, the roads were fairly flat, with the occasional diverging road leading into, or away from the city. Here, however, things were on a much more massive scale. The road we were on was one of many. We were on one at relatively ground level, but there were roads that towered above us, crisscrossing from here to there. I saw large ramps merging two roads in the distance, while another split into two, each heading their own direction. As we passed under a one of the skyward roads, I kept a good eye on it. From everything I’ve seen, I would not be surprised one bit if some kind of winged creature were to swoop down, grab me, and feed me to its starving babies. Of course now that I am thinking that, I bet fate is trying to conjure up that very scene. I hit the side of my head. Fate’s not in charge, I am.

“You ok Miss?”

“Just trying to stop thinking about things that I shouldn't be thinking about.”

“I’m surprised you don’t hit yourself more often Miss.”

“Hardy har har. You’re a funny one Onion.”

I suddenly doubted myself for a moment and took a look at my Pip-Boar. There did not appear to be any blips on the sensors apart from Onion. Hope was still a good distance from us, but it looked like a fairly straight shot. If we’re lucky, we might get there before nightfall, but I highly doubt it. It was already nearing three in the afternoon, and I will have to stop to eat something at some point. Thankfully we had plenty of provisions. It’s a good thing robots did not need to eat, any extra mouths would rapidly diminish the food, and apart from scavenging, we really haven’t found any reliable sources of nutrients. 

“Sensors are clear Miss. For once I think we are in the clear.”

We were within twenty feet of the chain fence that formed a wall on the side of the road. It seemed much further before. I must have gotten lost in thought. Glad Onion was on the watch, otherwise I would have made a perfect target for someone, or something. I walked up to the edge of the road where a section of the fence had collapsed. We were much further up than I thought. There was about a fifteen or so foot drop down to where another road connected the building which was now in full view. 

The tower was attached to a large mid-section, that itself was annexed by a smaller section on either side. The smaller sections were connected to the two large arches, serving both as a roof, and also decoration. The metal it was composed of had turned a dull grey, but the design itself was still mesmerizing. Smaller lines and arches connected between the larger one and the roof of the central section. There was a large sign attached to the back of middle section. It read: _Grass Street Station_. 

“My records show that this was one of many public transportation stations that were accessible throughout the city. This station featured a rapid transit train that ferried mammals between stations on a connected line. I highly doubt that this mode of transport is still operational today.”

“A shame, be nice to ride it and take in the view while heading towards our destination. You don’t by chance have any information on where this station connected to?”

“Unfortunately I do not Miss. I only have access to historical data, not practical data in regards to the transit lines.”

“Well, maybe there is something more useful down there. Now, how to get down there without breaking my legs again.”

I wasn’t afraid of heights, at least not that I knew of, but my brain was having trouble figuring out exactly how high this was. At first I thought it was about fifteen feet, but now my head is saying it’s farther, and with what looked like solid concrete below, I did not want to risk it. I took a step back so that I could safely consider my options. I could have Onion float down there and take a measurement and tell me the likelihood of me surviving a fall, but even if it was only five feet, he would insist it was too dangerous. 

“Miss?”

“Not now Onion, I’m trying to think.”

I could try to fashion a chain rope from the fence and use it to climb down, but I didn’t have anything that I could use to cut the chain with easily. 

“Miss, if you would …”

“Give me one moment, I’m trying to figure out how to make it down safely.”

“But Miss, that …”

“Hush.”

Too bad that I did not take that whip from that bitch Bailey, but then again I was too busy being unconscious to think about that. It would have made a good climbing tool. First chance I get, I should try to obtain some rope for times like this. Or if I fall into another sinkhole, or if I need to scale a building, or … wow, I really should have thought of packing some rope when I left the Burrow. 

“Hey Onion, remind me to get some rope when I have the chance. Onion?”

“Down here Miss.”

I looked towards where his voice originated. He was directly below me on the ground. 

“What are you doing down there? I’m trying to think of a way for me to get down there safely. Got any ideas?”

“How about the stairs Miss?”

I am such an idiot sometimes. All this time I was trying to figure out some crafty way of getting me down there, I never once thought to see if there was some logical way of descending this height, like some stairs. About ten feet to the right of me was a break in the fence, a deliberate break, that connected the side of the road I was standing on, to the ground. I smacked my forehead with my paw. Way to over-think the situation Olivia.

The steps were in fairly good condition, the metal of it holding up better than the concrete structures nearby. Once I reached the ground, the station looked much large while staring up at it. A road led almost up to the building where there was an arched awning that covered a walkway that lead up to a large double door. I could tell that this station was designed for mammals of all shapes and sizes. I slowly walked the length of the building, checking my sensor for any potential threats. Thankfully nothing was showing up, but then again, the sensors only detected movement, so for all I knew there was something sitting inside waiting to pounce. 

The two side sections must have been meant for smaller species. To the left were doors that ranged from my height to about wolf height, while the other section had much smaller ones, mostly for rodents and other smaller species. It made sense to segregate by species, so that during busy times the smaller ones wouldn’t get trampled by the larger mammals. I decided to take my chance on the left side, since the rights entrances were too small, and the large doors in the middle would have probably attracted too much attention if they were suddenly opened. 

“Ok Onion, there is nothing on the sensors yet, but be ready. If we suddenly find ourselves in another ghoul nest, I am closing the door, barricading it, and we will go far, far away, never to return again. I am sick of trying out outrun a pack of creatures trying to eat my flesh.”

“Shouldn’t I go first Miss?”

“I don’t want to risk losing you again. Back at the theater when I saw you, I almost lost it.”

“To be fair Miss, if you didn’t start blindly throwing grenades, we wouldn’t have been in that predicament.”

“How many times do I have to say I’m sorry? Anyways, if I didn’t do that, we probably wouldn’t be standing here would we? Now let’s get this over with.”

There was no visible handle on the door. Please let it not be mechanical. I highly doubt there would be power to control them. I put my paw on it and gave a slight push. It budged open a few inches. I retracted my paw and it closed on its own. Must be spring operated. That might explain why they were all closed and in fairly good condition. I swallowed some air and held it in as put my paw back on it and started to push again. The door showed little resistance as it opened inward.   
Since I could only see this one side of the station, I did not know what to expect. Inside was brightly lit. There were no artificial lights, but rather the other side had two arched openings that led back outside. There were six rows of seats that were arranged facing towards the openings. Between the openings was a small room with two open windows, one facing in-wards, and the other facing out wards. Above the windows was a small faded sign, but I was not able to make out what it said. The room was only large enough for one occupant, but I could see a terminal screen inside. 

A wall divided the section from the larger middle section, with only one wolf sized doorway leading towards the larger area. There were machines covering the rest of the wall, alternating between tall and short. Each one had a small screen on it. A large sign hung on the wall that said: _Tickets_. On the other wall were three other machines, with a sign on the wall that said: _Vending_. The glass fronts on all of them were shattered, and I saw a few discarded snack wrappers and empty bottles scattered around. Damn, of course it was picked clean. 

Luck was on my side. Despite a few skeletal remains, there was no impending doom. I still remained cautious however. There were still two more areas that could be occupied. I moved as quietly as possible, even though I still saw no threats on my Pip-Boar. I went to where the small room was. There was a door on the side, the only means of entering and exiting it, but unlike the main entrance, this had a handle, and it was also locked. I still had a couple of those metal antennas, so I decided I would try to pick the lock. It’s been a while, so hopefully I had not gotten rusty. Can you get rusty after only doing it a few times?

I placed the flat tip of my screwdriver in and then positioned the thin piece of metal. I felt resistance immediately and stopped before I snapped it. The opposite direction was a bit smoother. Took me a few attempts, but finally I was met with a satisfying click noise. I put my tools away and opened the door. Since there were two opened windows, I did not have to worry about any surprises, but I still did get a shock. Resting against the door was a skeleton about my height. It was wearing a simple looking uniform, but it had deteriorated over time. Poor thing must have been working when the bombs fell. 

There was nothing I could do about the body, so I stepped over it and took a look at the terminal. It was a basic computer screen with a keyboard attached to a movable mount. I couldn’t see where the actual computer was housed at, but there was a small red light next to the terminal. Did it still have power? I decided, against my better judgment, that there was only one way to find out. I pushed it. 

A faint humming noise started up as there was a quiet beeping noise. The monitor lit up, but I had to wipe off the dust for it to be visible. The loading screen showed the letters ZTA in a red circle with the words, _Zootopia Transit Authority_ below it. After a moment where the screen flickered on and off, it booted into a graphical interface with the ZTA symbol in the upper corner. In the middle of the screen it prompted me for a user-name and password. Fuck. 

“What is it Miss?”

“An old pre-war terminal, and it surprisingly has power to it after two-hundred years.”

“Anything useful on it Miss?”

“That’s the thing. It’s asking for a user-name and password.”

“What about your hacking program Miss? I know these systems are ancient, but can the Pip-Boar still interface with them?”

“Well there is only one way to find out.”

I lifted the arm with my Pip-Boar and sat it on the desk that the terminal was on. I grabbed the connection cable from it and looked for a place to interface it. I don’t know if I got lucky, or if they invented a new way to interface, but there was a port that my cable was able to interface with. Once it was hooked up I activated my _Hackatron_ program. While the interfaces were compatible, all the terminals I have accessed with it so far were based upon a Burrow-Tec environment. This, however, must have pre-dated that since there were no compatible back-door subroutines available to me. Looks like I have to do this the hard way. 

I set the _Hackatron_ program into manual mode and was greeted by a series of jumbled letters, numbers, and symbols. I remember having to use this once before. My mother had found an old portable computer somewhere in the Burrow, and like this, it’s operating system predated the Burrow-Tec designs, so I wasn’t able to directly connect to it. I spent nearly a month creating a specialized subroutine that could access an archaic system, but it was not very clean. Apparently these old systems created dummy access codes that it cycled in with the valid code, meaning I had a dozen different passwords presented to me in a jumbled mess, but only one was the correct one. Burrow-Tec systems were pretty hard to crack, but at least my Pip-Boar was able to filter out the junk, making it much easier for me.

I didn’t have a user-name, but thankfully those were stored locally and unencrypted. I chose one at random and started my task of filtering out the potential passwords for it. The first one was a failure. Figures. I would not be _that_ lucky. Then I got startled when a message popped up on the terminal: ‘ _Wrong Password Entered, Please Try Again_ ’. Yeah, I kinda figured that out computer. I tried for another one and it failed as well. Another message popped up on the screen: ‘ _Wrong Password Entered, One More Incorrect Password Will Result in System Lockout_ ’. System lockout? Figures it wouldn’t be that easy.

Two passwords were eliminated, but there were still ten potential ones to go. I needed to find a better way to do this. I exited the hack and opened up my program editor. I messed around with the _Hackatron_ code, altering a few lines as well as adding a couple. It’s a good thing I was a whiz at this or else I’d be here all night. It took about fifteen minutes. All the time Onion was complaining that we were here for far longer than he hoped, but I had my mind set on cracking this thing. Once I was done, I closed the editor and reconnected the program to the terminal. I selected a new user-name, hoping that it would reset my lockout attempts, and tried again.

The same jumble of words, numbers, and symbols appeared, but I noticed that not only were the passwords different, they were shorter. The other passwords were ten letters long, but these were only five. I selected one, _pizza_ , probably because I was starting to get hungry again, and it was a failure, but thankfully there was no lockout message, so it must have counted as my first attempt. This is where my edited code kicked in. While I couldn’t tell it to just give me the password, it _was_ able to at least tell me how close I was using a comparative algorithm. It said that two out of the five letters matched. Let’s see, _jumpy_? No, none of them matched. What about _jiffy_? The _i_ matched, but it said that two matched, and only one does here. Wait a second, what about _fuzzy_? The two zz’s matched. One way to find out. I selected that one and I was in. 

Once I had full access to the terminal, I was presented with a bunch of options. There was one for purchasing/redeeming tickets, another to report suspected activity, and some that I was not sure of, but then I saw what I wanted: _Transit Map_. I opened it up and was presented with an interactive map of Zootopia. It had no details, it simply showed the four districts, separated by color. Black lines intersected throughout the entire map, and every so often was a small white dot. One of them was flashing. It was labeled: _Grass Street Station_. That’s us. I tapped the name on the screen and every line connecting here lit up. There were two lines connecting this station, the _Animalia Line_ and the _Bunnyburrow Line_. The Animalia Line branched off North and South of us, so that one was out, but the Bunnyburrow Line seemed to go in a huge circle, traveling through all four districts. One end traveled off the local map, but the other end cut off at _Savanna Central Station_.

“Hey Onion.”

“Yes Miss?” 

“Savanna Central Station. That sounds familiar. Ring any bells?”

“Actually it does Miss. Prior to the Steel Guardians updating our maps with current landmarks, there was a Savanna Central Station.”

“Can you send its location to my Pip-Boar?”

“Right away Miss.”

I exited the program and pulled up the map. Everything was the same except for one area. The location that Onion sent me overlapped with a location that the Guardians added to it. It kept flashing with alternating titles. First it flashed: _Savanna Central Station_ , then: _Hope_. The train tracks lead us straight to the town of Hope!

***

Hope. It was a word that brought feelings of expectation and trust. Such a simple word can bring upon so much emotion and can unite people together in times of peril. These times, this world, I can’t imagine there being a greater peril. So far I have seen mammals turn against each other, committing acts of such depravity with so very little effort. This world needs a feeling like hope, something greater than what it’s given its people already. I’m just afraid that Hope might turn out to be a fallacy, or worse, end up just like Beaverton.

“Miss? You look unhappy.”

“Oh, it’s not that I am unhappy. It’s just that … what happens if we finally arrive at Hope and it not what we were expecting? I also keep thinking of Beaverton. What if Hope ends up being another victim to the Red-Neck? We don’t even know who they are or how far their spread is. For all we know, another city is suffering the same horrible fate.”

“Miss, you should not dwell on the unknown. You need to focus on a singular goal, and that goal is reaching the town of Hope. If you keep thinking of everything else, we may never make it. We almost didn’t make it when you decided to rescue that Chief Lazlo.”

“Well, to be fair Onion, we did make some friends, and powerful ones at that.”

“Powerful, Miss? Highly trained soldiers that were kept at bay by some thugs? I wouldn’t call that powerful.”

“They had a missile launcher. I don’t care how trained you are, a missile to the face negates everything.”

“Well I for one believe that you should have taken their offer Miss. Like you said, who knows what condition this Hope is even in. At least we know this place is safe.”

“Yeah, but I want to help, and I don’t think my skills would be maximized here. Everything seemed too well oiled, which means they probably have a skilled technician doing all the work. You really think they would let me, someone who knows zip about Guardian technology, try my paws on fixing it? No Onion, I have to find someplace that needs my help.”

“You want someplace broken.”

“Exactly.”

I really should be more concerned about my safety. Onion was right about one thing: I get too distracted when I think someone needs my help. What I don’t think he understands is that unless I put myself out there, I don’t know if I will ever find my place in this world. Sure Hope could be a bust. They might have some fantastic engineer keeping the place in tip top shape, and has no need for someone like myself. But, if I simply went from point A straight to point C, I might be skipping my destiny at point B. No, I won’t rest until I find where I belong. Even if it takes me to the far ends of the world.


	16. I’ve Got a Ticket to Ride

That was close. That was very close. I almost did not see them in time, but thankfully they were not the quietest bunch. The tracks that Onion and I were traveling on started to decline in elevation over the past few hundred feet. In doing so, they were taking us much closer to street level where we were almost spotted by a trio of bears that seemed to be fighting each other. The sides of the track were short enough that if they had been paying more attention, they would have surely seen us. 

I had ducked behind the car husk to try to stay out of sight. Since I haven’t heard anything indicating otherwise, it must have worked. I checked my Pip-Boar and saw the three dots, but they were constantly blinking on and off. I hit the Pip-Boar a few times but to no avail. It was like the machine was having trouble picking them up. 

“Onion, I think my Pip-Boar is acting up. Why did you not alert me?”

“Sorry Miss, but I can’t seem to get a clear reading on them.”

I wonder why? So far, neither of our sensor’s had prevented us from tracking lifeforms nearby, except for that damn North. Were these guys using the same tactic that he did to keep off of the sensor sweeps? Then again, he did not appear at all. These guys seem to be appearing and disappearing, but they were always in visual range. 

“I wonder if something is interfering with our sensors? Maybe some building material, or radiation, or some type of technology we don’t know about?”

“Not sure Miss, but I would advise against investigating. Those three look quite strong.”

I took a peek to watch them more carefully. Each of them were wearing some kind of rusty looking metal armor. They seemed to take turns, two of them fought while the other watched. I grabbed the scope from my bag and took a much closer look. They appeared to be in a red ring that was crudely drawn on the ground. Every time one of them pushed the other out of the ring, the one watching swapped in for them and they went again. While they were not talking, I could hear audible grunts, growls, and roaring coming from them.

It only took me a few minutes to notice that there was something off about them. They moved very stiff, as if they were actually robots. I pondered the idea that someone had managed to create a synthetic mammal, but that was shaken away when I saw one fighters dig his claws into his opponent. Blood started to leak from the open wound, but the injured bear just looked at it and seemed to shake it off before continuing the fight. Despite his injuries, he managed to win and then the next one was tagged in. 

During this entire time, I did not see any of them take a break, eat or drink anything, or even attend to their wounds. Every time the looser was swapped out, he simply stood there, arms to the side and watched. I could see his eyes dart back and forth, but no other movements. These guys were starting to make me nervous. I felt my fur stand up as a chill ran down my spine. 

“Let’s get out of here. Something seems wrong with these guys. I can’t seem to figure out why, but I would rather not find out the hard way.”

“Best suggestion you have made so far Miss.”

Onion really did not like fighting. Unfortunately, it seemed that a non-peaceful life was unavoidable out here. Every time we think it’s safe, a new enemy presents itself. Whoever first said: ‘the calm before the storm’ must have been a die- hard adventurer, because it always seems to be much too calm before all hell breaks loose. 

We snuck away as quiet as possible before we were far enough away as to not attract the attention of those bears. If it was something smaller, like maybe a rat, I would have probably investigated some more. Whatever drugs these guys were on would not have made for a pretty battle, even with B.A.T.S. I know I have probably faced much worse so far, but I felt way to uneasy about these guys to try anything.

“Now that we are away from those bears Miss, I should point out something.”

“What is it?”

“It’s starting to get late. By my calculations, within the next forty-five minutes, it will be too dark to continue our travels safely.”

“You’re right. We have been traveling a while with few breaks. We should find a place to rest. If we leave at daybreak tomorrow, we should make it to Hope by early afternoon.”

“Based upon the map of the rail line Miss, we are approaching Little Rodentia Station A.” 

“Station A? How many stations does it have?”

“Two Miss. Station A is located on the outskirts of Little Rodentia, while Station B is located within it. My files show that pre-war Little Rodentia was built within a large park and walled off from the outside to prevent the larger mammals from accidentally hurting both citizens and property. Based upon that, I would assume that Station A was designed for larger mammals, while Station B was for smaller ones.”

“Well that would make sense. Glad I brought my floating encyclopedia with me.”

“Someone needs to know this stuff Miss. As I recall, history was of little interest to you unless it pertained to something technological.”

“Eh, who needs history lessons. It’s not like I can go back and change it. What’s done is done.”

“The philosopher George Santantler once said: ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’, and it would be wise to remember that Miss.”

“How can I remember something I never knew? You know what, never mind. I don’t feel like arguing with an encyclopedia.”

I checked my Pip-Boar map and saw that we were pretty close to Station A, and it should only take fifteen minutes or so to get there. Hopefully it is safe enough to spend the night. Sure today was not as physically exhausting, especially after being in a week long coma, but I was getting mentally tired already. I don’t know if it was the sudden relocation, the nightmares I have been having, or if I just needed something to drink, but I could still feel that sense of unease. Hopefully by morning I will be right as rain, and who knows, maybe once we get to Hope, we can make ourselves a home there. That is, after we find those Red-Neck bastards and make them pay for what they did to Beaverton. I haven’t forgotten.

***

It’s amazing how quick the daylight can fade when your mind is preoccupied with something. One moment the sun was shining (as much as it could through the thick cloud cover), and the next moment it was too dark for my eyes to fully adjust anymore that I ended up tripping over a loose rail spike; and, of course, I landed right where I always do. The face.

“You alight Miss?”

I was really starting to get annoyed every time Onion asked if I was alright. I may have to revisit his programming soon.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure Miss? You sound a bit, disgruntled.”

“I’m just getting tired is all. We have been walking for such a long time with too few surprises. I think my mind and body is getting too well adjusted to this world.”

I didn’t want to take my current annoyance out on him. He is just following his programming, and I _was_ getting tired. You’d think a week long coma would have stored some of that un-spent energy. Guess not. I took a look at the map. Station A was very close. I just want to sit down, eat, and pass out; although, part of me really hopes there is something there to get my adrenaline going. Bad Olivia, bad. I needed to take my mind off of these self-destructive thoughts. There was still just enough light for me to make out my surroundings, so I moved towards the edge of the railway and took a look around. 

I immediately noticed a sudden lack of buildings. I had been so deep in thought on what I wanted to accomplish when I got to Hope that I didn’t notice that the large multi-species buildings had dropped off, leaving a flat barren area. I saw rocks and small things jutting up from the ground that I did not recognize. Didn’t Onion mention that Little Rodentia was built within a park? If this is one, there was a severe lack of greenery. Then again two-hundred years without a grounds-keeper probably didn’t help.

I looked back from where we came and could see the light of the setting sun peering over the horizon, highlighting the buildings behind us. All this time out here and I don’t think I recall watching the sun set. It was rather eerie. The light was almost a blood red. It was bathing the clouds closest to the horizon in a crimson hue, casting that same light to the nearest buildings. It almost made everything look on fire. 

The images of that Beaverton started to flood my head. Fire, ash, bodies burnt alive. I remembered the pig, blinded and injured, seeking not for his own safety, but that for the children, the same children that he unknowingly sent to their doom by sealing them beneath the schoolhouse. Then I remembered my nightmare. It was so real, so vivid. It was almost like I was there. I felt my eyes burning. I don’t want to remember. I need to look forward. I need to …

I don’t know if I tripped over something, or if my leg gave out on me but I dropped to my knees as I could feel tears forming in my eyes. My thoughts drifted between anger and pain; sorrow and fear. Why was this happening now? I had been feeling happy. Happy that I was alive, happy that I was getting close to my destination, and happy to finally have meet some kind souls in this miserable world. I slammed my paw down onto the ground with anger, cutting it on some unseen object. I held my paw up as I saw blood starting to drip from it. It was too much for me. I began to cry.

“Miss? Are you …”

“NO! I am NOT okay! Stop asking if I am okay! Do I look okay to you?” I let out all my anger and pain in those words. 

“I … I’m sorry Miss. It’s just that …”

“I need a minute. Just, go on ahead and make sure it is clear. Please.”

My paws were on my head, as if I was trying to shove everything back in between wiping the tears. I can’t be falling apart like this, not here out in the open. For all I knew my yelling attracted something, or someone. That actually made me chuckle between sobs. I wish someone was here that I could take my emotions out on. I wouldn’t even use my gun. I’d just activate B.A.T.S. and wail on them with my feet and paws until they were a bloody stain on the ground. Then maybe I could get this out of my system. 

A voice broke my savage thoughts, originating from my direct communication channel: “ _Miss, I’ve located Station A and so far my sensors are clear of activity. May I return to you?_ ” 

“Just wait there Onion. I’ll be along shortly.” I pulled my paw back from the comm-link button for a moment before pushing it again, “I’m sorry for snapping at you Onion. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

I wiped off the rest of my tears, although I unfortunately used my bloodied paw, so I’m pretty sure there is now some bloody war pain on my face. I felt myself smile a bit, thinking how bad-ass I must look now, provided that no one saw my emotional break down. I really hope this isn’t becoming a thing with me. I already have too many ‘things’ as it is. I got up and started towards Onion. Thankfully this track only goes in two directions, forwards and backwards, and I’ve come too far to go back.

***

Part of me was relived, but the other part was disappointed that Station A was completely unoccupied. Unlike Grass Street Station, this place must have seen better days. It looks as if it was divided into sections like Grass Street: one for smaller mammals like myself, and another for larger ones. However, this place lacked anything for something smaller than a rabbit. It also lacked most of its roof. There was enough roof on the larger side to be useful for a temporary shelter, but that was where its usefulness ended. The dividing wall had caved-in in sections. All the machinery and ‘vanity’ it may have had were either missing or destroyed, and none of the doors were intact. It was, thankfully, also devoid of skeletons or any other signs of death.

It did have an odor to it. A bad one. From the looks of it, certain areas, especially the smaller side, had been used by mammals of various species as a place to … relive themselves. None of it looked fresh enough to cause worry, but that did not help the smell one bit. It was too dark to try to find someplace more suitable, and there were no other buildings around us, so I searched for the least filthy spot available. 

“Keep your sensors open. I’m going to try to find a safe-ish place to set up for the night.”

“Yes Miss.”

Even though I apologized to him, I don’t think that he took me yelling at him again very well. He may just be a sphere of electronics, but somewhere along the line, I think he developed some sense of emotion, at least in regards to myself. If anyone said that robots are unable to feel real emotions, they never met Onion. Once I was more rested and my mind a bit clearer, I’ll make sure to give him a sincerer apology. If it weren't for him, I would have never made it this far. I just hope that he hasn’t developed an ego to go with his emotion. 

Against one of the walls there was a large vending machine. It was empty of course, the front glass shattered and all its treasures sized by some unknown survivor. The roof above it was relatively intact, and the smell of excrements was reduced, so I figured that this would be a good spot to camp. I no longer had any type of towel to place onto the ground, and there did not seem to be anything soft enough to use as a makeshift bed, so I just simply cleared off the floor the best I could. 

I set my bag down and took off my trench-coat. I went to set it near my bag before I decided to lay it flat on the ground and use it as a barrier between myself and the floor. I took off my utility belt and bundled it near my bag, while I took the gun and placed it near me just in case I needed it in a hurry. I then opened my bag and pulled out the first bit of food I saw. It was the Hungry Maw canned carrots. I took a look at the can. It was in pretty good condition, albeit the label was a bit worn. There was no obvious way to open it, so I reached for my belt and pulled out my multi tool. The Pip-Boar may seem to do just about anything, but it doesn’t hold a candle against the magic of a can opener. 

I managed to get most of the lid undone, but there was this tiny part that just wouldn’t come undone. I grabbed hold of it and started to twist, but only managed to cut my paw, again, causing me to drop my multi tool. I was just about to blurt out an expletive when a noise caught my attention. I looked towards where the tool landed and saw that it was next to the wall closest to the vending machine. I tore off the lid and tossed it aside as I moved towards the machine. 

This Hungry Maw stuff was not what I expected. I figured it be dried or preserved carrots, but instead it was a thick carrot flavored orange paste. I dipped a finger from my non-bloody paw into the can and took a taste. It didn’t taste like carrots. Honestly, it barely had a taste, but it was nourishment so I continued to eat it as I grabbed my tool with the other paw. I tapped the floor with the tool and it sounded rather solid. I tapped a few other places on the floor with the same effect. I moved to the wall and started to tap. Solid. Solid. Solid … bingo!

Right near where the machine was the tapping produced a different noise. There was a hollow space behind the vending machine! I quickly finished my food and threw the can behind me as I stood up against the machine. Being that I was in the larger mammal side, this machine towered above me. It was also rather sturdy. I put my shoulder into it and tried to push it aside with no luck. I then tried to tip it over, but found that it still wouldn’t budge. Upon further inspection, I realized it was bolted to the wall. I saw brackets on the floor as well, but they were all missing their bolts. I also saw scrape marks that lead from the feet in an arc. They were rather faded, but it proved that this had been moved at some point in the past, but how?

It might be getting late, and I really should get some sleep, but this newfound mystery was just what I needed to get my mind off of things. There was some sort of room behind this, and I wanted, no, _needed_ to find out why. There could be an elephant’s weight in treasure, or a stockpile of weapons and ammunition, or even a smorgasbord of food! I looked all over the machine for some kind of secret switch or button, but I had no luck in finding either of them. 

“Onion?”

“Yes Miss?”

“Look, I am sorry for snapping at you. Again. It’s just … things are a lot worse off out here than I could have ever imagined and I think my brain is still trying to make sense of things. It’s impacting my mood in various ways, and since ninety percent of the time it’s just you and me, I don’t stop and think before taking it out on you, and I am truly sorry for that.”

“It’s alright Miss. Just like you I tend to respond to my programing before anything else, it tells me to keep you safe, but I don’t stop to analyze the reactionary results with the current predicament to see if it is the correct course of action. I will try harder Miss. Although, it will be nice if there was someone other than myself to take the brunt of your emotions from time to time. One of these days you will cause me to short circuit Miss.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. ‘Foolhardy adventurer seeks companion to berate, yell, and cry at.’ Now if you would be so kind to help me, I think this machine moves, but I can’t figure out how.”

“Moves Miss?”

“There is a hollow space behind it, and from the looks of the floor, it had opened like a door before, and I can’t sleep until I know what is behind here.”

“Did you try to hit it Miss? That always seems to be your initial way of fixing something. Maybe you will accidentally hit some hidden button.”

“Hardy har har Onion. I don’t _always_ hit things, and if it did have a button … A button!”

I remembered the second Jack Savage novel, where he was hunting down a terrorist organization who was hiding out in the basement of a coffee shop. Turns out that one of the vending machine’s keypads was also the access panel when a certain code was used. I wonder if this was the same thing? I moved to the front of the machine but saw that the keypad was just out of reach. I looked around for something to boost my height. The place was picked clean of anything useful. 

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news Miss, but if there was some kind of hidden button or key combinations, I doubt it would work.”

“Why not?”

“There is no working power connected to the machine Miss.”

Fuck. I didn’t even think about checking that. Even if I know the pass-code, without power that would render it useless. Since it is not opened, it must require power to disengage the locking mechanism. If it didn’t have power, I doubt there was any around here, and even if there was it’s not like I could move the machine. Wait, we _do_ have power!

“Onion! I need you to float up to that keypad and give it a good jolt with your shocker.”

“What will that accomplish Miss?”

“I have no idea. We are not making any headway, and it’s better than nothing. Plus, I’m too tired to come up with anything better.”

He turned towards the machine and slowly floated up towards the keypad. Once he was facing it, the slot holding his stun baton opened and he extended it until it touched dead center of the pad. He ramped up the power and I saw a bright blue jolt of electricity shoot from the baton into the machine. There was some audible popping and hissing noises as it started to fry the circuitry. The lights in and around the machine started to flicker as they got sporadic power. Then I heard a loud click noise and the vending machine moved a few inches away from the wall. Bingo!

I waited till Onion disabled his baton before grabbing the small gap that formed and pulled with all my might. Since it was apparent that it had not been opened in a very long time, the hinges were not very loose, but I put all my effort into it until there was enough room for me to squeeze in. 

“Stay out here Onion. If you pick up anything on your scanners alert me immediately.”

“Yes Miss, and be careful.”

I gave Onion a genuine smile before ducking into the hidden room. There were no lights, so I turned my Pip-Boar up to full brightness. It was not a huge room, at least for something the size of an elephant, but for me it was rather comfortable. I’m guessing that it must have once been a closet of sorts, but why the secrecy by hiding it behind a vending machine? 

There was an oddity about this room. Despite it seeming to have been built for a much larger species, everything in here was much closer to my size. There was a desk and chair, even a computer that were all designed for an occupant much closer to my size. I looked around some more, shining my Pip-Boar’s light onto the walls. They were covered in posters of various sizes, but they all had one thing in common. Space. There were a few recruitment posters that said _Zootopia Space Agency, Join Today!_ , others showing pictures of mammals dressed in bulky white outfits. Astronauts I am guessing. Whoever this room belonged to really liked space. 

A small gust of wind came in through the opened door and I heard a small jingle above me. I pointed my light up to the ceiling and saw small crudely colored spheres of various sizes hanging by strings. They looked familiar. My mother had tried to teach me facts about Outer Space, but I tended to ignore them, thinking that I would never get to see it trapped in that Burrow. I think that was a very crude representation of our solar system. Why keep this all a secret? 

I went over to the desk and tried to access the computer before realizing that if there was no power to open the door, then there wouldn’t be power to operate this. I did however see a small data-chip sitting on the desk on top of a bunch of papers. I picked up the chip and placed it in my Pip-Boar, getting ready to play it, but got distracted by one of the papers. Based upon the date, it was well before the war. There was a picture of six mammals in a line, all wearing blue jump suits with ‘ZSA’ across the chests. Above the picture read: ‘ _ZSA welcomes their newest recruits, including Sharla Herdinger, the first sheep astronaut and the latest part of the Mayor’s Mammal Inclusion Initiative!_ ’. There were more papers, all of them commenting about the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, and every one of them featuring the same name, Sharla Herdinger. This must have been hers. Either that or some creepy stalker. 

Everything seemed to be giving this ‘Sharla’ a positive spin, making her out to be some kind of hero. That is, until I saw the last few articles. One of them read: ‘ _Sharla Herdinger, hero or coward? While some of the Mammal Inclusion Intuitive additions, such as Officer Judy Hopps, have shown merit to the former Mayor’s plans, others have not worked out as well. While boarding for the launch of ZSA’s newest space shuttle, Astronaut Herdinger refused to enter the shuttle, forcing the ZSA to cancel the flight, resulting in a substantial loss of nearly four-hundred million dollars._ ’. Four-hundred million dollars? Just to launch a rocket? No wonder the world fell apart.

The articles just got worse from there. It seemed that Sharla Herdinger bailed out on two more flights after that, causing the ZSA to fire her. The papers berated her actions, saying that it was expected of a sheep to turn tail and run, and that the Mammal Inclusion Initiative may have had a few successes, but in cases like Herdinger’s, it showed how not every mammal can break out of their natural instincts. One paper even called out her as being the representative of cowardice among sheep. I thought Zootopia was supposed to be some sort of harmonious city? How can people tear apart their own kind like this?

I had to stop myself from reading anymore. How can the same people who called her a hero to her species turn so abruptly and call her a coward? There had to have been some explanation to this. She is probably long dead, but I still feel sympathy for her. She tried, and for some that is more than most can ever even accomplish. I took all the negative articles and crumbled them up. I want the next person to find this place to see only the good. I went to toss the balled up papers out the crack in the door but I missed and it ricocheted and hit the desk. I heard a metallic thud hit the ground and saw something rolling from under the desk and into a corner behind a large file cabinet. I went to see what it was, but what I found made me lose my balance and my ass hit the floor beneath me. 

It was a skeleton. It was roughly my size, but I could tell it was not the same species. It had cloven hooves, and was wearing a tattered jumpsuit. There was a small badge on the suit with the letters _ZTA_ , and underneath it was a name: _Sharla Herdinger_. This _was_ her room. She must have gotten a job at the Zootopia Transit Authority after leaving the ZSA. That poor thing. Did she surround herself with her passion, and her failure, just to torment herself? Or did she live her life with regret?

I shone my light over the space to see if there was anything else when I saw something shiny, and gold. I reached to pick it up, taking care not to disturb the skeleton. It was a coin, or rather, one of the Treasures of Zootopia! On the front was the picture of a female sheep, while on the back it said: _Bravery_. I think that it was her that it was based on. There were no dates on the coins so I couldn’t tell if it was made before or after the events of her downfall, but it didn’t matter. I did not know her, but even though she failed to face her fears, she still tried, and that is what bravery is. Trying. 

“Miss! My sensors are picking up something!”

Fuck. So much for sleeping. I picked up the coin and put it in a pocket. I will get the other two back from North, and I will make sure that they all have a home. Together. I want to honor those who the coins represented, and maybe in turn, they can help me to become better myself. If I lived that long. 

I rushed out into the main room and I didn’t even need to open my Pip-Boar to tell where the trouble was coming from. Outside, on street level, noises of a struggle were occurring. I ran over to the door-less entry that faced closest to the ruckus and carefully peeked out. While it had gotten very dark, small bursts of light from guns started to paint a picture. It was the three bears from earlier. Who were they fighting? Obviously not themselves, because they were shooting wildly up into the air. 

A small burst of air hit me as I saw a shadowy figure fly past the door. It was defiantly not one of those nasty insects, it was way too big, and much too fast. I followed the shadow as best as I could as it circled the sky. The bears were blindly firing at the air, attempting to hit whatever it was. Then another shadow joined, and another. It was three against three, and these creatures had air superiority. 

I finally pulled out my Pip-Boar’s map and started to track them. I saw the three dots circling, but the dots that should have represented the bears were flashing in and out like before. Why was it having trouble picking them up? I saw one of the circling dots break from formation and I popped my head back out just to see the shadow swoop down and grab one of the bears. The bear had to be at least double the creatures size and nearly triple its weight. That did not stop the flier from picking up a bear with ease and fly off, with the bear still shooting mindlessly, as if not sure what to attack. 

As the creature flew overhead of the station, I continued to track it with my Pip-Boar. It started to circle back as I heard a strange noise. A second later the bear crashed through the roof and into the station, landing almost twenty feet from me! I was stunned. What the fuck were these things! Then the shadow flew down and landed on the bear. I risked aiming my Pip-Boar’s light at it. It was a monstrosity. It looked like a giant bat, but had the claws of a wolf. It also had a long scaly tail that it had wrapped around the bears neck. It looked at me when the light hit it and I heard chirping and clicking coming from it. It turned back to the bear and the creature took it’s clawed feet and started to tear at the bears chest. I had to do something! I reached for my gun. Fuck!

My belt, bag, AND gun were on the other side of the room! It already knew I was there, but the massive bear seemed to be a bigger priority than a tiny rabbit. I am sure that would change soon enough. I turned my light off and started to sneak around, keeping as much distance as I could between it and me. If I made any sudden movement, I was next on the menu. 

I was about halfway to my stuff when I heard a loud crunch noise that caused me to stop. The creature had ceased clawing at the bear and had thrusted one of its feet into the bear’s body and pulled something out. At that moment the bear stopped trying to fight and fell limp. That’s when I heard more whooshing and saw the other two creatures land next to it. Each of them were holding some bloody mass in a clawed foot. The first one that flew into the room jumped into the air and landed inches from me. That was it. I was about to die. Then it let out a high pitch noise. 

“Miss, run! I’ll keep them distracted!”

Onion had snuck up behind the creature and gave it a shock. I snapped out of it and darted the rest of the way over to my stuff. I grabbed my gun, bag, and belt. I did not have time to put my belt on, so I flung it over one shoulder, and the bag over the other, cocked the gun and fired at the one that was now trying to swipe at Onion. My shot ripped a hole through one of its wings. That caused it to stop. It placed a claw from the other winged arm through the hole and I could have sworn I heard it laugh as I saw the hole seal itself back up. What. The. Fuck! They can regenerate? Who ever heard of a regenerating mammal?

“Onion, we’ve got to go. Now!”

With gun still in hand I dashed past them and ran through the back entrance and onto the tracks. For all I knew there were more of them down there, and while this is probably a huge mistake, at least from up here I can see them better. I chanced a look behind me and saw that Onion was not too far from me. Then the roof exploded as all three of them flew from the station and started to pursue me. I think I made them angry. 

I focused my attention ahead of me and kept running. I don’t know how far behind me they were, nor how fast they could go, but I did not want to risk stopping to find out. I was pushing my legs to their max again, and I was already starting to feel them tiring. I don’t know where I was heading, but hopefully someplace a lot safer. 

The air moved overhead of me as I saw one of them fly past and circle back towards me. It was flying straight at me! I kept on running forward as it came at me. It arched it’s back and pointed it’s clawed feet at me, both now free of anything and fully extended. Just before it hit me I dropped to the ground, causing it to graze right over me. I jumped back up and kept running. 

Ahead, I saw what looked like a giant brick wall that the tracks were about to go over. I kept my legs going full speed as I dodged another attack. That time I almost fell off, but I needed to get over that wall. There might be someplace to hide, or at least give me better protection. These things seemed way too fast and to regenerative for me to fight alone, and I doubt that even if I could get a message to the Steel Guardians, it would be too late by the time they got here. And why the hell hasn’t B.A.T.S. activated? After the third near miss, I slapped the side of my Pip-Boar. 

“ _Imminent Threat Detected. Activate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

“It’s about time. Yes!”

I felt the usual sting as the chemicals entered my body. The feeling that time was slowing kicked in as I stopped and turned towards the nearest winged menace. I checked my Pip-Boar but the highest chance to hit was a measly thirty-six percent. Even in my enhanced state, these things were zipping all over. I tried to fire a few shots, but they all missed. It was like they had B.A.T.S. of their own. What the fuck can I do now? Then I remembered the grenades. 

I only used a couple of them during the theater incident, so I had a couple left. B.A.T.S. was wearing off so I started running again. I tried to dig out a grenade as I was moving, but I almost dropped my bag once, and almost took a tumble the second time. I couldn’t just stop or else I’ll be shredded to death. I had to make it to the wall. 

The wall was getting closer and I heard the occasional zapping noise behind me as Onion attempted to stun them. I think it was only making them madder. Thankfully, that was grabbing the attention of me for long enough to let B.A.T.S. to cool down. I really hate using Onion for bait, but he always does a good job at it. 

B.A.T.S. cooled down just as I reached the edge of the wall. It was nearly twice my height, but I have survived worse falls. I activated B.A.T.S. again and used that time to successfully grab a grenade from my bag. I held the button down as I waited for B.A.T.S. to wear off, I didn’t need it for what I was about to do. 

“Onion! Get over here!”

As soon as he heard me call him he stopped being bait and rushed over to me. B.A.T.S. had finally worn off so everything was happening in real time. I saw all three of the creature swooping towards me, getting into their attack position. I looked behind me briefly and saw that I was right past the wall. I released the button and dropped it at my feet as I jumped backwards to the ground. I landed with a thud just as the grenade went off. Chunks of brick, wood, and metal flew everywhere as a large cloud of debris formed. I quickly gathered my stuff and started to move. I highly doubt that would kill them, but hopefully it bought us a few moments to find safety. 

This was defiantly a district dedicated to rodents. My ears stood above most of the buildings, and everything was scaled down. Tiny abandoned cars scattered the streets, small light posts that snapped when I touched them too hard, and even the buildings didn’t seem to be very stable. I accidentally ran into one and it fell over with ease. Then I heard that too familiar whooshing noise overhead. They found me. 

One of them tried to swoop at me, but I kicked a building causing it to nearly topple on it. That provided me a slight breather as it circled back around. This area was not going to be as safe as I thought. My luck one of these buildings will topple onto me and crush me. It probably beats getting eaten alive. 

The streets started to widen as I came across an intersection. In the middle was a small squat building, and lying next to it was a very large round object. Written on it was: _The Big Donut_. It was relatively intact so I picked it up just as two of them swooped at me. I spun around and tossed it as hard as I could at them. One of the creatures dodged out of the way and it missed being struck, but the other one was not as fast. It hit it square in the chest, causing it to fall to the ground. One down, two to go. 

I tried to find something else around me, maybe there was another giant donut around here? I sighed, didn’t think so. The other two were just sitting there, next to their downed companion. Maybe they’ve heard about my adventures against the impossible and were about to run? That thought was shaken from my head just as fast as it formed when I saw the downed one slowly get up. Back to three against one again. Fuck me. 

The one that I hit with the large donut picked it up with its feet and flew into the air and started to fly in circles. It was dark, maybe I hit its head instead? Then it released the donut and it came flying straight towards me. It came at me so quick that I was barely able to duck out of the way. As it flew over my head I felt the roaring winds it left behind. That creature is strong! I am glad I never let it hit me, although I have the feeling it’s endurance was much greater than mine. I better not let it get into melee range. Or maybe I should.

On top of the squat building behind me I noticed four metal spikes sticking out of the roof. They were not huge, but if I could manage to loosen one, I could attempt to impale one of them as it flew towards me. They moved fast enough that if I aimed correctly, its own momentum will substitute for my lack of strength and kill it. Thankfully I had B.A.T.S. to give me that accuracy. 

I jumped onto the building and tried to force the spike out of the concrete roof. It was in there good. This plan may not be as well thought out as I first imagined. I looked to where the creatures were, but they were gone. Did they give up and leave? I turned my Pip-Boar’s light to maximum and shone it all over, but I couldn’t see anything. Then I heard a loud gunshot. 

Where did it come from? They better not be trying to attack me, I have enough problems as it is. A second shot rang out, and then I realized it wasn’t me they were aiming at. I heard a loud squeal as one of the creatures fell out of the sky and crashed on the ground. I shone my light down on it and saw that it was bleeding from the chest. I knew that if it didn’t kill it, that it wasn’t going to be out of commission for long. I heard a swooping noise as the other two creatures darted off towards where I assumed the shot came from. I started to draw my gun to finish the downed creature when the ground started to shake violently. It was another fucking quake. Really?

This quake was much stronger than the one before, and it knocked me down. I saw the buildings near me starting to shake, and saw a couple of them collapsing. These quakes couldn’t be a common occurrence, or else there would be no buildings left standing here. I heard cracking noise as I saw the ground around the building starting to fracture. I tried to get up but one of my feet went through the roof. I was stuck!

“Onion! My foot is stuck!”

Onion rushed over to me and tried to grab my foot with his grasping claw, but to no avail. It was not designed for this. I tried to loosen my foot again as more cracked formed in the roof. The cracks widened the hole just enough to let me free my foot but not before getting struck with a much larger tremor that caused the entire roof to collapse under me. I fell into the building, which wasn’t much of a drop considering. I started to get up when the floor beneath me collapsed, again. This time the fall was much, much longer. 

I hit the ground with a painful thud. I don’t think anything was broken this time as I slowly got up. I was very sore, but I could move. Thankfully, Onion was able to follow me down as I looked up as I saw a building falling onto the hole above. I jumped back to avoid the debris crashing down. Once the quakes subsided and the dust cleared I turned on my light and went to investigated where I landed. It was completely covered. 

“Looks like we are not getting out that way Onion.”

“How about this way Miss?”

I looked back towards where he was and saw a small entrance. It was way too small to walk through, but there was enough room for me to crawl. I knelt down and shone my light into the darkness. It was a tunnel, and it looked like it went on for a short distance. 

“It looks like this is the only way out from here. Time to go spelunking.”


	17. The Facility

There are three certainties in life. Mammals are born, mammals die, and at one point in their lives, they will go head first into a cobweb. That was my first experience with this seemingly infinite tunnel system we were in. These tunnels were defiantly made for mammals much smaller than I, although every few feet the ceiling increases in height. I started crawling on my stomach but now I am in a semi-comfortable knee crawl. These cobwebs are getting very annoying though. 

Life in the Burrow was far from perfect but at least we did not have insects. Despite being underground, the facility was well secured from any outside forces, including bugs. This place however, was far from insect-free. If I ever meet the thing that made these annoying obstructions, I will introduce it to something hard, like the butt of my gun. Thankfully for them I have not seen any spiders, or other signs of life. It be really difficult to get my feet in front of me in this position. 

I checked my Pip-Boar’s sensors to make sure that we weren’t stumbling on anything potentially dangerous. Every-time I checked it was the same thing. A dot appears for a second but then disappears, just to reappear minutes later in the same area. It was at the very edge of my sensor range, so I had no idea how far it was, nor could I tell if it was above or below us. Maybe I broke it?

“Hey Onion. I am getting odd readings on my sensors. You see anything?”

“Just a single dot that keeps vanishing Miss.”

Just like those bears we encountered earlier. Could one of them have survived and ended up falling through another sinkhole? I can’t be so lucky as those bears happening just to me. We have been crawling for at least a hundred feet and that dot has remained on the very border of my sensor, so I doubt it was close enough to cause any immediate concern. I just hope it’s not an ambush. My body count is already high enough that if this was a video game, I’d be on the top ten rankings. 

We reached an area where the tunnel suddenly seemed to end. I shone my light around and saw that there was a small ladder leading deeper into where ever we were. The ladder was much too small for me, and the darkened colors of the walls made it hard to see any real distance. I wanted to dig something out from my bag to test the drop distance, but my bag was strapped to my back, and there was not enough room to try to reach behind me to undo it. So, I decided to do what I did best. Fall. 

“Umm Miss? Are you sure it’s safe?”

“I have no idea Onion. Wish me luck.”

“Miss!”

I ignored Onion as I crawled head first into the drop. I used my paws to try to grip the sides as I slowly wormed my way down. Then my grip slipped. I fell … for an entire two feet. I could still feel the tips of my toes dangling near where I was. Well, this was embarrassing. My neck was being bent at an odd angle but I managed to move my arm enough to shine my light around me to see where the tunnel connected to. On my left there was some kind of security door. I could see large yellow and black alternating stripes painted on it. It was large enough that I would be able to get through it. That is, if I could get it open. 

“Miss?”

“I’m alright Onion. There’s a door here, but I am at a bit of a disadvantage right now.”

“Is there anything I can do to help Miss?”

“Unless you can shrink down and swap places with me, not really.”

I had to get these doors open. I did not know where they lead, but even if I could manage to get out of this tunnel and back to where we came from, I doubt all my technical skills will help in digging us out. Plus, for all I know, those creatures are still out there. I shone my light over the door, trying to see any signs of a way in. Cobwebs covered parts of the door, but I was able to reach out and dust them off. Beneath them was a small control panel. Bingo!

From the looks of it, the access system used some kind of card to gain entry - a card I did not have. Unlike the rest of the wasteland, I had yet to see any corpses or bones, so the chances of finding a valid access card was null. I didn’t even know if there was power to the doors. I decided to do the only thing I knew. Right after I move myself into a better position, I could feel the blood rushing to my head. My neck wasn’t very happy either.

Once I was able to get myself into a mostly comfortable position, I went to work. There were no physical access points to do any type of direct connection, so I tried to find a wireless access point. I found one, but the signal was very faint. That was a good sign though. It meant there was at least some power here. I accessed the connection and attempted to find something useful, but I have never seen such complex encryption. It would take days for me to break it!

Since that wasn’t going to work, I disabled my connection and began to contemplate all possible chances of gaining access. I still had some explosives, but even if these were weak enough, an explosion at this range would probably kill me. I could try to shoot it, but these look reinforced, and my luck it would ricochet back and hit me. If I had some water, liquid nitrogen, and an inflatable raft … no that’s stupid. I moved around some more so that I could access my bag. I had those remote hacking devices, but they were designed for gaining entries into nearby terminals. I did not feel like being confined here while trying to decrypt it. Wait a second, what’s this? 

I pulled out a small round device. That damn North somehow stuck this onto Onion and was able to disable him. I wonder if I could use it here? It was about half the size of the coins, with a small indent on the top. I could see a button inside but when I pushed it with my nail, nothing happened. Then I got a brilliant idea. I grabbed one of the remote hacking squares and my screwdrivers. It was very cramped, but with some effort, I was able to open up both of the devices and wire them together. It was very tricky, especially since I did not have any magnifying glasses, but I spent enough time doing this type of stuff to manage. It would have been better if I was able to solder everything, but I did not have the room, nor the intention of burning myself. 

Once I was happy with what I did, I placed the device as close to the card reader as possible. From what I could tell, the round device generated a small Electro-Magnetic Field that could temporarily deactivate anything electrical, hence how it shut down Onion. Unfortunately, the range of it was very small, and only effected what it was attached to. Since I had no idea where the door control computer was located, I needed a way to direct the EMF, and that is where my remote comes in. I designed these things myself. As long as they are within a few feet of a computer, they can gain access to any of the connected systems and allow me to access it through my Pip-Boar, effectively giving me an extended hacking range. By combining both together, my thought is that the remote will find the nearest computer, which should be the door controls, and once connected, it will trigger the EMF, but rather than send it in an area, I made it so that the field will be sent along the wires and into whatever the remote is connected to. If it all works … well, here goes nothing. 

I activated the remote. Within seconds I was greeted with the same encryption as earlier. Once the EMF was active, my Pip-Boar’s screen started to go fuzzy as the signal was being interfered by the magnetic field. I quickly disconnected my Pip-Boar from the remote, just in case it backfired and I fried it, and waited. I heard a small sizzle followed by a pop that echoed in the tunnels. My knee was getting sore from being in this position. This better work. A few seconds went by with nothing, but then I was rewarded with a small click noise as the door opened in wards slightly. 

“Fuck you, overly encrypted system! Ingenuity wins again!”

“Sensors are still only picking up that one dot Miss.”

“Well, going back is not an option, so we will just deal with it once we get there.”

“And if it’s hostile Miss?”

“I still have plenty of bullets.”

I really hope I don’t have to fight anyone. Sure I have gotten lucky most of the time. I really don’t feel any pleasure in killing people, even if they do deserve it. The only exception I will give to that are those Red-Neck fuckers. Unless they have a _really_ good explanation, and it would have to be a world ending one, I promised to show no mercy against them. Burning an entire town alive is beyond anything an animal can or should be able to consciously do. Fuck, don’t dwell on this Olivia, think of what’s right in front of me. I really don’t want another emotional breakdown. 

Thankfully something caught my eye past the doors that made those images stop forming. I still was unable to perceive distances well in this darkened tunnel, but I saw some flashing lights beyond these doors. They were ever so faint, but it was a step in the right direction. I also noticed that the tunnel had gotten much wider passed these doors. While I was still unable to walk upright, I had much greater freedom in movement, and it was big enough for me to sit down without having to crane my neck. Unlike before, this gradual increasing in size was happening every couple feet, rather than every twenty feet. 

The flashing lights were getting much closer now as the tunnel got to the point where I could finally stand up. There were still no signs or markings indicating what this tunnel was. Originally I figured it was just an entrance for rodent sized mammals, but now I am wondering if I was simply in the maintenance tunnels. The Burrow had plenty of them, but typically there were circuit systems, or wires, or pipes and tubes within it, but this was clear of any of that. Perhaps this place was under construction when the war broke out and they had to abandon it. 

I moved my light around every so often, trying to see if I can find any signs of what this place was when I found a door, or rather, multiple sets of doors. All of them were on my right, and as the shaft increased in size exponentially, the doors started to get larger as well. The odd thing was that the smallest of the doors were only a foot or so shorter than I was. There were no mouse or rat sized ones. I tried the door that was about rabbit size but it was sealed shut, and unlike before, there was no sign of a keypad, card scanner, or a lock of any kind. They must be opened remotely. 

My legs were getting very cramped, so when I finally was able to stand fully erect, I gave myself a moment to stretch. That’s when I noticed the marks. They were all over, but most of them seemed to emanate from the doors. I knelt closer and rubbed my paw over them. A layer of dust covered them, so they were not recent, but they looked sporadic, as if whoever made them was lashing out uncontrollably. I felt my fur raise with unease. 

“Miss?”

“I see them Onion. Thankfully they are old, but I feel anxious suddenly, and for the last time, no we cannot go back.”

“Beg your pardon Miss, but _that_ is not what I was referring to. Look at the ceiling.”

“The ceiling?”

I looked up I noticed that a few feet away there was a flashing red light on the ceiling. I raised my light towards it and saw a small dome sticking out from the ceiling. Was it some sort of security camera? I didn’t see any form of lens, but then again, Onion’s visual receiver was well hidden. I kept my light on it as I took a couple steps closer. 

“ _Imminent Threat Detected. Activate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

“Imminent threat? What threat are you … Oh. Fuck me.”

The ‘dome’ descended as I spoke revealing two small barrels. I heard a faint humming noise as the front of it started to glow a vibrant blue. I now had a feeling that this was no camera and dove right into B.A.T.S. I managed to dodge as one of the barrels fired and I heard a small sizzle where I was just standing. I looked down and saw a small dart that was emitting small sparks of electricity. It was a fucking electrified stun dart! If my Pip-Boar hadn’t warned me, I would probably be having a seizure right now. 

I had already wasted half of my time dodging and identifying the threat, now I needed to act. I pulled my gun from my belt and took aim just as it was firing another dart. I side-stepped as I fired, and the dart missed me, but my bullet just ricocheted off of it. Well fuck my life. I saw it starting to glow again as it readied another shot. My B.A.T.S. had already worn off, and there really wasn’t a safe place to hide so I did the first thing that came to my head. I ran as fast as I could.

I managed to avoid the next shot as I ran directly towards it. I heard the humming stop as I went under it and that made me glance behind me. The blue glow had stopped and it was replaced by a bright red glow. A low clicking noise started to emanate from it as the other barrel started to glow red as well. No, it couldn’t be.

It was. A plume of fire burst from the barrel as I felt the heat getting uncomfortably closer to me. I pushed myself as hard as I could and darted forward with enough pace that the fire managed to avoid me, or at least I hope it did. Once the noise from the turret stopped I gave myself pause. I was almost out of breath, and I could smell some smoldering coming from around me. 

“Onion!”

“Here Miss! Apparently it has not seen me as a threat yet.”

He was right. Onion was floating past the turret and it did not seem to pay any mind to him. I am guessing it was only programmed to detect organic life. As Onion approached me, I saw the blue glow starting up again. 

“Oh come on!”

“ _Imminent Threat Detected. Activate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

“Yes.”

I had an idea. It was a very slim chance of an idea, but it just might work. I just hope that my accuracy was up to the challenge. 

Once the chemicals kicked in fully, I took aim with my gun. Closing one eye, I let the rest of the world fall away, concentrating on one thing and one thing only. I took a deep breath, made sure my aim was lined up with my target, the blue glowing making it exceedingly easy to find my target, and I pulled the trigger.

I saw that the dart had started to emerge from the barrel, but my bullet was faster. Before it had the opportunity to leave it’s ‘home,’ the bullet intruded, pushing the dart back into the barrel. A second later sparks were starting to fly off of the barrel as they traveled to the main unit. B.A.T.S. wore off as the fireworks started. The sparks were flying all over as the turret started to malfunction, turning left and right as if trying to shake something off of it. Then it started to glow red. Unlike before, the entire dome was glowing. Then I noticed that the ceiling immediately around it was as well. 

“Onion! We gotta go. Now!”

I turned around and started to fly down the tunnel towards where the flashing lights were. I heard popping noises coming from behind me, but I did not stop to see. I knew what was about to happen. When we reached the end of the tunnel, there was a large door. Just like the other doors we passed, this one did not have any visible sign of a lock. Fuck. I chanced a peek back and the ceiling around the turret was starting to dip. I did not have much time. 

I started to check for anything, a covered panel, a loose wire, anything that could let me open this. The popping noises behind me were getting louder, followed by the sound of creaking metal and I could hear bolts being forcefully ejected from any panels around the domed turret. There was no way past this door. I knelt down on the ground and formed myself into a ball, pressing as close to the door as possible.

“Onion! Get as close to the door as possible!”

“Miss?”

“Just do it!”

I closed my eyes. The flamethrower on that was powerful, so that means that there must be a direct line of fuel into it. I really hope that no one filled the tanks before this place was abandoned, or else we’re toast. Literally. It could explode at any second, but sitting here, seconds felt like minutes. I was frightened by a loud beep as the doors started to slide open. We’re saved!

“Inside, now!”

We moved to the other side of the door as fast as possible. It started to close before we were even past it. It closed with a loud clanking noise, followed by three beeps and a quiet clink noise. It had a large offset window on it and I looked through it just as the tunnel filled with a bright light and deafening noise as the turret finally exploded. 

It wasn’t just the turret that exploded, the entire ceiling started to rupture, spilling flames out while doing so. The entire tunnel was engulfed in flame as it raced towards the door. The force of the fire and shock-wave hit the door, causing enough of an impact to knock me on my ass, but thankfully the door held. I got up and pressed my paw against the metal. It was hot, but the door was thick enough that it absorbed most of it. It seemed that the explosion was contained beyond these doors. Depending upon how much fuel was out there, it might not be safe to venture out anytime soon. Not like we had a choice to begin with. 

“That was too close Miss. I commend your skills on getting the door open, but did you really have to blow up everything?”

“Firstly, I did not expect it to do that, I just wanted to short it out with its own electricity, and secondly, I didn’t open the door.”

“Well then who did Miss?”

“I am not sure, but let’s just hope they are on our side for once.”

I took a look around while I tried to catch my breath. Unlike the tunnels, this room was dimly lit. The ceiling in here were much taller than that of the tunnels as well. There were computers terminals built into the walls ahead of me, along with very large monitors that were mounted above them. While none of the monitors were active, the flashing lights from the terminals told me that this place _did_ have power. I noticed that the computers were set at various heights, with smaller ones nested at the bottom of larger ones. Like everything else I have seen, this seemed to cater to mammals of all sizes. To the left and right were large doors, but unlike the other ones we encountered, they were open. 

“Onion, I am going to look around. Inform me if _anything_ pops up on your sensors. We need to find a way out of here.”

“Yes Miss. Do be careful.”

“I’m always careful.”

I just knew Onion was giving me the stink eye, well that is _if_ he had eyes. I was torn between actually finding an exit, and investigating this place further. Computers always had a tendency to pique my interest. Who knows what delicious information they held. On the other paw, I had no idea how safe this place is, and with the possibility of another stealthy attack, it would be good to know how the hell to get out of here in a hurry. I decided to wait on the computers. If everything was safe, I’d come back to them. 

I choose the left side to investigate first. I reloaded my gun and kept it at the ready as I peeked past the open doorway. Inside I could see large walls that spanned to the ceiling, with a fabric curtain at evenly spaced intervals. I slowly walked over to the nearest curtain, my eyes darting between my immediate surroundings and the Pip-Boar’s sensor. So far no signs of life, but that one glitched dot was still present, and it was still on the very edge of the screen.

As I got closer, I realized that these walls were massive. At first I thought maybe it was an office of some sort, but the entire place had a very medical feel to it. Was it a hospital, and if so, why would they build it beneath a donut shop? This made me want to find out more about this place. A lot of time and money must have gone into this. 

Since there were still no signs of danger, I slowly lifted back part of the curtain and peeked inside. There was what looked like a large medical bed, but this one had large metallic straps on it, unlike the fabric ones that I have seen for restless patients. Above the bed were tools of all shapes and sizes hanging from the ceiling. It made it look like a demonic spider robot dangling down over its prey. There was a computer near the bed, but this was on a platform that was raised at bed height. It looked small enough for a mouse to use. 

Every room was the same as the first, the only difference were the bed sizes. Some were large enough for an elephant, and others seemed just the right size for a rabbit. Not once did I see any small enough for even a rat. This troubled me as I thought back to my life in the Burrow and how many of the rodents seemed to look down upon us rabbits. I had to be over thinking this. Surely in a world where predator and prey can work together, even the smallest of mammals must fit in. I mean, an entire city dedicated to them rested right above us. 

I checked every single room. There were at least two-dozens of them, but most of them were empty. A few had skeletal remains in the beds, and there were a few rodent sized ones scattered here and there, but thankfully no signs of hostile life. A few of the beds had blood stained sheets on them, and that made me shiver. I did find one door, but like the others, it was sealed with no visible access points on it. I decided to try my luck in the other room. 

Back in the computer room, Onion was diligently awaiting me. I told him about everything that I had found and he seemed just as confused (and slightly curious, though I doubt he would admit that) about the nature of this place as I was. Just as before, I took a quick peek past the other doors to make sure it was safe before entering. 

This room was much different. While the other one seemed like a medical facility, this one looked more like a laboratory. There were tables everywhere, each of them had different tools on them, such as microscopes, beakers, and equipment I did not recognize. Just like the computer room, the tables were nested together, with smaller rodent sized ones on top of larger ones. Each desk had a computer terminal, but unlike the ones in the main room, none of these seemed to have power. 

On the other side of the room was a set of double doors. I noticed right away that these doors were not completely closed, but rather slightly ajar. While there was a dim light in this room, I could tell that there was very little light coming from the adjacent one. I slowly opened the door after checking my sensors and stepped into the darkened space. I turned on my Pip-Boar’s light and scanned the room. The first thing I noticed were giant tubes that connected from floor to ceiling. Most of them were cracked, but there were two that were still intact. Floating inside the tubes were bodies that were so well preserved, that I would have sworn they were still alive. One was an elephant, the other was a large black bear. 

Some kind of liquid kept the bodies afloat, and I saw tubes connecting from their mouth and nose leading towards the top. Each of them had a computer attached. The broken ones’ computers were inactive, but these two still had them active. I dusted off the screen next to the elephant and pushed a button to hopefully wake it from its digital slumber. Lines of code started to swim across the screen until another screen appeared. 

A splash screen appeared, and to my shock it held a very familiar word: *Burrow-Tec*. Was this another Burrow? No, it was nothing like seventy-six. This place looked more like a medical facility than a habitat. There were a bunch of files, but most held basic business reports that either disinterested me, or was too confusing to understand. I found a menu labeled: *Specimen Reports* and clicked it. Most of the files were corrupted but I found two that were viewable. 

_Specimen Report CE-0123:_  
_Specimen CE-0023 has shown great improvements since it was first brought to this facility. Initially, it exhibited aggressive tendencies every time Serum CE001 was administered. These bouts of rage died down within thirty minutes, but at the cost of CE-0014, and CE-0036. Since the research lab had introduced Serum CE002, these uncontrollable acts of aggression had diminished greatly, thanks to the help of CE-0123’s blood samples._  
_Conclusion: It advised that we do not proceed with Stage Two with this specimen, for it may be needed if Serum CE0002 should fail._

Specimens? What the hell was going on here? This report seemed to show the same regards to this elephant as one would a simple tool. Was it possible that these ‘specimens’ were involved with starting the war? Even if they were wartime criminals, they still deserved better than this. Every mammal is a living, breathing being, and should have faced a fair hearing, and not undergone trial experiments. I moved towards the terminal next to the bear. I noticed something about this one, he had his entire belly shaved and there was a square shaped hole in his abdomen. 

_Specimen Report CE-0221:_  
_Thanks to the introduction of Serum CE004, there has been a dramatic increase in successful Engine production. Specimen CE-0221’s aggression levels have been in check ever since we changed to the latest Serum. Mental reconditioning has also proven successful, although occasionally the name ‘Sarah’ is spoken, although based upon brain activities, this is simply a remnant of the subconscious. Larynx has been removed to prevent any interruptions with Stage Two. Minor organs have already been processed, and major organs have been removed for reprogramming._  
_Conclusion: Once internals have been reprogrammed and reinstalled, proceed with Stage Two. Marked as Priority._

What the fuck was going on here!? Mental reconditioning? Organ reprogramming? This poor bear was probably torn from his wife, sister, or daughter and brought here, and for what? To be experimented on like some lower life-form? This makes me want to … ugh. Keep your cool Olivia. Blowing up this place won’t bring them back. For all I know, they were volunteers … who the fuck would volunteer for this, and why the fuck is Burrow-Tec’s name associated with this?

I tried to clear my head by looking for an exit. I found one, but just like on the other side, there was no apparent way in. Since this room was making me think dangerous thoughts, I figured it be best to leave it. There was nothing of interest here anyways. I went back out into the computer room, and like before, Onion was waiting.

“Anything helpful in there, Miss?”

“No.”

“You seem agitated Miss.”

“Just … no. That room can go fuck itself for all I care.”

I would tell Onion later what I found, I just did not want to think of it now. Since all the exits were sealed, I decided to finally play around on the computer. There had to be some sort of security override in here, or at the very least a map to tell us where the exit might be. I pushed a button on a random keyboard and all the monitors lit up, all of them displayed different things. I located the monitor attached to the computer I was at and focused only on it. 

It did not take long to find a map of this place. The sealed doors in each room connected to each other and lead to a room that seemed to dwarf these three. There were multiple exits in that room, but one stood out from the others: _Equipment Elevator. Surface Only_. That was our way out, provided I could find a way to open these doors. 

I moved from file to file and saw more and more reports on these specimens. I ignored them, still upset at the last one I read, and kept searching until I found a menu labeled: _Security_. I clicked on it, and to no surprise, it was access protected. I booted up my hacking software and went to work. Just like the other pre-war computers, I had to play the matching game, but I managed to get it on the third try. Funny how some ticket terminal was harder to crack then this hidden laboratory. 

Once I was in, it was only a matter of moments before I found the security overrides. There were two options: _Turret Control_ and _Door Access_. I started with Turret Control. There were five turrets listed, with one being marked offline. I assumed that was the one I … blew up, and proceeded to deactivate the other four. Next I went into the door access menu and found a master override. I activated it and heard faint clicking noises. With the press of a few buttons I have complete, and safe access to this entire facility.

Before I could congratulate myself, all the screens suddenly flickered and went black. From the ambient light, I could tell they were still on, and I was convinced of that when a large polar bear came into view. The screens were working as one, making this bear span across all of them like a giant monitor. It started to speak, but while I heard it, his mouth did not seem to move.

“Rabbit. I do not know who you are or where you came from, but I have been watching you ever since you stepped foot into this facility.”

“Umm… Onion? I’m not going crazy, am I?”

“You certainly are not.” It was the bear, not Onion who responded.

“You can hear me? Who are you? Where are you? Most importantly, what the fuck is this place?”

“There will be time for that. Others have tried to enter this place and had died. You, however, are much more resourceful. I have a request of you.”

“A request? I don’t even know you, and you are asking me for a request? How do I know I can trust you?”

“You don’t my dear, but events are unfolding at an accelerated rate thanks to your arrival, and I have the feeling that neither of us will be able to survive without the other’s help.”

“Miss? How do you know we can trust this bear?”

“I don’t Onion, but I have a feeling he is what this blip is representing, and unfortunately if that is the case, he’s standing between us and freedom.”

“I agree, under one condition. No harm comes to me and my friend.”

“That is acceptable. Now, if you will please proceed into the exhibition room, we may discuss this in person, Miss …?

“The name is Olivia.”

“Pleased to meet you. You may call me … Mr. Big.”


	18. In the Big House

“Do you think we can trust this Mr. Big, Miss?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. He might actually need help. If he was able to get into the visual broadcasting system, he might have been the one who opened the door for us.”

“Or activated the turret, Miss.”

“Yes, that is a distinct possibility Onion. He may be luring us into a false sense of security before …”

I cut myself off as I realized something, we had an ace in the hole if this bear turns out to be an enemy. I grabbed my bag and got out my last remote and connected both it and my Pip-Boar to the computer system. Opening up _Hackatron_ , I proceeded to create a new subroutine that would allow me to interface wirelessly between my Pip-Boar, the remote, and the computer system. I then remembered how my Pip-Boar can also detect my vitals and created a secondary subroutine. After a few minutes of programming, I had everything set up.

“Miss? May I inquire as to what you are doing?”

I got close to Onion and started to whisper, just in case this bear had ears in the room. “It’s easy Onion. This computer can access the security system that controls both the doors and the turrets. I currently have the remaining four turrets disabled, and the doors unlocked. I threw together a little program that will let me reactivate the turrets and uploaded my location tag to them so that they, _hopefully_ , ignore me. The same program, once triggered, will temporarily seal all doors that it is connected to. That way, if things turn sour, I can turn this facility’s weapons on him.”

“Miss, that seems rather dangerous. Unlike me, your identification tags are tied to your Pip-Boar. What happens if it becomes damaged, or worse, it fails to protect you against stray fire and you get injured or killed?”

“I actually thought of that too. Since my Pip-Boar has basic vital sign detection, I was able to create a small emergency sub-routine that basically told the security system that if my vitals are no longer present, the system overrides into full-on angry mode, along with disabling any safety protocols. The same will go if my Pip-Boar either gets separated from myself, or if it becomes damaged.” I felt myself give a big grin as I told this to Onion. I was feeling proud of myself.

“I would rather you not put yourself into a position like this Miss. You always go into things blindly and you only manage to escape by sheer luck. I know you are an intelligent and capable young lady, but I am afraid that one of these days, your luck will run out; and if that happens, I am not sure what I will be able to do with myself.”

My grin faded at Onion’s words. He may be just a robot, but he has more heart that many of the mammals I have meet both inside Burrow 76 and out here. I knew I was brash, and that I tend to jump headlong into seemingly impossible ventures, but it’s what keeps me going. I have the urge, the need to put myself out there, to help those who I can in any way possible. Yes, that has nearly cost me my life on a few occasions, but what’s the point of living without some danger? No. I can’t let these cancerous thoughts take over. Every time I put Onion and myself into a dangerous situation, I feel myself getting more and more addicted to it, to the rush of the moment. At this rate I may never be able to settle down, and that just puts us even deeper in danger. 

“I’m sorry Onion. I have been reckless. I nearly blew you up at the theater, and every time I use you as a distraction, I risk the chance of losing you. You are still the closest thing I have to a family, and I need to start treating you more like that, including heeding your words in situations like this. We still need to talk to this Mr. Big fellow and hope that he really can get us out of here, but after this, I will plan my actions more carefully, and once we get to Hope, you and I will lay out our plans for the future, as equals.”

“All I ask Miss is that you put your own life before others. You may want to help the world, but if you can’t help yourself first, then everything else will not matter.”

“Spoken like a true philosopher. Maybe I should call you Onion the Sage. No, that sounds more like ingredients for dinner.”

“Very funny Miss. Shall we get going?”

I simply smiled and nodded at Onion. After this I needed to try my best to put myself before others. I don’t know what the fates have planned for me, but Onion was right, even if I am destined to help others, I am useless to them dead. I took a deep breath, gathered up my stuff and headed left through the saner of the two room. I did not want to see those tubes again. I don’t know who this Mr. Big is, nor what he is doing trapped here, but if I find out he was one of the animals responsible for those atrocities, I feel I may not be able to keep that promise to Onion. Let’s just play it by ear Olivia.

The doors within the left room were open, and just like the map showed, they connected to the right side room and merged into a tunnel heading deeper into this facility. The lights seemed inoperable in the tunnel, so I turned my light back on and took a look around. The first thing I noticed was one of the security turrets on the ceiling. Thankfully I was able to disable them, otherwise this meeting would have been cut short. It said there were five total connected to that system. I wish it had a placement map so I know what to expect. I just hope I don’t have to rely on my backup plan. Either of them.

Other than the turret, the tunnel was empty. It was similar to the earlier ones in design, only much larger. This could accommodate multiple large mammals at once, but unlike the other tunnels, these had no claw markings on in it. I did notice a small groove in the floor, and upon further inspection, it looked like it was some kind track, but for what? No time to ponder that, it will only cause me to become more sidetracked than I already am. 

As we reached the end of the tunnel, I noticed that there was a massive door. Unlike the other ones, there were no windows on it, just a solid metal construction. The face of the door was illuminated by yellow lights, highlighting the words: _Warning! Research Personnel Only_. These doors still looked sealed. These must have been on a different security system. Like the others there was no access reader or keypads, but there was a large button with the words: _Comm_ below it. I looked at my Pip-Boar, and that glitched dot was no longer on the edge of the screen, but rather right past these doors. It was still flashing in and out of existence, and it was still bothering the fuck out of me.

“I guess we ring the bell?”

I pushed the button and for a few seconds nothing happened. Then I heard a series of clicking noises, followed by the doors splitting down the center as they started to slowly open. As it opened, a thick white smoke started to pour into the tunnel. While it washed over me, I could feel a chill run through me. Not a ‘bad feeling’ chill, but a literal one. I could feel the surrounding temperature start to drop rapidly. I pulled my coat closed, but kept one paw on my gun. 

“Welcome. I apologize for the cold but it’s what we … I am used to.”

We? Fuck, did he have others here that I did not know of? This better not be a trap. I casually checked my Pip-Boar and still only saw the one dot. Play it cool Olivia.

“Mr. Big I presume?”

“Yes my dear. I am glad to see another living soul after all this time. It has been lonely trapped here for all these years.” 

Now that I was standing mere feet from him, I begin to notice a few things. He was not like other bears that I have seen. He was much bigger than the ones outside, and by a good few feet too. He was wearing a black suit, but it had seen better days. Both elbows had holes in it, and there was a large hole in the chest as well, but it looked like it was patched over with a dark gray piece of fabric, making it stand out. His facial features stood out as well. While most polar bears that I have seen pictures of had those darkened circles around the eyes, his was much more pronounced and seemed to almost blend into those thick black eyebrows that seemed to hover on his forehead. The biggest thing that stood out was not just the deep, raspy voice, but the fact that whenever he spoke, his mouth never moved. 

“How did you manage to get trapped here in the first place?”

“That, is a long story, and one that will have to wait. As we speak, mammals of unknown origin have gained access to this facility, and thanks to you deactivated the outer security system, they will reach us within a matter of moments.”

“I was trying to make sure I didn’t get killed! How was I supposed to know I’d attract unwanted attention?”

“I do not blame you, child. This was bound to happen. You simply accelerated the inevitable. What we must worry about now is our safety, only then can I help you to escape this prison of mine.”

“You said that you had a request of me?”

“In all due time child.”

I know that it was the last thing that should be on my mind, but I wish he would stop calling me child. I’d bring it up, but looking at him, he could probably snap me in half without any effort at all. Best to keep my mind on these intruders. I took in my surroundings. This room was the biggest of all of them. There were empty beds similar to the other one on either side. Hanging from the ceiling were arms containing various tools and equipment. I could see small tracts like the one in the tunnel lining the ceiling and the floor. It was probably how they moved everything. I still had no idea what this place was. 

Besides the door that we came from, there were three more, one ahead of me and one on either side. They were the same build as the one behind me, all of them lacking windows. The door straight ahead was marked: _Testing_ , while the other two simply had an A and a B on them, with the A door being to my left. I saw a few work stations and I checked for any working computer, but they were all either busted or lacked power. There were also tables placed along the outer walls of the room, each with typical scientific instruments. I found two data chips and pocketed them for later. I heard something faint and checked my Pip-Boar. 

Sure enough, there was a set of dots heading our way from the corridor beyond the B door. It looked like six of them. If B.A.T.S. can kick in, I am sure I can take out at least three of them, but if they were heavily armored, I would be screwed. I really wish I knew what we were up against. Wait a second …

“Mr. Big? How did you know we were here?”

“This room is connected to all the monitor systems. However, after you disabled the security back there, my access has been limited.”

“But you still have access here?”

“Yes.”

The bear pointed towards a small console at one of the desks. I ran over to it and booted it up. Thankfully he had already bypassed the log in so I was able to make it quick. I searched through the system until I found the cameras. The monitor split into small squares as images started to appear in each of them, save for a few blacked out ones. Those were probably part of the security I already deactivated. Luckily they were not the ones I needed as I saw six figures run past one. They must have had a proximity detector because the screens that showed activity kept increasing in size, only to shrink once they ran out of its visual range. 

These guys were heavily armed. Each of them was carrying a large rifle, and they all had body armor and helmets. They did not look like the typical gang members that I have seen so far. B.A.T.S. may be severely limited in this encounter. I saw them as they finally reached a door marked with the same B as the one here. Noise started emanating from past it. They were here. From the looks of it, the door was still sealed. My tampering must have only effected the outer doors, not these ones. As long as we don’t let them in, we should be safe. 

I kept an eye on them as I tried to figure out a plan. The cameras near door A did not seem to be picking up anything, so it would probably be safer to simply leave through there. I went to tell the others my plan when I noticed that the mammals outside door B were doing something. One of them, an otter, was using something that looked like a giant syringe to trace around the outer edge of the door. What was … oh fuck no. 

If it was what I think it was, I needed to hurry. I grabbed the last mine from my bag and ran over to the door, placing it on the ground about a foot away. I pushed the button to activate it and then ran back to the computer just to see the otter finishing up. I accessed the security system, and thanks to the bear, it was not secured. I then proceeded to find the activation codes for door A. I was just about to hit the unlock button when one of the displays popped up after detecting movement outside the corridor that lead to entryway A. Fuck!

“Miss? Is there something wrong?”

“There sure is! We got a group of baddies about to break through to the right of us, and we just got new company to the left. Were surrounded.”

“What about the door marked _Testing_?

Mr. Big’s voice startled me, having briefly forgotten about him. “That would not do. In all my time here, that door, along with the facility exits have eluded my attempts to open them. That is why I thought you could help, child.”

I saw a spark of light appear on one of the displays. I hated when I was right. At least I knew that something in the Jack Savage books were based on reality. We only had a matter of minutes before that thermite burned its way through the layers of steel. The other group seemed to be less equipped, closer resembling the thugs we had already encountered. They would probably be much easier to take out. 

“Ok here’s the plan. First, stop fucking calling me child! I am an adult. Secondly, I am going to open the door marked A. There are five mammals out there, armed with mostly melee weapons. That doesn’t mean they are not hiding anything, but they appear to be much less equipped then the fuckers trying to melt the door. Mr. Big, you are, well, big, so I need you running point, but not until after I play my card. Onion, you need to be my eyes and ears, we are going in blind.”

“Blind miss?”

I pushed a button on the terminal and all the lights in the room went out. A second later the monitors turned off. It was very dark, except for a few flashing lights scatters throughout the room. I turned my Pip-Boar’s light on and grabbed a grenade from my bag. After checking to make sure that my gun was fully loaded. I heard a sizzling noise as the edge of door B started to glow from the heat of the thermite. It bathed us in a small glow, but I knew that wouldn’t be for long. 

“As soon as I open the security door, I will toss this grenade into the corridor. Hopefully that will buy us time to take them out. After that, we need to find our way out of this place.”

“But didn’t he just say the exits were sealed Miss?”

“Think about it Onion. According to the map, the only two surface exits are through corridors A and B. If we are being surrounded by foreign attackers in those same corridors, my guess is that they already managed to open them. I don’t know what they are here for, but I doubt they will be expecting us.”

“And if the doors have been resealed Miss?”

“Plan B.”

“What is plan B?”

“I have no idea Onion. Haven’t thought that far ahead yet, but you know me, it will probably be something completely unexpected.”

“For you, or them Miss?”

“Umm … both?”

I think I heard a worried noise from both the bear and Onion. Sure I am going against Onion’s very wishes that he just told me moments ago, but things keep happening so fast that it was hard to come up with more concise plans. Often I think I do my best under pressure, and there is sure plenty of that going around lately. I pressed the button on the grenade and held it there as I made sure everyone was ready. I turned off my Pip-Boar light and let my eyes adjust enough to make out where the door was, although it was much easier now that the glow from entryway B was almost enclosing the whole thing. It was now or never. I sent the open command.

Just like the main entrance into this room, the steel doors split in half as they slowly divided. Before it could open more than a few inches, I released the button from the grenade, waited two seconds, and then tossed it through the opening. I had used them enough to know that they had a six second fuse. It took almost two seconds to fly through the air so just as it went through the divide, it exploded, blinding us and causing an out-roar of screams.

“Now!” I yelled.

My eyes were starting to focus after the flash, but I was able to see the massive form of Mr. Big charging through the opened entryway. I heard loud thuds as he started to throw the enemies against the walls. I started towards the entrance with Onion on my tail. The noise ahead started to quiet, so I turned on my light and took a look around. The bodies of four wolves and a cheetah were laying on the ground. None of them were moving so I assumed the worst for them. Ahead of me was the giant polar bear, his paws stained red with blood. I was about to say something when a loud thud came from behind. The other team has breached the room. Onion told me to move but I held out my paw. Give them one second, just one …

An explosion filled the room as the mine went off. Now we needed to move. We ran through the corridor as fast as we could, not stopping to look behind us. For how large he was, that bear moved quick, but his motions were off. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was bothering me. After all this is over, I’ll have to confront him about it. We reached the end of the corridor and just like I had hoped the entrance was wide open. 

“This has always been sealed. I do not know what is past this, so be wary.”

“How long have you been here?” I knew now wasn’t the time, but I needed at least _one_ of my questions answered before my head exploded.

“I … do not know. It has been a very long time that is to be sure. The question should really be, _what_ am I doing here.”

“That is one of many questions I have about you. Ever since I met you I have had this weird feeling.”

We left the corridor and entered what looked like a cargo bay. There were large trucks lined upon along the sides, with wooden and metal crates of various sizes. I turned around and took a look at the door. We were finally on the correct side to see a large keypad. I interfaced my Pip-Boar with it and managed to find the override, causing it to close. Hopefully that would buy us time. I turned to continue to talk to Mr. Big when I tripped on something. Next to the door was a small metal box. I bent over and picked it up. It was slightly bigger than the mine and it had a small keypad with wires sticking out of it. That must be how they got in. I put it in my bag to inspect later.

“Miss! I detect movement!”

“Where at Onion?”

“There is another door twenty feet to your right.”

Damn! This must have connected to _both_ corridors. They were heading back up through entry B. I ran over to the door and connected my Pip-Boar to it. I managed to find the lock command but before I ran it, I took out another grenade and lobbed it down the hall before closing the door. A muffled explosion sounded on the other side. 

“Ok people! We need to get the fuck out of here, now!”

We meandered through the scattered crates. Every time I passed one, it was almost painful not to stop and investigate their contents. There could be weapons, ammunition, supplies, or parts! Oh what I would give to build something, to sit down with a pile of scrap and just let loose my imagination. Fuck, bad Olivia! I can’t do any of that if I am dead.

As we approached the other end of this storage area, we were greeted with a very large door. This must be where the cargo gets sent in and out of the facility. There was a large hole that had been melted through it. This must be where they came in. We were just about to reach the hole when we were greeted by four rather large rhinos that had just entered from the hole that was barely large enough for them to pass through. 

“Um … hi?”

They stood there with their arms crossing their chests. They were heavily armored like the others, each of them wearing large metal plating across their chest and shoulders. Their legs and arms were covered by smaller metal panels, while they each had on a domed helmet covering all but their horn and mouth. I couldn’t see any weapons, but then again I am sure they _were_ weapons. I started to back up when I heard noise coming from behind us. The other group had gotten through the door. 

“Can’t we all be reasonable here? You don’t know me. I don’t know you. We can work out something.”

I heard clicking as the group behind us cocked their weapons. Looks like they are not in the talking mood. I turned towards the group behind us, those rhinos were freaking me out with how still and quiet they were. In front of me was the otter and two badgers. There were no signs of the others, so I assumed my mine got them. 

“Hand over the Corpse Engine now!” It was the otter that spoke. 

Corpse Engine? What the fuck was that? “I think you have the wrong people, no corpses here.”

“Don’t play stupid with me rabbit. We have been trying to gain access to this facility for years and here you are, some stupid bunny who just so happened to waltz her way into this impregnable place.”

“Funny story that, you see …”

One of the badgers released a bullet next to me. It was close enough that I could feel it whiz by, but thankfully it was just a warning shot or else I would probably be dead. These guys look serious. 

“Look! I have no idea what you are talking about! I didn’t even know this place existed. I was trying to avoid these flying fuckers when the ground started shaking and I fell down here. I am telling the truth!”

“So you were the ones who riled up the deathwings. I’m surprised you are even alive.”

Deathwings? Was that what they called those flying creatures? I detected a small hint of fear, or maybe disgust, when she mentioned that name. Did fate deal me out of another one of those ‘I should be dead’ situations again? If fate is still on my side, I could use some help right about now.

I opened my mouth to start my own line of questions when Mr. Big walked in front of me. He started to talk slowly, as if choosing his words extra carefully.

“I will give myself up to you. We are all mammals here, and because of that, I ask of you to release these two, unharmed. They have nothing to do with this.”

He was giving himself up? I still didn’t know why he gave me the heebie-jeebies, but if he was willing to sacrifice himself for someone he just met, he couldn’t be bad. I won’t let him do this. 

I spoke very calmly. “No.”

“What did you say, rabbit?” The otter seemed taken aback by my interruption.

“I said, no. He will not be giving himself up to you, and you will not be leaving here with him.”

“Child … Olivia. You do not know who or what I am. This is not your decision to make.”

“Like hell it isn’t! The one thing I have noticed about the wasteland is that it is filled with scum and degenerates. Despite this, there are some who stand out above them like a shining light proclaiming: ‘I will not succumb to this darkness!’. Yes, I do not know you, but if you are willing to sacrifice yourself for a stranger, then I am willing to do the same.”

“Very touching rabbit, but I wasn’t planning to let you leave here anyway. You have seen too much as it is. I _was_ going to make your death clean and quick, but now I think I may take my time and enjoy it instead. Get them!”

The badgers opened fire on me but Mr. Big managed to get in between, taking the bullets. The otter must have been caught by surprised and ordered them to stop firing. It seems they needed him alive. I can work with this. I pulled out another grenade, I only had two more left so I had to use them wisely, and pressed down on the button.

“STOP!” The otter yelled out at the sight of the explosive.

“Ok fuckers! I have a lot more where these came from so we are going to play a game. Winners get to live, losers don’t.”

“Miss!”

I whispered to Onion, “Quiet, just play along.”

I casually glanced around until I found what I was looking for. Above each of the corridor entrances was a small dome. There were three turrets unaccounted for, and hopefully these are the two of them. The third must have been in the other corridor. While I spoke, I moved the grenade around trying to distract them, occasionally touching my Pip-Boar, trying to bring the remote command online. 

“Ok, rules of the game. This grenade has been specially modified to emit a powerful airborne neurotoxin that renders anyone within five feet immobile until it explodes. However, the fuse has also been modified to extend its eight second fuse to twenty, allowing anyone time to deactivate it by pressing the button. We will play a simple child’s game. Hot potato. Looser is the team who fails to push the button in time.”

“Hah! I have never heard of anyone making a modification like that. You’re bluffing.”

“Really? Well see this robot? I made him, from scraps. I also took out an entire gang of Grey Quills by myself using a similarly modified explosive. Do you really wanna call my bluff and risk losing?”

One of the badgers leaned over towards the otter and seemed to whisper in her ear. Her smile faded fast. Guess word of my incident at the theater has traveled. Then again I was in a coma for almost a week from that. I just hope they buy my bluff. 

“Ok, we will play your game. You three! Make sure that exit is blocked. I don’t want these guys tricking us and escaping.”

“Well, you’re up first. Catch!”

I tossed the grenade as I lifted my other arm and activated the remote command. Both turrets came to life and started to fire. These ones were different, they were not using stun darts, they had live ammunition! The three were caught off guard as the turrets locked onto them that they forgot about the grenade. It landed in the middle of them and before they could react, it exploded, sending them flying in all directions. 

“Mr. Big! Those turrets will ignore me and Onion, but you’re a target!”

“I am not worried. Your selflessness has shown me that good still exists after all this time, and I want to make sure you can continue to spread that. Forgive me.”

“What are you …”

The bear tore off the lighter fabric from his chest revealing a very familiar green glow. My jaw dropped as I saw a small shriveled rodent _inside_ the bear! He looked much like that glowing ghoul that nearly killed me after falling into that sinkhole, but this one was not a flesh eating monster. He started to speak, and unlike the bear, he was actually talking. 

“My dear child, this is who I really am. I wish I could tell you the truth, but that is a tale that I am sad to say will be lost to history. You remind me of my daughter’s godmother, so brave and kind.” He handed me a data chip. “Please, honor me as I am finally reunited with my daughter and gram-mama. Thank you.”

I … I didn’t know what to say. I knew I should say something, to apologize that these countermeasures were for him, that I distrusted him just because my gut told me that something was off about him. Stupid, stupid! I reached out to him but he moved towards the rhinos who were finally realizing that the shit has hit the fan. The green glow emanating from Mr. Big, the real Mr. Big, began to intensify as it bathed the room. I started to hear pounding noises I turned towards the doors but that wasn’t the source. They were coming from _inside_ the crates.

“Koslov, I was unable to save you, and I dishonored you by using you in such a way. If we meet in the great beyond, please find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Metal crates started to fall over as the wooden one shattered. From inside them emerged … ghouls!? What the fuck was going on here! The rhinos started to charge us as I ran over to one of the trucks to take cover. The turrets might not be aiming at me, but once they trained on the aggressors, we would have been in the middle of it. I saw that the otter and her two companions were lying on the ground, blood spilling from their bullet riddled bodies. I heard groaning and shuffling noises as the ghouls started to go after the rhinos. Two of them were trampled by the larger mammal, but one of them, a weasel, managed to wrap it’s decaying body around the rhino’s legs, causing it to fall forward. 

Crates continued to burst open, sending what seemed like a limitless source of corpses into the still charging rhinos. One of them met Mr. Big, but it’s horn was grabbed by the bear paws and it was thrown against the wall like it was some rag doll. The fallen rhino had finally gotten up and continued his attack. Mr. Big must not have seen him, because the rhino’s horn impaled the back of the bear. I was enthralled by it all when Onion stabbed my side. 

“Miss! We really need to go! The exit is clear.”

“I can’t just leave him like this!”

“He is doing this to save you Miss! Do you really want to let his sacrifice go in vein?”

“You’re … you’re right. We need to go.”

I had to start thinking about my own safety more. My mind focused when I heard a small ticking coming from my Pip-Boar. All this green glowing was starting to create a deadly radiation field in here. If I didn’t leave soon, I would be too weak from radiation exposure to help anyone. I made up my mind. We started to move from truck to truck, moving as quick as we could without attracting any attention. The coast was clear as we made it to the door. I looked at Onion and nodded before making a bolt to through the exit. 

I tripped over something as I made it through the hole, causing me to tumble forward just as something exploded behind me. The shock-wave of it pushed me further away. I looked back and saw that it must have been trapped, just in case anyone left prematurely. The explosion caused concrete that was set above the door to collapse down, sealing it off. There was no way back in, or out.

I sat there, wanting to hit myself for abandoning him like that. It felt wrong to worry about myself when someone else, no matter who or what he was, was about to die. I wanted to start crying, but my eyes just burned. I don’t know if it was from the radiation, the cloud of dust from the explosion, or if I was slowly getting accustomed to this world’s cruelty. I won’t let him have died for nothing. I will honor his wish and find more like him. Good souls to take back this fucking wasteland from its corrupter's. 

“Miss? We should get going. My scanners show it clear up ahead, but they might have backup coming. We shouldn’t risk it.”

I looked back at the debris and whispered, “thank you.”

We were still underground, but this tunnel started to decrease in width as it slowly increased in elevation towards a large open space where I could see faint light. We walked carefully, paying attention to the Pip-Boar’s sensors, and trying to get my mind off of my thoughts. I kept thinking that there could have been another way. Just some way to save us all. No matter how many times I played it in my head, that was the obvious choice. Fuck logic. 

The tunnel finally opened up into the surface, and we were greeted by the night sky. The clouds in spots had disappeared, and I could see the light of the starts trickling down through the open sky. We were standing at the edge of the ruined park that surrounded Little Rodentia. Looking behind me I saw in the distance the crumbling walls of the rodent city, but what caught my eye was a large statue that stood over the tunnel we just exited. It was surprisingly still in good shape. It depicted a lion, complete with a large mane, holding one paw up and the other out. In the extended paw was a smaller statue of a rodent, and in its paws it was holding one side of a banner, with the lion holding the other side. I clenched my paws in anger as I read it. 

_Burrow-Tec. Helping to Secure the Future of all Mammal-Kind!_


	19. End of the Line

Burrow-Tec. Two centuries ago it brought hope to those trying to trying to escape the savagery of war. The company was founded to provide safety and security while the surface healed, awaiting the future generations to rebuild and repopulate; at least that is what the books told me. Standing here, beneath a sign self-promoting the company as the savior of all mammal kind, and thinking about what I had just witnessed, all I can say is that Burrow-Tec can go fuck itself. I don’t even know if the company survived, but if they did, and if I find out that they had interests other than ‘protecting’ us, then I will find them and I will hurt them. If not for vengeance over the atrocities I witnessed in that facility, then to protect the rest of the world from them, and this time _I_ will succeed.

“Miss, dawn is breaking and you still have not had a moment of respite. I think we should find shelter before we continue our journey.”

“You know Onion? After everything we had just been through, I am feeling surprisingly alert.” I checked my map, “We are less than an hour from Hope. Let’s just get there and then I promise I will rest a bit.”

“That adrenalin will wear off eventually Miss, and when it does, don’t complain to me that you need rest.”

“Thanks, mom.”

I wonder what my mom would think of me right now if she was still alive. Would she scold me for being so reckless? Or would she be proud of me for everything that I have accomplished, for overcoming so many adversities and still managing to keep going? There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. Even now, I keep recalling advice that she gave me, knowledge that she imbued to me to keep me safe. Sometimes I wonder if she was preparing me for this, if she _knew_ that I would be doing something to help others. I miss her.

“Miss? I am picking up something.”

I also miss peace and quiet. 

“Where at?”

“Approximately forty feet from here, due North.”

I turned towards where Onion detected something and brought up my own scanner to confirm it. It was moving very slowly, but enough to pick it up. Ahead of me were several large that seemed to gently brush the clouds above. We have gotten out of the park and the change from barren lands to sky reaching city was very abrupt. This park must have given the residents of those upper floors quite a view during its peak.

Just like everywhere, abandoned cars and trucks were scattered on the streets, but in addition to the larger vehicles, there were much smaller rodent ones that scattered around a small tunnel that lead into the park. That must be how the residents of Little Rodentia went about their travels without getting crushed by park goers. They may have been transport to the smaller mammals, but to me, they just looked like toys. 

I saw movement ahead ducking behind a large truck. The sensors were only picking up one thing, so whoever it was is alone. I had no idea if it was another thug, or simply a wandering wastelander, but I wanted to make sure that if it _was_ a ne’er-do-well, that they are not about to cause any troubles, especially with the mood I was in. I told Onion to hang back as I went to investigate. He gave me his usual concern for my safety, but I assured him that if there was any sign of trouble, we would simply leave well enough alone. I’m pretty sure he knew I was lying, but he kept silent and did as told. 

While keeping an eye on my scanner for any additional threats, I slowly moved from car to car towards the truck. So far there was the one blip on my map, so even if it was a threat, I should be able to handle it easily, especially after everything else I have been through. I finally reached the truck and stood there listening. The blip was just on the other side of me, but I couldn’t hear anything. I really hope it’s not a ghoul, but then again, I do feel like shooting something. Gah! This really was corrupting me. I checked the map. The blip was gone!

“Well hello again carrots.”

That voice, that raspy and full of himself voice. Maybe I would shoot someone, just in principle. 

“I said don’t call me carrots, and have you been following me?”

“From my perspective, I’d say you were following me … Olivia was it?”

“Cut the act North. What are you doing here, and most importantly, where the fuck are the coins _you_ stole from me?”

Despite my radar not showing anyone there, North walked out from behind the truck, his paws in the pockets of his ragged pants. He took a few steps back and then just stood there looking at me. 

“That I stole from you? Well, I highly doubt that they were yours in the first place, and is it a crime to steal something that never actually belonged to you? No, I think not.”

“I don’t care, I want them. _Now_.” I leveled my gun at his head, “and put your paws where I can see them.”

“What, you a cop now? Last time I checked, Zootopia no longer _has_ any sort of law enforcement, or even laws for that matter. You going to police this whole world all by your lonesome carrots?”

“I will do what I must to protect any and all that need it.”

“And would that _protection_ include shooting an unarmed and defenseless fox?”

“All I see is a ghoul.” He was right though, despite what he looked like, he was in his own mind and he _was_ unarmed. I couldn’t let myself stoop to that level. 

“That’s what they all say. ‘If it looks dead, shoot it in the head’. Can’t say I blame them, you can’t reason with those savage ghouls, no matter how much you try. Me, however, I am a business man.”

“In the business of what? Thievery?”

“Did I say I was on the straight and narrow? No, I did not. The problem is, out here, everyone walks the thin line between good and evil, and for most it’s an uphill battle.”

I lowered my gun. He was not acting aggressive, and to be honest, even if he did want to cause me harm, I doubt he had the guts to do it. Figuratively speaking. I took a few steps forward, but he responded by taking the same number backwards. 

“Thank you for putting your pea-shooter down, but I like my personal space.”

You know that part of you that just makes you want to punch someone? Well North is beginning to tickle it. I may not shoot him, but I did not say I would let him walk out of here uninjured. I put my gun back into my belt and covered it with my coat. Maybe if I act disarmed, he will let his guard down. I always have B.A.T.S. just in case, if I could get the thing to work when I wanted it to.

“So you’re a business man huh? How about I just buy back the coins?”

“Afraid I can’t do that sweetheart. I … already sold them.”

I really wish he would stop calling me sweetheart like I am his daughter or something. However, I did notice that he stumbled when trying to say he sold them. I bet that fucker still has them. He did say there was no law here, so maybe I can try to take them back, by force if necessary. Why were these things so important to me? I should just meet up with Onion and leave him to his own devices, but something is tugging at me, saying that I need to get them back. 

“Sold them? Well maybe you can tell me whom to?” I took a small step forward as I said it. He must not have noticed because he did not budge.

“Sorry, business confidentiality and all that. Gotta protect my clients.”

“You probably don’t even remember who you sold them to.” I took another small step. Just got to keep him talking.

“Sweetheart, I know _everybody_.”

“Everybody? Well then you must know plenty on me.” Only a few more steps.

“That’s the thing, I don’t. You are a pretty new player to these parts, Miss ‘I want to make the world a better place.’ All I see is some carrot loving bunny who is way out of her element, who is trying to wear the big boy pants but just manages to trip over her own feet. Yes, I do know of your more recent events, with the theater. Everyone has heard about how some small bunny single handily took out an entire gang of Gray Quills, only to be rescued by those walking tin cans and swept away to a technological wonderland. Most mammals, myself included, think it was either an over exaggeration, or a simple ploy to give this world a hero, but once thing is certain, you are causing ripples in the waters carrots, but you better be careful or else those ripples, they will wash right over you.”

So my events at the theater is turning some heads? Good, maybe it will make it easier to find out what I need to know in regards to the events at Beaverton. I managed to take a few more steps during his speech, and was only a few feet in front of him. He had to of noticed, but he still stood in the same spot. 

“Well tell you what, next time I decide to single handily take on an entire group of thugs, I’ll make sure you have a ring side seat so you can enjoy the show.” 

With those final words I quickly squatted down and propelled myself towards him, tackling him to the ground. Or at least that was the plan, I did not expect to fall _through_ him! I crashed against a car and rolled down onto the pavement. I looked back and saw North standing there, or rather, an _image_ of him, rippling through the air like magnetic distortions on a screen. It was a fucking hologram!

“Gotta love pre-war tech. This beauty was popular in the entertainment business. A lifelike projection of anyone, anywhere. Gazelle used it to do multiple shows at once during her anti-war rallies with these babies.”

“So _that’s_ how you managed to take my bag without me noticing!”

I was so stupid! Why did I not realize this? We had similar things in the Burrows, only they were used for the engineers to find out the best way to fix stuff, but I never had interest. I was always too busy actually trying to fix something instead of trying to figure out how to figure out how to fix it. That would explain why my Pip-Boar wasn’t picking him up right now, but it _did_ pick him up earlier, he must still be nearby.

“Well, since I know about this charade, you can show yourself now, the real one.”

“Sorry can’t do that, you already tried to assault me, so I need to protect my skin, figuratively speaking.”

“You fucker! You get over here right now!”

“Bye carrots. Maybe we will see each other again, but hopefully after you attend your anger management classes. Oh, and carrots? I do know more about you than I let on. That Pip-Boar you have speaks novels of you. You might want to step away from holo-me.”

“What are you …”

I heard a sizzling noise coming from the holographic North as the hologram faded away, leaving a small hexagon on the ground. It would have been barely visible if it wasn’t for the sparks starting to emit from it. Fucking damn it! I dove behind the nearest car just as a small pop and fizzle created a narrow plume of smoke from the ground. That bastard got me again!

I got up and walked over to where the hologram was. Whatever the device was, it was now a smoldering heap. He must have triggered some sort of self-destruct mechanism on it. I was expecting a loud explosion, but it was once again a distraction to let him escape. Next time he won’t get away from me so easily. I know his tricks, and I will be the one who has the upper paw the next time we meet.

***

It’s been ten minutes since that bastard North got away again, and I can still feel him getting under my skin. I don’t know why, but there is something about him that seems to rub my fur the wrong way. I could care less that he is a ghoul, despite his … disconcerting appearance, he acts just like any rational mammal would … well, any intelligent … gah! I really need to stop painting this bastard as someone more than a degenerate. When someone is trying to kill me, the solution is simple, when someone is simply being a jerk, that complicates things. Damn this sense of morality.

I shook the thoughts out of my head and focused on what is ahead of me, getting to the town of Hope, alive. According to my map, it was not that much farther, and since we found the rail system we were on before, it should be easy, provided there were no other unexpected surprises, but from my experiences so far, the unexpected is usually expected. 

I didn’t really study much on Zootopia as a city when I was in the Burrow, mainly since I really couldn’t care less about a city that may not even exist anymore. I also never thought I would be in a position to see it for myself. Moments ago I was in a rather flat area that was once a city park, but now the buildings towered over me, many of them vanishing in the clouds. It was making me feel very small. 

Not all the buildings stood the test of time however. I could see in the distance that one of them had fallen in the past, completely decimating the tracks ahead and creating a rather difficult obstacle to maneuver past. From the looks of it, that one building had taken a few others down with it. Debris from the building covered the area. Concrete, steel, glass, and even the occasional relic from the past, in this case the warped remains of a metal table, became annoyingly persistent in blocking my travels. 

“It’s starting to get hard to move om these tracks, and it seems that we have a bit of an obstacle in front of us anyways. I think we should get down to the streets and find a way around.”

“That may be easier said than done Miss. Take a look below us.”

What was that robot talking about? I moved to the side of the tracks and glanced down. The sun was in a position that casted a shadow over most of the street below, but I was able to make out something … moving? I grabbed the scope and got a closer look. There were not too many cars below us but I saw plenty of … bodies. These bodies, however, were not just a few dozen innocent bystanders who died during the war, they were ones that had the unfortunate luck to survive. 

“Ghouls. Why is it we run into these fuckers constantly?”

“They are becoming quite a pain Miss.”

At first glance, you couldn’t tell that they were ‘alive,’ but watch long enough you could see a couple crawling around. They seemed very lethargic, but I knew that once they got going, it was hard to stop them. I don’t know if they were able to hear or see better or worse than when they were alive, but from the looks of it, they didn’t know we were here, and I planned on keeping it that way. 

“Looks like we need to find another way. I really don’t feel like dealing with them right now.”

“How about the building Miss?”

“We need to find a way around it.”

“I mean, what about going _through_ it?”

Through it? That actually never occurred to me. I just saw it as an obstacle, an impenetrable barrier that would require me to think outside the box to bypass it, when all I needed was to remain _in_ the box and come up with a straightforward solution. I pointed the scope towards the building. I couldn’t tell how deep it was, but I was able to make out a way into it. It looked as if the entire side consisted of windows, and the fall had shattered most of the glass covering it. It must have stuck out from the rest of the buildings when it was erect. While many of them had a multitude of windows, many of them either had an organic shape to them, like the antlers of a gazelle, or reminded me of the Burrow, with its infrastructure made up of metal with sharp edges. The buildings were just as diverse as its residents once were. 

We decided that the building would be much safer than trying to evade a swarm of ghouls, so we continued on to the collapsed structure. The tracks were slowly getting closer to the surface, but thankfully not close enough to draw any unwanted attention. I could not make out how many were actually down there, but I did not want to risk getting spotted by one of them and causing a scurry, especially since I saw a few, larger mammals among them. I am sure a rhino could finish taking down this already teetering track system. It started to bend in all angles, some of its support beams must have been damaged by the collapsed building. Luckily it still felt sturdy, it just was awkward to maneuver at times. 

Onion stayed behind me, keeping a look out for any unusual movement as I finally reached the point where the tracks ended. The structure’s fall must have torn down more of the rail than just where it landed because I could see a good fifteen-foot gap between where I stood and one of the unobstructed windows. 

“Hey Onion, you wanna give me a lift?”

“You know that I cannot support your weight like that Miss.”

“You calling me fat?”

“You know that is not what I am refereeing to Miss. In actuality, I think you’re looking a little malnourished. I don’t think living off of whatever centuries old food you find is very healthy.”

“Gee, thanks for your _helpful_ advice. I’ll be sure to hit up the next Trader Doe’s I pass. I am _sure_ that after two centuries they still sell quality organic food.”

“No need for sarcasm Miss, just stating the facts.”

Sometimes I love that bot, but most of the time I wish I made him mute, or maybe only able to communicate through a series a ‘beeps’ and ‘boops.’ Then again, I am sure I’d get annoyed by that too. Anyways, onto the situation at hand. Normally I wouldn’t be agonizing over a jump like this, but I still have not had a chance to relax enough yet. Between being chased by some winged menaces, falling though yet another large hole, and narrowly escaping some thugs from a rather unsavory lab, my legs throbbed in agony at the mere thought of trying to make a jump like this, but I had no choice. It was either this or face an unknown number of flesh eating monsters. I promised myself that I will relax once we get to Hope, and nothing will stop me from doing so.

“I am going to try to jump it Onion.”

“You sure you’re are up to it Miss?”

“No, but would you rather me be down there, with them?”

“I suppose not Miss. Do be careful.”

“Careful? That’s my middle name.”

I think I heard a scoff from him. Can a robot even scoff? I shook my head and focused on clearing it. Looking over the edge of the track, I could see that the distance to the ground was nearly equidistant from that of the building, so even if I missed, the fall shouldn't kill me. I took a deep breath but something caught my eye from below. While the rising sun was starting to cut through the shade, it wasn’t high enough to create any noticeable glow down below me, but one was starting to slowly emerge. My heart stopped when I realized what it was. 

I heard a bellowing below me as one of those green glowing bastards, this time a hippopotamus, looked straight at me, as if trying to peer into my very soul. The noise it was making caused more movement on the ground. It was alerting the ghouls below to my presence. Fuck! Turning back towards Onion, I took my bag off and handed it to him. The extra weight would have just slowed me down. I backed up a bit more, allowing myself some distance to build up speed and then shot off running. 

I could feel the tracks shaking as some of the larger mammals must have been trying to either climb or collapse it. I ignored everything as I reached the edge. While there were plenty of opening in the building before me, I had also noticed some dangers as well. Shards of glass still in the shattered windows, large spike like structures, possibly broken girders or other support, and all the dangers that I _couldn’t_ see waiting for me inside. If I timed this wrong, rather than falling into a pit of ghouls, I could get impaled on something, and both those outcomes would really ruin my day. 

Once I had a mental image on where I wanted to land, I focused on pushing my legs to their limits, which were pretty low right now. I couldn't hesitate even for a moment. I reached the edge, squatted down and pushed up with all my might. I dared to peer down as I flew over the gap, and I saw dozens upon dozens of ghouls, all of them reaching up as if trying to pluck me from the air. Was it because of that glowing ghoul that there were so many down there? Or did they all ‘die’ while attending some kind of mass event? I couldn’t think about that now, the gap closing as the building getting dangerously close. I saw that I was going to make it! That is, until I started to loose velocity and began drifting downward. 

“Shit!” 

While being airborne like this did not offer too much room for maneuver, I was able to move my body in a way so that I was now aiming towards the room next to my original target. This did however put me much closer to the ground as I noticed ghouls starting to climb the structure. I was about to make the landing, and I really hope it was a safe one. I tucked myself into a ball as I fell through the window. I felt a sharp pain on my back as something cut me as I tumbled onto a the surface. I rolled for a few seconds before I was able to stop myself. I placed my paw on my back where the pain was and pulled it away, fur soaked in blood. At least I am alive. 

“Miss! Those creatures are starting to swarm the building!”

Onion floated down to where I was as I heard scraping noises coming from outside. I ran over to him and grabbed my bag and reached in for something. I got to the edge and saw a bevy of ghouls scaling the side. I only had one more grenade left after this, and I was getting used to having them, but they have been very helpful to me. I popped the cap and pressed the button. I could see the glowing one, just standing there as if it was a general conducting his forces. I smiled and I swore I saw it take a step back when I did, as if it knew what I was about to do. I released the button and the grenade fell. 

“We have to move, now!”

With my bag flung over my shoulder, I started to run towards the opposite end of the room. Everything was disorienting. The walls being my floor and ceiling and the only exit was a sideways doorway. Thankfully I did not end up in some rodent’s office, so the doorway was large enough for me to take a running slide through. I heard the explosion as I emerged from the other side. The entire building started to shake and the shock-wave rippled through the metallic structures. I tried standing up but another shake knocked me down. I didn’t delay getting up again as I made sure Onion was right behind me. I made sure not to look back as we searched for a way out. 

We were in a long corridor, but due to the positioning of it, the doorways on the ‘floor’ were more like pit traps. Most of them had their doors missing, so I had to jump over them, each time the muscles in my legs burning as they tried very hard not to simply lock up. Even the occasional closed door I tried to either jump over, or in the case of the smaller ones, move around so that I did not risk falling through them. For all I knew, the ghouls managed to find a way in at a lower point and were ready to burst open from below me. 

Thankfully, there were not a whole lot of obstacles in the corridor. A few small statues and a couple unidentifiable machines were scattered here and there, but nothing that would hamper my movement too much. I still had not seen nor heard any signs of the ghouls, and while I would love to say that I killed them all, my luck was not that good. I could see the end of the hall approaching, and just like the room I first entered in, there was a lengthwise door about to greet me, but this one was closed. 

Unlike the other doors that were made of mostly wood, this door was a solid metal one. I had to crane my neck to read the words that were written on it: _Stairwell_. This would not do. Normally if you were running through a building with who knows what chasing you, stairs would be a welcome sight since they typically lead to the ground floor, and thus the exit. In this case they were not very helpful. I needed to go straight, not left or right. 

I changed a look behind me but there was still nothing. I felt myself starting to relax when I heard scuffling noises coming from the leftmost side of the stairwell. Fuck! They must have found a different way. I saw a sign posted near me that said: _Emergency Exit_ , and pointed towards the right, up the towards what was once the roof. It might have been for a fire escape or something, but anything is better than this. Climbing it at this angle was a slight challenge. Since I couldn’t use the stairs as they were intended, I had to run along the wall and then jump up to the next wall to continue. My legs wanted to give out, so I occasionally just pulled myself up with my arms. I could still hear the noise, but they were either slowing down, or I was moving at the same rate as them, but thankfully I never saw one. 

This went on for at least seven or eight minutes before finding the metal door marked: _Emergency Exit_. I pushed on the handle and it fell down under its own weight. The bright sun nearly blinded me as I left the much darker building. I stepped out but quickly pulled it back when I realized that the surface outside was in actuality the metal railing that surrounded the fire escape. I carefully placed a foot perpendicular to the bars, trying my best to support myself. Once I was sure I wasn’t going to fall, and that Onion had escaped with me, I struggled to lift the door back up. It was very heavy, especially how it was positioned. Once I had it up enough, Onion floated under it and aided in me lifting it up. We finally got it back to its closed position, a small click securing it in place. I just hope they don’t try to open it. 

The ground was not too far from where I was, although simply jumping down in my condition. Ahead of me, I could see the continuation of the tracks, gradually declining in elevation as it traveled away from me. In the distance I saw the skyline that was made up of dozens of buildings. Each with their own shape and architectural diversity. It almost looked like a wall, being formed behind a large building. That’s when I noticed that the tracks ahead of me converged onto the building, along with a few others arriving from different angles. Between me and the building, it was flat and clear, just the park surrounding Little Rodentia. 

I took out my scope and looked closer. The building looked as if it was built in a large arch, with antler looking towers on a few sides, although I could tell that at least one had broken at some point. All the rails converged in a central arch on the building, but I saw that it had been boarded up. The top of the building must have contained multiple windows, but they were boarded up as well. Written there in large red letters were three words that brought relief to me. _Town of Hope_.

“Looks like we made it Miss.”

There were many thoughts going through my head at this moment. I was glad to have finally made it to my destination alive. I was also looking forward to rest, relaxation, and meeting up with Bo and his family again, thinking it would be nice to see how they have been since we first met. Mostly, I was glad to see that the town was standing, and not a charred husk. I don’t know what I would have done if Hope had meet the same fate as Beaverton. 

My relief was wiped away as an explosion jarred my thoughts. Smoke started to billow up from the opposite side of the distant building. Then I heard gunfire echo through the air. Even with my scope I was not able to view anything through the building, but I knew something was wrong. I started to find my way down towards the street, completely forgetting about any ghouls that might still be after me. I did not know much about Hope, nor knew what was going on, but deep down I knew something was wrong.

“Miss!”

“We gotta move Onion! Hope is in trouble!”

I ignored all my pain as I pushed myself to run. I forgot all about the ghouls, the exhaustion racing through my body, and the stinging pain from where I sliced open my back. Images raced through my head. The innocent cheetah being gunned down after asking for help, and the look of fear on Bo’s wife and child as I tried to disarm their collars. Smoke from the explosion drifted towards me as images of Beaverton flashed in my head. The smell of charred flesh. The pig who was simply trying to save innocent children. Then I remembered Mr. Big, sacrificing himself to save me. I will not let anymore innocents die, even at the cost of my own health. I will protect Hope. I will protect anyone who is in trouble. North thought I was some bumbling bunny who was way in over my head. I will show him. I will show everyone who tries to challenge me. 

My name is Olivia Springs, and I _will_ be the hero this world needs.


	20. Here We Have Hope

Three more explosions shook the surrounding area before Onion and I made it down the side of the collapsed building. Gun fire filled the distance in bursts, at times leaving a quiet wake behind them. A few times I thought that maybe it was over, that whoever was protecting Hope had beaten back their aggressors, but every time, the gun fire picked up. Luckily for me, all the action was going on the opposite side of where we were, and I have not seen any signs of mammals, good or bad, this whole time. 

“I do hope you have a plan Miss.”

“Is it a well thought out plan? No, no it is not.”

“Didn’t we already have a discussion about going into situations unprepared Miss?”

“Relax Onion. I’ll think of something once by the time we get closer.”

The truth of that matter was, I had no plan. There were too many variables present, and all of them were unknown. In my mind I pictured some poorly made militia trying to defend their home from a large group of raiders. Knowing who the enemy was made it easier, but this could be the other way around as well. Maybe some thugs had already captured Hope, and this eternal force was simply its citizens trying to take it back or, even worse, Hope was already run by bastards, and another group of bastards is trying to take it over. 

I could sneak through the back, get onto the roof, or simply perform a frontal assault, but no matter what I did, I did not know where the enemies were. I checked my sensors but we were still too far away to pick up anything, and cover was decreasing exponentially as we got closer to the town. From the back of the building, it looked as if it was kept in pretty good shape. A few patches here and there, but otherwise it was a very stable structure. That means this attack must have just recently started, or else those explosions might have already caused significant damage to the outer structure. 

Minus the rails, the entire area in front of my side of the structure was flat. I couldn’t tell if it was another park at one point, or if the previous structures were simply destroyed in the war. That’s when I noticed something, glimmering in the distance. While it was still cloudy, occasionally a burst of sunlight breaks through for a moment, and this one just so happened to cast itself on what looked like … water.

“Onion! I think there is still water over there.”

I knew that something as minuscule as water shouldn’t have distracted me so easily, but it was the first sign of water I had seen since leaving the Burrow that didn’t belong to some thugs. I was starting to get low on water and was hoping to find some in Hope, but if I can get some for free, all the better. 

We kept under one of the larger tracks, using it’s shadow to hide our presence. Just because I couldn't see anyone, didn’t mean that no one could see me. Since we had left the city streets, the number of obstacles such as cars and debris had dwindled dramatically, making our movements much more fluid instead of having to constantly watch my steps. Onion simply drifted over all the obstacles with ease, making me think that maybe I should have made a much larger robot to chafferer me around. Of course that thought never occurred to me in the Burrow, where everything was a ten minute or less walk from any point. Wonder if he would object to adding some wheels …

An explosion made me remember why I was sneaking around in the first place. Smoke continuously billowed out from the opposite side of the structure. As I got closer, I started to realize how big it was. According to Onions pre-war maps, this was once a transportation hub that connected trains and their passengers throughout the different districts and to the boroughs beyond the city limits. With its size, it must be able to accommodate hundreds of mammals of all shapes and species, so no wonder this place was turned into a town. My thoughts were distracted once again when I reached the closest pool of water. 

“Miss, the radar detectors are going crazy.”

“Damn it! This water is not drinkable.”

I looked at my radiation detector and saw its counter ticking between ten rads a second and sixteen rads a second. This weren’t lethal numbers, but with that many ticks a second, it would build up quickly into something much more potent. The last think I needed was radiation poisoning, especially after those Guardians patched me up from all the radiation I had been exposed to since leaving the Burrow. 

The pool was rather large, and it was so murky that I couldn’t see the bottom, so swimming past it would be out of the question, and the only thing connecting this side of the pools to the other side were the rails, unless I wanted to go all the way around, which in that case I am sure someone would spot one of us. Gunfire told me that I needed to make a decision, and fast.

“I may have an idea Miss.”

“What is it Onion?”

“I performed scans of this railway structure above us, and I noticed that it’s support beams were in dire need of repair.”

“I don’t think anyone would care if it fell Onion, with no trains and all.”

“There might not be any trains for it to support Miss, but my calculations show that if we weaken this pillar further, the entire structure will collapse into the pond, and potentially make a bridge for us to use.”

“That’s … actually a good idea, however, we would need a decent sized explosion, and it might grab the wrong attention.”

I had one grenade left, but I was not sure if I may still need it. I’ve learned that simply _having_ a grenade is weapon enough, but I just needed a small explosion, one that … oh yeah! I dropped my bag and went through it until I found what I was looking for. Back when I rescued Bo and his family, I kept the two collars that I took off them. I had to use one on that damn glowing ghoul, but I remembered I still had the other one. I pulled it out and walked over to the support that Onion was talking about. 

Sure enough, it had cracks lined all through it, and rebar was sticking out of the concrete in places. It’s a good thing there were no trains anymore, otherwise there would have been an issue crossing this. I was simply going to put the collar near the pillar, but I could tell that the explosion would not be large enough to cause a complete structural failure, I needed to get the explosive _inside_ the pillar somehow. Then I began to wonder how this thing worked. I sat down and pulled out my tools and started looking for an access panel. 

“Miss, what are you doing?”

“From what Bo told me about these collars, they have a very small explosive charge in them that pretty much keeps the blast radius around the neck of its victim. I figured if I could somehow extract the explosive compound from the collar, it would be small enough to shove into one of the cracks in the support, allowing me to create an explosion from the inside out.”

“Didn’t he also say that they can explode when tampered with Miss?”

“Yeah, but I already made sure that the trigger mechanism was disarmed. If your so worried, did you want to do it?”

I extended the collar and the tools out to Onion but he drifted backwards a few inches, “No thank you Miss, I’ve already experienced enough explosions as it is.”

I chuckled as I continued working on the collar. Things did happen to get messy around me, and explosions are typically the messiest thing. I managed to pop off the back of the collar, paying attention to the light on it, making sure that I didn’t do something to accidentally turn it back on. Inside was a small plastic sheet that covered everything. Peeling it back revealed the inner workings. A small computer chip that I figured was the wireless detonator connected via two small wires to a small yellow square of what looked like clay. I went to remove the wires when the light suddenly turned on and started to flash. Fuck!

I went to activate my Pip-Boar, but as I took my paw off of the wires, the flashing stopped and the light died out. From the looks of it, if I tried to remove the wires, it would detonate. From what I knew, the clay must have been a type of plastic explosive, and that the two wires were creating a circuit on it. If the circuit is broken, boom. I tried to remove the detonator but once again the light started to flash as I tried to remove the wire connecting it to the collar housing. 

This was going to take all my effort to figure out. What I _should_ be doing is coming up with a plan B, but complex problems like this always seem to garner my attention more. There must be something I was missing. I opened up the knife from my multi-tool and slowly slid it under the explosive. That did not trigger anything, so, being very careful, I lifted it up. 

Thought so. There was a third wire connecting to the yellow compound, that’s how it worked. In order to detonate, it needed an electrical charge to initiate the detonation, but it also needed a backup to prevent tampering. It would take a considerable shock to create the explosion, but the two wires on top must be constantly sending a weak signal, using the explosive as carrier. If one of the wires were to get cut, it would create a feedback loop through the other two wires causing the detonator to trigger. Despite what it was designed for, it was a rather ingenious design. 

If this were to succeed, I would have to trick the detonator to think that the circuit is still complete as I remove the explosives. I took my knife and carefully scraped off the plastic housing of the top two wires, exposing them. I tested my idea by placing the backside of the knife across two exposed wires, creating a bridge between them. No light. I grabbed a small scrap electronic that I had in my bag and ripped off two wires from it and stripped the ends of each, along with the middle of one of them. I wrapped one of them to the middle, creating a ‘T’ shape. I curled the other ends and gently placed it down so that the wire made contact with the other two simultaneously. Once I was sure there was no signal to the detonator, I wrapped the ends of the wires. Now I just needed to take care of the third wire. 

I carefully lifted up the explosive again and used my screwdriver to prop it up enough to reach the last wire. Scraping off the wire cover was much more difficult. I had to make sure that the exposed wires on top did not come into contact with anything else, or else risk breaking the circuit. Once I had enough of it exposed, I grabbed the last loose wire end and touched it to third wire. No lights. Bingo!

Once I had the wires all attached, I started to slowly pull out the ends that were embedded into the clay. Unlike before, there was no light. I had managed to create a backup circuit so that even if I removed the explosive from it, it would not trigger the detonator. Once the explosives were freed from the casing, I proceeded to shape the square into something more useful. I was able to thin it down into a rope like shape which allowed me to push it deep enough into the cracks. Now I just needed to detonate it. 

The obvious choice was to use the detonator that was left in the collar. I had to basically rewire the thing to get the explosives out in order to plant it inside the cracks on the pillar. It would be tricky to reuse the detonator without accidentally having it go off in my face, especially with how short the wires were. I didn’t have anything longer, but lack of materials rarely ever stops me. 

To start with, I attempted pry out the module that contained all the electronics and power source. All I needed was to remotely activate the detonator, all this extra fail-safe and anti-tamper stuff were pointless. With no threat of sudden death, the process was much smoother. It only took me a few minutes to separate all the necessary parts and I put the rest of it back in my bag. A bomb-less collar probably has no use to anyone, but my mom always did say I was a scrap hoarder. 

Wiring it to the explosives was similarly easy, although I had to be careful not to touch the two stripped wires together. I had no tape, so I did my best to keep them on opposite sides. Once I was happy with my work, I retreated to safety and booted up my remote function. Since I had previously connected my Pip-Boar to this collar, it’s signal was still in the database. Since there was no way to test my work, I simply had to hope for the best. 

“Okay Onion, take cover.”

There was not much cover around us, so we simply moved as far away as the signal would allow us, and hid behind a sturdier pillar on an adjacent track. I used my scope to make sure the coast was clear and that no one had seen us, and realized that I had not heard the sounds of explosions or gun fire the entire time. Sure it only took fifteen minutes or so, but the suddenly eerie quiet started to worry me. There was nothing I could do until I got past this rad filled water, so I did the only thing I could do, I pushed a button.

I covered my ears with my paws, not sure what to expect, but turns out it was all for nothing. There was no boom, flash, or other signs of an explosion. I looked at my Pip-Boar to verify it was still connected and pushed the button again. Still nothing. Was there a delay in the signal? I never had any issues with it before. I waited a moment before getting up to investigate. 

“Huh. You think that collar was a dud Onion?”

“I’m not sure. I do detect trace amounts of explosives. It’s possible the connections shorted out, or you did not secure the wires properly?”

I started to walk towards the pillar, “are you saying it’s my fault? When it comes to electronics I am …”

As I got closer to the pillar, the explosives finally detonated. Thankfully I was far enough to not get hit by flying debris, but I _was_ close enough for the shock-wave to knock me on my ass. Why is it that I always end up on my rear or my face? 

_“Elevated Heartbeat Detected. Potential Threat Found. Activate B.A.T.S.?”_

“Oh shut it already.”

There was a billowing of smoke from the explosion that spread both up and out. It was hard to make out if it worked until I heard a creaking noise, followed by a loud splash. My radiation detector beeped a few times as water splashed near me, but it was well within safe limits. 

The smoke finally cleared enough to see that my plan had worked. The entire bridge structure was lying in the water, although a section of it had dipped below the surface. It was a short enough distance that I should be able to make the jump with relative ease. The tracks collapsed sideways, giving me a good area to boost myself up from the stub that was once a support beam. I turned to make sure Onion was ready when heard something land a few feet away from me, was it some debris? I took a look as saw a flashing light. Fuck.

“Watch out Onion!”

I managed to get away as the grenade exploded. The explosion knocked me against the downed pillar, but it did not cause me any injuries. Who the fuck was launching grenades at me? I saw my scope on the ground, I must have dropped it when the first explosion knocked me down, and surveyed the area. There still was no sign of any mammal until I saw a small flash come from the roof of the town. A few seconds later I was greeted by another grenade, but since I was no longer off-guard, I was able to dodge its explosion much more efficiently. 

“Fuck. Someone has us targeted with some kind of grenade launcher,” I switched to another screen on my Pip-Boar, “and they are still too far to pick them up.”

“What should we do Miss?”

“Well, even if we had a long range weapon, I have no idea if it’s friend or foe attacking us, so I would rather not retaliate until I have a better understanding of the situation.”

“I hope you have a plan Miss.”

“Oh, I do. You're not going to like it though.”

“You better not …” Onion cut off as a grenade landed uncomfortably close to him. 

I looked towards the pillar and shouted, “Run!”

I bolted towards the pillar with Onion in tow. The third grenade exploded, but I was already in the middle of landing on the length of track leading across the irradiated waters. I kept my eyes on where the grenadier was and noticed that it took a few seconds between shots, so either they were a horrible aim, or it was a single fire weapon. Another flash announced the immediate arrival of a grenade, but this one landed in the water. The explosion was much smaller, with the water absorbing much of the blast, but it did create a fount of water that caused my radiation detector to go nuts for a second. 

I reached the gap and without stopping or thinking, I squatted down and pushed myself up into the air. At the same time, I saw a flash from the roof. The attacker must be getting better with their aim, because right near the apex of my jump, I felt the grenade fly past me, exploding on the ‘bridge’ behind my location. I looked back to make sure that Onion was okay and saw him floating only a foot or two from me. I had about ten or fifteen feet left before I cleared the water, so I forced my legs to move faster. 

The unknown assailant got one more grenade in before I was able to finish crossing the pools. Once I was on a more stable surface, I booked it to the building wall. Either the grenadier ran out of ammunition, or they lost line of sight to me because there were no more signs of aggression. I looked up but could not see anything other than the wood and metal that formed a patchwork wall. I took a moment to catch my breath as I tried to find any signs of an entrance, but this entire area was solid. They probably only wanted a single entry way, and that must be the one currently under attack. 

To both the left and right of me were some kind of balcony that extended slightly away from the building itself. From the layout of the four tracks that connected to this side, it looked as if this middle area was designed for much larger trains than the other two, since the tracks that dead-ended at the patchwork walls were much narrower. Since either direction looked the same, I started to move around the left side of the building. 

The pool of water reached around the side, with the balcony overhanging it. I needed to get on top of that outcropping to continue around the building, but it was much too high for me to jump straight up. Thankfully, the edge of the pool increased in height to the point where I should be able to climb onto the balcony with little difficulty. Once I got to the top, I needed to move carefully and try to identify the situation before I acted. 

With a semblance of a plan in mind, I started to work on it. The anxiety was building the entire time. My mind drifted towards the fact that I had not heard any gunfire or explosions, save for that unknown assailant, so I had no idea as to the current state of affairs. Did the attackers win, or did the defenders? I still was no closer to even knowing who was the actual enemy, and until I did I was going to refrain from any violence. If I ended up attacking someone from Hope, that would end any chance of me gaining entry. 

I climbed onto the edge of the pool, being careful that I did not slip and fall in, and found that the concrete forming the structure’s walls had been fractured enough to give me a good grip to hoist me up onto the balcony. Now that I had been able to catch my breath, I noticed that between the patchwork, much of the stone structure had large faults in them. I wondered if those quakes reached all the way out here as well. 

I got to the top without any incident, although I had been concentrating so much on not being seen, that my grip almost slipped which would have caused a rather un-welcomed plunge into the waters below. There were still no signs of any mammals so I continued my slow approach to the other side. I peeked around the first corner, but all it was only a small alcove. The sun was on the other side, so it left it much more darkened then the surrounding area. I was about to glance past the second corner when I heard voices.

“This cease fire is driving me crazy. I joined up to kill and loot, not sit around babysitting some crappy pre-war mechanical something or other.”

“The boss has his reasons, no matter how crazy they seem. I’m guessing he thinks if he can find more of these things, they will help us take over this whole city.”

“How can a hunk of junk do that when not a single mammal has been able to make claim to it.”

“Dunno, but once he gets his mind on something, you may as well follow along. You remember what happened to Sammy?”

“Don’t remind me. I am glad that phase is over with. I may enjoy killing, but cannibalism is where I draw the line. Let’s just see what’s up with the boom show back here and then head back to camp before the action starts up again.”

The voices were getting closer, and from the sound of it, I knew who the bad guys were. I didn’t enjoy killing, but it is often a necessary evil. Once you start to enjoy it is when your mammality begins to fade. I always need to remember what side of the line I am on, even if both sides are grey. 

I pressed myself as close to the wall as possible, trying to hid in the shadows. I signaled Onion to power down his levitation unit to avoid any unwanted attention. I pulled out my gun and held it at the ready. There were only two of them, but if I wasn’t careful, that number may increase exponentially. I still had no idea how many I was dealing with. 

I heard the noise of walking as they neared the alcove I was in. They were light, making a small tapping noise with each stride. This means that they were a smaller species, but I had no idea what they were. My curiosity was answered as I watched the two rams turn the corner. They were polar opposites from each other physically. One had a large fluffy wool coat that his armor was barely keeping in check, while the other scrawny with small white puffs sticking out from the legs and arms. They both wore similar looking outfits: worn down cloth jumpsuits with metal plates attached across the chest. The larger one had a very large hammer while the other one had some kind of assault rifle. I looked at Onion and nodded. 

“What the …” 

They were too busy talking to each other that they didn’t notice me and Onion lunging at them. I punched the smaller one square in the face while I heard the crackling sound of Onion’s stun baton going to work on the larger one. My target was so caught off guard that he dropped his rifle and I scooped it up and pointed it at him, although for its size, it was probably obvious that I was having difficulties keeping it leveled. I glanced over at the other ram and saw him convulsing on the ground, the metal armor must have helped amplify Onion’s already strong shocks. 

“Make any sudden movements and I will reply with a bullet to the brain. Got it?”

“I …”

“I will be doing the talking. Who are you, and why are you attacking Hope?”

I heard coughing as I saw the larger ram’s mouth beginning to foam up. Why the hell am I concerning myself with this fucker’s health? These guys are attacking innocents. I figured that the ram in-front of me would be cowering in his armor at what we just did to the both of them, so I was caught off guard when he started to laugh. 

“You fucking idiot! Do you realize who you are dealing with here?”

“Um, some murderous thugs?” 

“Wrong, you cunt. We are the Berserk-kings, and you have gone and made my friend here very angry.”

The ram that was seconds ago convulsing on the ground was now standing erect. The veins on his neck were bulging and I could see a fiery rage in his eyes. He was big before, but his presence felt much larger now. His mouth was still foaming as he picked up his hammer and swung at me. I jumped away as it slammed into the ground, shattering it and leaving a very large crater. This is not good. 

Onion was trying to electrocute him again, but it did not seem to faze him. His focus was on me, and me alone. What the fuck, I wasn’t even the one who hurt him the first place! I still had the gun, but it’s size and weight were making it harder to dodge the incoming attacks. He swung again, this time to the side and the hammer embedded itself in the buildings wall. A large crack traveled up as he struggled to free the weapon. Time to act. 

I pointed the rife at the ram and went to fire when I felt something hit my back, knocking me to the ground. Onion rolled passed me as I struggled to get up. I felt a hoof land on my back, forcing my face into the pavement. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the larger ram finally freeing the hammer from the wall. I was in trouble.

_“Imminent Threat Detected. Activate B.A.T.S.?”_

“YES!”

It had been a while since I had to use B.A.T.S., so my skin jumped at the feeling of the needle injecting the chemicals into my arm. I felt my reaction time getting better, my heartbeat normalizing, and the world around me starting to slow. I was not sure if this was an addictive substance, but I felt at home under these conditions. It felt … good.

The ram on top of me was reaching down to pick up his gun as I twisted my body and kicked his leg, causing him to start tumbling. Once I was free from his hoof, I rolled out of the way as the hammer came smashing down where I was and where his friend now was. I don’t know if things happened too quick, or if he simply was too drugged up to care, but he continued his full swing, crushing the skull of the smaller ram. 

The chemical was going to wear off, so I only had one shot before I needed to take cover. I considered grabbing the rifle, but I doubt I would be able to ready it fast enough as the ram was already lifting his weapon into another swing. For a big guy, he moved rather fast. I decided upon my handgun before realizing that I didn’t have it. Fuck! I must have dropped it in the scuffle. I looked around for it as the chemicals started to wear off. Not wanting to meet the same fate as the deceased mammal, I jumped out of striking range of the melee weapon. That’s when I saw that my gun was right next to him. Well that fucking figures. 

I doubt I could keep this up much longer, my opponent seemingly getting faster and stronger with each passing second. I narrowly missed being hit again when I heard something land between me and the rampaging ram. I knew that sound and I knew that flashing light. It was the same type of grenade that I was just dodging earlier. I jumped out of the way as it detonated - the ram taking its full force. While I did not take damage from it, it forced me to the ground, landing on my back for once. I heard a loud thump as I saw the ram collapse. 

The explosion also happened to send my gun in my direction, coming to a stop near my leg. Chalk that one up to fate I guess. I was already feeling tired, and I did not even know if that grenade was meant for him, me, or both of us. I plopped my head onto the ground and sighed. Movement caused me to look towards the direction my head was pointing and my heart stopped. This fight made me forget why I was trying to be cautious in the first place.

I landed in a manner that I could now see a good chunk of the other side of the building. Standing there, in a huge mass were dozens mammals, big and small. They all had their attention on me, every one of them dressed in similar garb as the two rams. I should have been concerned with the sheer size of the force, but the only thing that my attention on was what was in the middle of the mass. I was in awe.

Bigger than any mammal I have seen so far stood a monstrous piece of machinery. With a domed head on top an enormous frame, it was the largest, and most intimidating looking robot I have ever seen. The sun glistened off the reddish-brown plating as it spun in my direction. The crowd parted ways as I saw the three wheeled legs that supported it start to move, coming to a stop. The entire thing was now oriented towards me. Red lights began glowing behind a caged faceplate on the head as it lifted its two arms in my direction. 

A voice boomed out from the robot snapping me back into the moment. 

“Looks like we found the source of the ruckus boys. Time for some fun.”


	21. Hope Under Siege

I am starting to really hate being shot and mauled at. First it was ghouls, then it was other mammals, and now it’s a giant fucking robot. My legs are sore, it’s starting to get difficult breathing, and on top of that, I am getting a migraine. Every time I dodge an attack from the robot’s enormous lasers - which to be fair under any other circumstance I would think that would be a totally awesome weapon - my head starts beating faster as if my heart just took up permanent residence in my head. 

I was not sure where Onion was during this. The last time I saw him he had just been used as a bowling ball with me standing in for the pins. I really hope he was okay, but I stopped even for a second to check, I would be rendered lifeless. I don’t know what an energy weapon like that would do on a direct hit, but I would rather not find out. Between the shots and my throbbing head, I was trying to come up with a plan. 

Thankfully, the gang of mammals were not attacking, but rather forming a living cage keeping me and the robot too close for my own comfort. Every time I try to break through them, they nearly slice me with a knife, or slam me with a hammer, and my legs were getting too tired to perform a good jump. Not that they wouldn’t shoot me if I tried. I needed to think of something, and fast. 

My mind drifted to my last grenade, but I doubt that I could use it without getting caught in the blast, and my bullets were just bouncing off the robot’s thick armor plating. Despite its size, it was moving rather gracefully. It’s large wheeled legs spinning and flexing as it circled me. The arms were rather stiff though, so it took an extra second to aim after orienting itself towards me, and that was the only thing saving me right now. By the time it had gotten positioned right, it was already time for it to move again to get a clear shot. 

One of the bot’s weapons glanced me, singeing a bit of fur on my cheek, but the scream that followed informed me that it _did_ hit something. I chanced a glance and saw a smoking pile of glowing ash being blown by a gust of wind. The rest of the fuckers were too busy cheering and taking bets to even realize that one of their own just got killed. Either that, or they simply didn’t care. Now I really needed to make sure I did not get hit by that thing. 

“Pathetic. Here I was hoping for a fight, but all you have been doing is hopping around like the dumb bunny you are.”

The voice boomed out of the speakers on the robot. From the movements, I doubt it had an artificial intelligence on it like Onion, so that means there is a mammal somewhere controlling it, or at the very least simply taking pleasure in my pain. There was one thing that was bothering me however. Someone from inside Hope had attacked me with a grenade launcher, probably thinking I was with them. If they are still watching then they have to know that I am on their side, and if that is the case, shouldn’t they see I am in trouble and try to help? If I survive this and find out they were watching this like some kind of entertainment, I will have to introduce their face to my fist. I _really_ am not in the mood right now. 

A blast hit the ground near me, causing me to slide behind the robot. That’s when something very familiar caught my attention. An access port, and not just any port, one that looked as if my Pip-Boar could interface with! If I could get closer to it, I might be able to disable it, provided those bastards don’t try killing me first. Now I just needed to get close. 

I tried to jump onto it’s back but the servo controlling the waist was quicker as it spun around and threw me to the ground with one of the arms. It took aim but I was able to roll away before it could fire. There was no way I would be able to get it unless I could slow down time … wait a second, why the fuck hasn’t my Pip-Boar try to initiate B.A.T.S.? I am sure this is an imminent enough of a threat for it to kick in. I glanced down on the screen as I dodged another shot. There was something new on it, a giant yellow exclamation mark. I had no idea what it was, but I pushed it. 

“ _Warning. Serum X-241 Nearly Depleted. Replacement Advised. Doses Available: 1. Initiate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

ONE! Why the fuck was it warning me now? Then again it’s not like I would have been able to replace it. I don’t even know what this Serum X-241 is, nor if I could even find anymore. I guess it was stupid of me to think it had an unlimited amount of resources. Well, since I was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, which would directly result in an agonizing death, might as well make the most of it. 

“Yes!”

Everything started to slow as my legs felt stronger and my mind clearer. I don’t know if it was the fact that this might be the last time I ever get to use B.A.T.S., or if the last dose was more concentrated, but it felt much more effective this time around. Time seemed to slow almost to a halt as I circled around the back of the robot. Since I must have been moving much too quick for it to process, it did not try to swat at me this time. I jumped onto the metal frame and scampered up to the access port. Pulling the connector from my Pip-Boar I jammed it in and booted up my access program. I couldn’t waste a single second. The moment those fuckers figure out what I am doing, is the moment they will start shooting. 

I don’t think that anyone thought that someone would try riding a giant killer robot while attempting to hack into it, because the security on it was pitiful. I was in in a matter of moments. I could feel the serum starting to wear off but I ignored everything, focusing on my work. I was able to access three basic options. Self-destruct, system shutdown, or command override. Since a self-destruct was out of the question, and shutting it down would not prevent the dozens of armed mammals from gunning me down, I accessed its command override. That menu presented me with a few more options. Target override, manual control, and recall. I did not have the time to change its targeting profile, and the last thing I wanted was to send it home, so I decided to take matters into my own paws, literally. 

The serum wore off as I finished accessing manual override. The screen of my Pip-Boar changed to show what looked like an old video game controller. It only had a few buttons, two for mobility, one for each weapon, and one marked with a large red and yellow exclamation mark. Below it read: _Self-Destruct_. Guess the programmers really did not want it falling into the wrong paws. Too late for that. I knew that the crowd was onto me as the cheering changed into angry yelling. I heard a few bullets ping off of the armor as I took full control of the robot. 

A few presses of the weapon buttons showed me just how powerful this thing was. I disintegrated four mammals in a matter of seconds. The lasers had to recharge between blasts, so I kept the robot moving to avoid being attacked. I was small enough that I was able to find gaps in the design to secure my feet and keep me stable as I controlled the robot with one paw and took potshots with my gun, although since my Pip-Boar paw was wielding the gun, it made it hard to multitask. 

“Get this fucking rabbit off of my robot, now!”

Apparently the speakers were on another system, because whomever was on the other side sounded pissed. I think many of these mammals knew how deadly this robot could be since I saw some of them trying to hide, while a few simply bolted. Unfortunately, most of them were trying to kill me. A burning sensation tore through my left leg as a bullet made contact. I clenched my teeth to avoid screaming. The last thing I needed was to show them that they got me. I turned the robot towards the direction of the shot and let loose this thing’s light show. 

“Hey rabbit! Try this on for size!”

I turned towards the voice and my jaw dropped. The pain from my leg vanishing as my brain was trying to comprehend what was before me. The crowd had parted for one of the elephants and resting on his shoulder was a very large missile launcher. The elephant knelt down and took aim with the giant boom tube. This robot was fast, but not fast enough to dodge a missile. I turned the robot so that I was facing away and braced for an impact. 

I heard and felt an explosion, but it did not come from anywhere near the robot. Did he miss this massive thing? I positioned the robot so I was facing where the elephant was and saw that he was lying down on the ground, where he was standing was now a smoking crater. Did he just blow himself up?

“Sorry for the wait bunny! I wasn’t sure whose side you were on, but it’s pretty obvious now!”

I looked up and saw a small opening near the roof, and sticking out from it was a gazelle that looked strikingly like the ones from the posters I have seen scattered around. In her hooves was a grenade launcher. I saw the familiar flash of light as she launched another round into the crowd, causing them to scatter. I started to wonder why she didn’t just chuck those grenades at them earlier when a missed gunshot aimed at her snapped me back into the moment. Defend now, ask questions later. 

The explosions from the grenade rounds cleared a path towards a solid steel structure forming the wall of the building. I maneuvered the robot so that I was between it and the wall and started to unleash hell upon my aggressors. Each time the weapon was readied, I fired it, and with the dense crowd I was almost guaranteed to hit one of them. I am never eager to kill anyone, especially en-masse like this, but the moment they brought force upon the countless innocent lives in the city, was the same moment that their own lives became forfeit. 

Between me and the gazelle, we managed to thin the crowd down. Most of them began to realize that their continued assault was futile, and made the smart choice of retreating. I was not low enough to kill someone with their back turned to me, but I did fire a few warning shots near them, just in case they had any intention of grouping up and attacking again. 

The whole ordeal only took twenty minutes from the time I first encountered the Berserk-kings, but at times like this, it often feels like an eternity. As the last of the raiders had either left or reduced to piles of ash and bone, the adrenalin that was rushing through my body started to fade. The pain in my leg where I was shot returned, along with my migraine. I was hurting all over, but thankfully I did not feel as if I wanted to collapse yet, but there was still time for that. 

As I was loosening my feet from the robot in order to climb down, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Instinctively I turned and leveled my gun at the potential assailant. It was Onion. I dropped the gun to my side as I pulled off a, ‘I’m fine, never felt better’ smile. We both knew I was lying. 

“Miss! I am so glad you are ok!”

“What happened to you Onion?”

“It’s rather embarrassing Miss. After that one ram tried using me as a projectile against you, and I am truly sorry I was used like that to cause you pain, the fall damaged my baton, rendering it unusable. Not sure what I could do against that unruly bunch, I am ashamed to say that I simply sat there and watched. I am very sorry Miss.”

The false smile turned into a genuine one as I started to laugh. “Oh Onion, I am glad you are safe, and if I had known that your only weapon was damaged, I would have told you to do the same.”

“Looks like the coast is clear bunny. Wait right there, I am going to come down and open the gate.”

The gazelle retreated back through the hole as a panel closed completely blocking where she was. The whole building must have had those secrete doors scattered throughout them, and with how much the walls looked sporadic with their materials, it’s no wonder I never noticed them before. I heard the sound of metal dropping as it was followed by the roar of a loud motor. The metal wall before me started to creak and groan as it slowly was drawn to the left revealing a large arched opening. Standing on the other side was the gazelle. She was tall and looked rather striking. She had to have been the most beautiful mammal I have ever seen outside of my books. She was dressed in what looked like an old pre-war military uniform, but the coat had been modified into a vest, while she wore a knee-high skirt made from the same materials. It was as if she was able move between a military engagement and a ballroom without ever needing to change. Slung over her shoulder was her grenade launcher. 

“I want to formally apologize for earlier. With all these raider attacks recently, it’s getting hard to tell who’s who anymore.” She held out her hoof towards me and I took it in my paw as we exchanged handshakes. “I want to thank you for your help formally introduce myself. I am Mayor Jessabell Swift, and I welcome you to the Town of Hope.”

***

The town was huge. Not by any Burrow standards mind you, but compared to its exterior, it was so much larger on the inside. The central area was clear all the way to the roof where I saw hanging walkways connecting various sections together. That must be how Jessabell managed to move between shots. On either side was a second floor that encircled the interior. Makeshift buildings were lined around both the top and bottom of the upper floor, and it looked as if the upper floors had been extended beyond their original design. I saw a few mammals here and there, but it did not look very populated. I hope I wasn’t too late. 

I was walking with the mayor and she must have felt my uneasiness because she put her hoof on her shoulder, as if trying to comfort me and grabbed a small device from a pocket and started to speak into it.

“Citizens of Hope!” Jessabell’s voice started to echo throughout the town. It was then that I noticed the speakers in the ceiling, along with a dozen turrets, all trained on us, or rather, me. “I know that most of you are scared, and I cannot blame you for that. We have been through a lot these past few months, and many of us, including myself I am ashamed to say, thought that this recent attack by those cowards who the Berserk-Kings was going to be our last. They came with a weapon, armed with a nuclear core and planned on using it to tear down these walls that we have so painstakingly kept erect over the centuries.”

Nuclear core?! Did she mean that that giant robot, who I was clinging to with dear life, had the ability to go nuclear? Fuck me! I am so glad I didn’t decide on using the self- destruct. I looked at Onion and could tell that something similar was going through his thought processors. 

“Now,” she kept on broadcasting her speech, every word invoking passion and a sense of leadership that would make anyone, myself included, follow her to the ends of the world. “We have their weapon, and we have sent them running! They will send their leader the message that we will not back down! We will not go quiet into the night, and that we will always stand our ground, no matter how dire the situation is, we will prevail!” 

I started to see mammals coming out of every nook and cranny, species young and old, big and small. They were starting to form a crowd in front of us. I could hear murmurs among them. Some wanted to know if we really were safe, others were curious as to who the rabbit standing beside the mayor was. 

Jessabell leaned over and whispered, “What is your name sweetie?”

“Oh, um, it’s Olivia. Olivia Springs.” I don’t know why, but her whispering into my ear, and being so close caused my cheeks to start burning. I hope I wasn’t blushing. Why am I blushing? I tried looking away nonchalantly. I think I heard her giggle. 

“Our town was founded on one principle, that every one, no matter their past, species, age, gender, or beliefs were welcomed with open arms. Today is no different! While we refused to give in to these cowards, it was not anyone here, nor was it myself that freed us, it was this rabbit! She is not one of us, she does not call our town home, but today she will because alone she took down the robot and drove away the entire raiding party, sending a message to their leader that we will no longer be trifled with! I present to you, Hope’s savior and our new hero, Miss Olivia Springs!”

“WHAT!?” The word slipped before I could even think. I covered my mouth with my paws and leaned over towards Jessabell, “What do you mean alone? Why did you tell them that you weren’t helping? If it wasn’t for your grenade, that guy would have shoved his missile where the sun don’t shine!”

“Most of us have been afraid. The few fighters we have were all injured during last week’s attacks. Like I said, we have been getting hit hard lately for some reason, and we have some mammals that wanted to leave weeks ago, but were too afraid to do so. Traders have stopped visiting us because they keep getting attacked by the same bastards. After what we been through, we need someone to believe in, and sweetie, I think you have proven yourself to be that someone.”

I didn’t know what to say. This whole time I kept telling myself that I needed to step up and be a hero to this world, but now that someone is telling me I have the job, I suddenly am not feeling all that qualified, or comfortable, taking up the mantle. I wanted to question the mayor further, ask her if this is what she really believes, but I was startled by a noise. I turned towards the front gate and saw a rhino and a giraffe hauling the now defunct robot into the town before the massive metal door closed behind them. 

“What were your plans for that mayor?”

“Not sure yet. We can’t let just leave it alone in case the Berserk-kings come back for it, or it ends up falling into worse hands. We also can’t just let it sit here. Like I said, it is powered by a nuclear core that would turn this entire town into a crater, so it’s almost like having an undetonated nuclear bomb just sitting here, something I am sure that many would be uncomfortable with.”

“Well, and this is just my mind rattling away, but what if I were to switch out the power for something a bit more … manageable? I could reprogram it to follow your commands, and you would have a massive addition to your security. That might be well enough to cause troublemakers to turn tail at the sight of it.”

“That, is a very good idea Miss Springs. I would hate to trouble you with such a task so soon after that fight. You should rest some.”

“That is what I have been _trying_ to tell you Miss.” There was something, enthralling about the way the mayor talked that I did not even notice Onion pop between us.

“And who is this little cutie?”

I think that if Onion had some kind of color changing outer shell, that he would have turned a bright red the way he seemed to hesitate before zipping behind me. “This is my friend Onion. I built him when I was …” despite how trusting I was feeling around her, some part of me kept tugging at me when I go to mention the Burrow, “… let’s just say I built him from scraps after my mother passed, and I had no one else to turn to.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” she sounded genuine saying that. “I am impressed though. I don’t know too many who could make such a well-designed robot from just scrap. Would it be to forward of me to ask you for some help, in the morning that is. I can tell that you really do need to rest, and I’ll have the doctor patch you up, on me, of course.”

“That is really nice of you, mayor. I would be glad to help out in whatever way I could as payment.”

“Come with me sweetie.”

Whenever that bastard North called me ‘sweetheart’, it made me cringe and want to slap him, yet whenever she called me ‘sweetie’, I felt a little faint and flustered. Then again it could be the blood loss as taking a step reminded me that I was just recently shot through the leg. The sudden return of pain caused me to collapse under my own weight. Both Onion and Mayor Swift rushed to help me up, although without proper arms, Onion simply pushed on me as her very delicate hooves … gah! Bad Olivia, stop thinking these thoughts!

“Actually, I think the doctors first. His office is right over here. Put your arm around my neck and, Onion was it? Help make sure she doesn’t fall again. Shall we?”

***

I felt rather silly being partially carried by the mayor and a robot as the town’s ‘hero’ was brought to the doctor’s office. I was not expecting much, seeing that she mentioned supplies had been diminishing due to the lack of traders, but Doctor Tavia Boll, a tiny little vole, was still rather well-stocked on supplies. She was a quick one too. Unlike the doctors in the Burrow who were very slow and methodical about every little thing, she kept zipping back and forth. She would take a syringe full of something, and inject me with it before I could even feel it. She cleaned out my bullet wound and sewed it up so quick that I doubt even B.A.T.S. would be able to slow down enough to see her move. That reminds me.

“Doctor, have you heard of something called Serum-241?”

“Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell. Now lay down. I’m almost done. I said stop moving.”

Even her words were quick. Every time I fidgeted a bit she would slap me with her tail without even blinking an eye. I’ve seen some of the rodents in the Burrow use their tail as a third paw before, but not with the dexterity she had. It was almost as if she actually _had_ three paws. It only took about ten minutes, but I felt better after that short time then I have an entire night’s sleep. Which reminded me. When _was_ the last time I actually had a good night’s sleep? Other than that week long coma, I don’t think I have had time to stop and rest, yet alone sleep. 

“Thank you doctor. I haven’t felt this good in a while.”

“You’re welcome. Now rest. Don’t get into a fight. You’ll undo all my hard work.”

Since I was able to walk again without needing support, the mayor led us out of the doctor’s office and back into the main part of town. With the threat of utter annihilation over, the town is feeling just as a town should. Mammals were coming and going, the entire tension of the town seemed to be melting away. I was feeling rather overwhelmed though. I think word had already spread of my deeds, because every time we passed someone, they either stopped to say ‘thank you’, applaud me, and some even ran up to try to shake my paw or give me a big hug, but thankfully the mayor kindly turned them away, saying that the ‘hero’ needed some rest. Despite what I said in the past, I don’t think I could actually get used to being called that. But it _did_ come with some perks.

The first place the mayor brought me was a small area in the shopping district, which lined one side of the town, that served food throughout the day. Since I left the Burrow, the only thing I had to eat was processed crap that I was sure was well past its expiration, or recycled food. Then again it was rare for me to have eaten a fresh meal in the Burrow. Despite the fact we had a working garden, most of its harvest went towards making rations, and only on special occasions was it actually cooked and consumed as nature indented. 

This place made all of that seem like I was eating dirt. Like the other structures within the town, it had a very patchwork appearance, having looked as if they were built, torn down, and rebuilt, probably due to expansion. Despite the look, the food smelt, and tasted, remarkable. I know this is said of most exhausted and under nourished mammals that were in my position, but this meal tasted so good it just made me want to … what the hell is wrong with me? I _never_ had thoughts like this before. Then again I also never, escaped the inescapable, killed another living being, been chased by undead looking fuckers, or been shot, stabbed, and nearly blown up before, so I guess there’s always time for new experiences. Ohh, this carrot and bean soup is sooo good.

***

Once my hunger was satisfied, and once again the mayor said it was on her, she took me on a little tour of the place. Despite how big it looked, there was not much to see. There were about a hundred and thirty mammals currently living here, but a third of that were traders or visitors who had gotten trapped here during the attacks. She told me that the population usually teetered on around a hundred, but they had been wanting to expand to allow a much larger population. 

I commented on the turrets that had stopped following me a while back and I was surprised to hear that only two of them were actually functional. Apparently, a few years ago, some raiders almost succeeded in taking over the town from the inside out, but the turrets had thinned them down enough for security to safely step in. Unfortunately, one of the raiders had managed to hack into the defense network and took out all the turrets, and they have only been able to get one fixed. The others are more for intimidation, although most of the residents still think they all work. 

Another issue they had was the water purification system. Food was easy enough. They had a large harden on the roof that I had apparently neglected to notice, and they used to pump water from a massive underground lake system that was discovered a few decades ago, but the irradiated water in the reflective pools outside have leaked into it over the years, making it unsuitable for drinking. They can currently only purify about twenty gallons a day, compared to their two hundred gallons a day in the past. 

As she was showing me to the living area, the lights flickered a few times before steadying again. Apparently they also have been having issues with the generators. Due to a lack of fuel, they are solar powered, but the solar panels have been damaged from the radiation storms that pass through every so often. I asked if they had a mechanic, but she informed me that he died almost a five years ago salvaging for parts in a nearby scrap yard, and they have not been able to find anyone suited for the job. 

We finally arrived at the rear of the building where her office and living quarters were. She told me that she did not spend much time in there, that she would rather be working _with_ her people, rather than them working for her. That was also the reason why she looked like a military officer in her outfit. She has governed her people and lead them at the forefront of every attack. She did not want to just sit at her desk like some of her predecessors, she wanted to show them that: ‘Jessabell Swift is not just a leader by title, but a leader by action.’ I was really starting to like her, and this town. 

“Miss Springs, I know that I have seemed overly generous to you, but we truly are thankful to you. Unlike some of the other groups out there that are all bark and no bite, the Berserk-kings have a reputation to follow through on their words. That is why we felt so hopeless. Our security force is down to three healthy mammals, but the moment they were to leave to engage them, they would have been gunned down.”

“What about the walkways above us? You did not seem to hesitate trying to shoot me with a grenade launcher earlier.”

This time she was the one blushing, “I am really sorry about that. Like I said, I was not sure _who_ you were, and it was better safe than sorry. I wouldn’t have dared to attack them from that without risking them following through on detonating that robot, but there has been rising turf wars among the raider groups. So, I was hoping that they would have gotten distracted by it. I _am_ glad I missed, although I usually don’t miss.”

I blushed at that. I didn’t really know if she had missed, or if I had been that agile, but either way I am glad it worked out the way it did. This place was amazing. Sure it was run down and literally falling apart from the inside out, but that is what made it so amazing. It was always my dream to be a renowned mechanic, even if it was only within the Burrow walls, and this place is like a dream come true.

“This, is yours.”

“Wha …” 

Next to her office were two shacks that were much larger than the other ones in the residential area. She opened the of the one closest to her place and ushered me inside. It was very roomy, at least for me. While it was not built for someone as tall as a giraffe, or as large as an elephant, it looked as if it could fit at least four my size and still be comfortable. There was a dresser almost as tall as myself, a king size bed, and most importantly, the thing that made my jaw drop, a large work bench with shelving full of random scrap and tools. I nearly fainted at the sight.

“This used to be the residence of our mechanic, and since we have not been able to find a replacement, we simply kept it clean and available. Just in case.” 

“This … this is amazing! I never actually had a workbench of my own, only whatever table was free! There are tools I have never seen before, and … are those blueprints? Yes, they are! And is that, oh it can’t be. It is! I have NEVER seen biometric scanner in person! The doctors in the Burrow would never let me near one!”

“Burrow? You’re from a Burrow?”

Fuck. I was so excited I did not even realize what I was saying. “Yeah, I … I kinda was trying to keep it a secret. Sometime after leaving I was nearly taken by slavers who mentioned that someone like me, ‘untainted’ by the wasteland would be worth more. I was afraid that if I told anyone that it would come back and bite me on the ass. Please don’t mention it.”

“Don’t worry sweetie, your secret is safe with me, although a Pip-Boar like that is not something common around these parts, so it might cause some questions. Then again there is someone else in town with one, and it’s been rather quiet about it around here. Of course being contently under siege is a good distraction for most anything.”

“Thank you.” I was remembering about that time, when I rescued Bo and his … “Oh! There isn’t by chance a buffalo named Bo here? He was traveling with his wife and daughter.”

“Bo? Unfortunately, that is not a name I am familiar with, and I make it my personal duty to get to know everyone who comes and goes.”

They didn’t make it. I hope they are ok. With all these attacks, they must have had to turn away to prevent getting swept into another dangerous happenstance. They had plenty of stuff to sell, so I am sure they could make it anywhere. Still, I need to find a way to make sure they are alright.

“If you see or hear _anything_ about them, please let me know.”

“Okay sweetie. Now, back to the matter at hand. As mayor of Hope, I would like to formally offer you not only this room, but permanent residence in my town. We have been needing someone with the mechanical prowess you have, and heck, you might even be able to teach our security a thing or two from the way you handled those raiders.”

“I … wow. Really?”

“Yup. It’s yours. Now we typically are not able to pay the mechanic …”

“Yes! I will!”

“Even though I said no pay?”

“As long as I can trade for food and supplies, I could care less about money. This has been my dream since I was a kid.”

“Well, it’s not often that someone doesn’t care that they are not getting paid. You really are something sweetie. Now if you excuse me, I need to take care of some things. You rest and we will continue our talk first thing in the morning over some nice breakfast.”

Mayor Swift left the room and closed the door behind her. I was so excited that I did not even think I would sleep. I ran over to the workbench and started to take inventory of everything. Most of this stuff had seen better days, but I knew I would be able to make use of everything in here. I started to yawn and decided that it could wait till morning, I really should try to get at least a little sleep.

“Onion, we have been through a lot since leaving the Burrow, but you know what? For the first time since my mother died, I feel as if I am home.”

 

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

 

Well then ladies and gentle-mammals, it’s time for something a little … different. My pre-reader/writing assistant has mentioned a few times that I really should have some sort of typical author notes each chapter, but you know what, this author is not typical, in the least, so I decided that I will NOT be having an after chapter note section. Instead I will be having an ‘After Show’! So without further ado, may I present the first in a series of after chapter shorts:

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good afternoon listeners! This is Stripes in the Morning, featuring everyone’s favorite zebra, me! Today we have a very special guest, the talk of the wastes, the hero of Hope, and the rabbit with the loveliest auburn fur you've ever seen, Olivia Springs!”

**[Olivia]**

“Who… who are you? How did you get… Onion! Who let this guy into my workshop!”

**[Stripes]**

“I'm the one and only C. Stripes of the Zootopian Wasteland’s premiere, and only, radio station coming to you live!”

**[Olivia]**

“Never heard of you, now if you wouldn’t mind leaving…”

**[Stripes]**

“I just have a few questions, Olivia, can I call you Olivia?”

**[Olivia]**

“No, and get out.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well then Olivia, our readers would like to know…”

**[Olivia]**

“Readers? I thought you said this was a radio show, you can’t _read_ a radio.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well my show _is_ a bit, unique, but I strive for only the best! Now, some of the audience would love to know if there's _anything_ going on between you and Jessabell Swift.”

**[Olivia]**

“What? I have no idea what you're talking about. Leave me alone!”

**[Stripes]**

“But the audience saw your thoughts on her, but they want to _hear_ them as well!”

**[Olivia]**

“Buh … _saw_ my thoughts? What the … you know what, no. There's nothing going on.”  
_(slam)_

**[Stripes]**

“Well that was rather rude. But fear not, for I will never stop asking the cold hard questions! Until the next After Show, this is Stripes signing off!”


	22. Settling In

“Miss! You need to get up!”

“Wha … what’s going on?”

“I don’t know Miss, but there is a large commotion out in the middle of town.”

It was dark, and I groggily tried reaching for my Pip-Boar. Onion’s words seemed just as hazy as my thoughts were right now. A commotion? I finally was able to land my paw on the wrist mounted computer and I checked the time. Two fifteen in the morning. Fuck. Can’t I go back to sleep? I stumbled out of my bed as I latched the Pip-Boar on my wrist. I tried to remember where the light switch was when I started to hear the commotion outside. 

“It’s the robot!”

Robot? What were they … FUCK! Those bastard raiders must have had a remote activator! I had to do something. I think I recall deactivating the weapon systems, but the core, there was no way to completely disable it without taking the entire thing apart. I needed rest, I told myself I would do it in the morning, fuck me, I should have never left that fucking robot alone until I was certain it was safe!

I rushed out of the room, not bothering trying to find my gun, it was useless before, and it will be useless now, especially without my B.A.T.S.. After this, I _really_ needed to figure out how to replace that serum. I heard Onion call after me but there was no time for his safety messages. If that killer machine _was_ active again, it could destroy everything and everyone here. 

I raced past the market stalls and the residential area towards the main gate where I last remembered that robot was. There were people in a panic, running each way, but most of them were crowding near the gate, some bickering, and other’s yelling. There were so many voices at once, I was unable to make out much of what they were saying. Some were shouting: ‘traitor!’ while others were screaming: ‘You’ve doomed us!’ I think I heard my name, or at least the words ‘savior,’ and ‘hero’ here and there. Even when racing in a panic through the streets, those titles felt foreign to me. All the more so when I had, at multiple times, told myself that that was what I was striving for. 

In the middle of the crowd I could see the robot. It did not look as if it was trying to attack, but it was swiveling around back and forth at random. Was it just short circuiting? If I could get onto it and connect my Pip-Boar, I could see what was wrong. I pushed through the crowd and, as they noticed me, they started to form and opening for me to pass. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I swore they were all staring at me. They probably were waiting for me to come save the day. Again. 

“Clear the way people!”

I recognized the mayor’s voice as I finally breeched the crowd. She was standing there with two large wolves on either side of her. One of them had a fox grasped in his arms while, considering what was going on, the other was standing there rather calm. I wanted to ask what the hell was going on, but I was distracted by the mayor’s silken night … fuck Olivia! Now is not the time! Although I thought I saw her blush when I was looking at her. I pushed that from my head and put my attention on the right now. 

“Stand back everyone!” 

The arms were thankfully still in their rested mode, most likely still disabled from my hacking as I caught the crowd’s attention. As if the mayor herself gave an order, everyone quieted down and moved a few steps back. I ran around the robot until I was able to get a clear view of the back where the access port was and I made a jump. 

I don’t know how long I was asleep, but it was defiantly long enough to make my jump feel natural again, and not just force by my adrenalin. Although at this moment, I am sure that was helping. I went to open the access port but it had already been opened. The lights were dim, but I noticed that there was something lodged in the port. Was that a Pip-Boar connector? I yanked it out and plugged my own into it. The mayor did mention someone else with a Pip-Boar here … I’ll have to ask more about that after I was done. 

My heart nearly stopped as I pulled up the access program. From the looks of it, someone was trying to load custom software into the machine, but it had tripped a failsafe. Unfortunately, that failsafe was directly linked to the self-destruct mechanism. Looks like it’s owners did not want it being purposed. Fuck me, fuck them, fuck this machine!

I tried to perform a manual override, but with the new code and the old code trying to override each other and gain control, it was going to take much longer than I had time. I tried to purge the new code, but every-time I thought I succeeded, a part of it remained behind and replicated itself faster than I could purge it. Whoever made this code must be a coding genius. Even I haven’t figured out how to create self-replicating code, then again I really never had a use for it. Suddenly the robot started to warm up. That is not good. 

I checked the machines status. _Weapons: offline. Mobility: offline. Navigation: offline. Core: critical_. I tried to find the internal cooling system to try to bring down the temperature and buy some time, but it had already been vented. There were two options. Manually eject the core and try to get it as far away from here as possible, or try to get its navigation software online and send it as far away from here. I tried the latter first, since I doubt there was enough time for the former. 

This fucking code was getting me really mad. Each time I think I had its navigation online, this foreign code started to assimilate my own, causing the resident code to attack us both. I swear this code had a mind of its own. Now I wasn’t sure if I wanted to chat with the code’s creator, or punch them in the face. Maybe both. There was only one thing to do. 

“Everyone! I am unable to get this thing under control, and its core is about to go critical! We need to get it as far away from here as possible!”

“What are you going to do about it?”

What am I? Just because I save … wait a second. ‘What am I’ … ‘what am’ … WATER! If I can manage to get the core detached from the robot and cool it down enough, that should buy me the time I need to purge ALL the code from the system and manually override it! The problem was, I had no idea where the core was. The robot was heating up enough to potentially locate it, but if it was anything like the fission units in the Burrow, it had to be removed a certain way in order to prevent a radiation purge. I tried to find a schematic for it, but no luck. The Burrow’s databases did not have blueprints for pre-war technology like this. Wait a sec!

“I have an idea! I need a volunteer, preferably a fast one. I’ll be right back, and get that gate open!”

The commotion started up again, with people starting to question me as I ran past them back to the workshop. I knew what I had to do, but I hoped it would work, and more so, that they would trust me with it. 

“Alright! You heard her! James, you’re our fastest. Get that gate open! Everyone else, find shelter!” 

The mayor started to throw orders around and that caused the commotion to stop as they followed her every command. I was new here, and despite having saved them yesterday, I had a long way to go to earn the trust that she instills in them. If all goes well, I hope to stick around long enough to earn that kind of trust myself. 

I picked up speed as I ran back through the town to my residents. I remembered there were a whole stack of blueprints there, and I had started to look through them as I was trying to force myself to sleep. A little light reading always helped me sleep. I recall seeing a few robot schematics among them and, provided I wasn’t half asleep, there was one that should help. 

When I got to the workshop, Onion was holding something and was trying to get my attention. I told him it was an emergency. I did not have time for whatever nonsense he was trying to tell me. I rummaged through the blueprints that had been already tossed around the room. I was not a very organized rabbit, but after frantically searching through my mess, I think I needed to change that. I finally found exactly what I needed and ran back out towards the manic machine. 

I was very glad that, unlike me, this town was fairly clear of debris because I used my time running back to locate where the core’s access point was and how to open it. It seemed much simpler than I thought honestly, but was defiantly not something I’d wanna try under attack. The crowd had diminished greatly as everyone was seeking shelter in case my mission fell through. The thought of failure was starting to creep into my consciousness, but I did my best to smack it away. These people were counting on me. I had to be the savior that Mayor Swift made me out to be. If I failed …

“You have your runner, James. You do everything she tells you.”

“Yes mayor.”

“I would love to talk pleasantries with you, but I need you to …” I slid under the robot as I cut myself off. The access to the power core was on the near the ‘head’ of the robot, but in order to open it manually, I needed to activate three release mechanisms. The first one was under the robot near the back leg. I turned on my Pip-Boar’s light and found it right where the blueprints said it would be. I turned the lever until it slid out a few inches and then pushed it back in. Then I moved towards the front of the robot where the next one was hidden under a thick plate. Thankfully, activating the first switch released the plate allowing me to activate the mechanism underneath. I jumped down and moved to the back where I started to scurry up it. The robot was finished with its spasms. The manual release had initiated a movement override. The final switch was the actual housing for the core. I twisted it halfway and pushed with all my might. It moved a few inches into the robot before ejecting itself, sending it, and me crashing to the ground. I cradled it as I fell. The heat from it becoming unbearable. Thankfully it had a housing that saved me from a massive dose of radiation. 

“… carry this. Hurry and take it to the pools around back! Throw it into the deepest one, I got it from there.”

“You want me to what?”

Before I could repeat myself, the mayor gave him a stern look that wiped away any other remarks he may have had. He grabbed it and bolted through the main gate. While he was buying me time, I jumped up and plugged myself back into the robot. I bought myself ten, fifteen minutes at most, but it was better than the seconds we had before. I wasted no time launching _Hackatron_ and working on the code. While this self-replicating code was very effective, I had a few tricks up my sleeve as well. I started by not trying to fight the foreign code, but rather, use it to hide my own as I located the back-door to the factory programming. The entire system was so busy fighting against the alien code, that it did not even notice me sneaking in the back. Once I was in it was as if I just went from swimming upstream to just going with the natural flow. It only took me a few seconds to find the factory override and I began the code purge. To be safe, I dumped _everything_ , leaving this machine no more than a pile of scrap. To be honest, it left me a bit saddened, to see all that unexplored code to go waste, but it beat dying. 

“It’s safe.” I slowly slid down the robot until I was back on the ground. I found myself panting, not only from the running, but from the aftershock of the stress leaving me, “The core and the robot were linked via a wireless signal to prevent tampering, but since I purged the entire system, it pretty much overrode the self-destruct, causing the core to safely purge. The water may not have been drinkable now, but now I would avoid it all together. It was the best I could do.”

“Your ‘best’ just saved this town from a nuclear explosion … twice. I’d say your ‘best’ was better than we all had hoped.” The mayor came up and knelt beside me as she spoke and put her hoof on my shoulder and whispered into my ear, “Although, it seems in your haste, you showed everyone a … bit more than intended.”

“What do you …”

“Miss!” Onion darted up to where the mayor and I was with my jumpsuit in his extended claw.

“Is that my …” I felt my face get very hot as I looked down and realize that this entire time I had been parading around town in nothing by my underwear. I jumped up and grabbed the jumpsuit from Onion and ran behind the now immobile machine to put it on. The rush of my little ‘adventure’ was now being replaced by shame and humiliation. After this I don’t think I could face the other residents for a while. They saw … everything. 

“I tried to tell you Miss,” Onion shouted from the other side of the robot before I heard him in a much lower tone, “I did try to tell her.”

I just put my face into my paws. Why me?

***

I had managed to sneak on back to my place without making eye contact with anyone. I felt too ashamed to face them, and I just wanted to go and hide for the rest of the night. The mayor tried to get me to do something, but I told her in the morning, I just wanted to wallow in my shame. I didn’t really say that, at least I don’t think I did. I _really_ hope I didn’t. 

Onion was quiet the rest of the night. Either he was just as embarrassed as I was, or he knew I was in one of those, ‘don’t talk to me’ moods. I have been having them a lot recently, although for reasons much more understandable. I am so very glad that I did not choose tonight to sleep in the nude. I crashed onto my bed still in my jumpsuit and I vowed to never take it off again as I screamed into my pillow. 

I don’t remember when I fell asleep, but I woke up feeling much better. I checked my Pip-Boar and saw that it was a little after nine in the morning. Due to this town being inside a large building, it was just as dark as it was during the night. I found the light switch and had to cover my eyes as the ceiling light powered on. Things were scattered everywhere from my haste at finding the blueprints, but I had plenty of time to straighten it up. Right now I wanted to know what that box was on the workbench. I don’t remember that. 

“You’re up Miss. Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, um what is that?”

“Mayor Swift stopped by this morning but I told her you were still asleep Miss. I said I could wake you, but she told me to let you sleep. She said one you are awake, she wanted you to meet her behind the medical office. She also wanted you to open this gift from her prior to leaving.”

“Gift? For me?” 

I had no idea what it could be. A small rumble in my stomach made me hope it was food. The box was big, but very flat, like an over-sized book. It did not have a whole lot of weight to it, nor did it make any noise when I shook it. A small red ribbon held the entire thing together. As I was carefully undoing the ribbon, I saw a small piece of folded paper tied to it. I unfolded it and read its contents.

“ _Dear Miss Springs,_  
 _Once again I would like to thank you for your admirable work saving this town. I have an important meeting that I wanted you to join me in, but first stop by Olive’s Garden. I have informed the owner that you are to be well fed once you are up for the day. Once you are content, please meet me at the holding cells behind the medical facility.  
Gratefully yours, Mayor Jessabell Swift._”

Holding cells? What possible reason could she want me meeting her there? I tried to think of any potential reason, but my stomach kept vying for my attention. I haven’t eaten since I arrived here yesterday afternoon. Food first, then the mayor. I went back to pulling the ribbon off the box. Its contents were not what I was expecting. Inside were two articles of clothing, both very neatly folded. The first one was a jumpsuit, similar to the ones in the Burrows, but it was a dark green accented with stripes of white along the seams. On the front in bold yellow was the word: _Hope_ , while on the back was the word: _Springs_. 

How did she have time to make this? This jumpsuit was crisp and clean, like it was just made. I slipped out of my old jumpsuit and tried this one on. It was a perfect fit. How did she know my size? Already the questions were flying through my head. I asked Onion if anyone slipped in with a tape measurer last night, but he informed me that it was quiet the rest of the night. I turned towards the other article of clothing. This one was … much different. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as I pulled it out. It was a silken nightgown. The opaque black material felt wonderful. It was so smooth with a cool to the touch feeling. I saw another slip of paper fall down as I was holding the nightgown up to me. I bent down and picked it up. It was the same hoof writing as the other one.

“ _I hope black is acceptable to you. After last night, I figured you would want something a bit less revealing to wear to bed._ ”

Unlike the formal note on the box this one was simply signed, ‘Jessabell’. My heart fluttered at the thought of her thinking of me. Gah! I shouldn’t be having these thoughts. Not only is she the mayor, but I have never felt like this around someone my own sex before. Of course, I never really felt like this around _anyone_ before. It’s like she is bewitching me or something. I carefully draped the nightgown on the bed before grabbing my tool belt. I went to grab my gun, but changed my mind. I didn’t want to give the wrong impression to anyone. 

“Onion, I am going to get some food and then meet the mayor. Do you mind straightening up in here? I wanna get to know this place better before you start wondering around. Who ever tried to take control of that robot might still be here, and I don’t wanna risk the same on you.”

“As you wish Miss. I should probably recharge. I spent the entire night alert, afraid that if I were to power down, something bad would happen and I wouldn’t be around to warn you.”

I turned and kissed him on his shell, “I appreciate it. You rest now. If I need anything, I’ll contact you through my Pip-Boar.”

I opened the door as saw that the town was busy. Mammals were traversing back and forth between the market, their homes, and whatever they did on a daily basis. I closed the door behind me as I followed the delicious smell towards the only restaurant in town, Olive’s Garden. Now that I had been rested, I was able to take in the surroundings much better. The eatery was a simple shack with a large window in the front. Mammals were lined up placing orders in the window before taking a seat at the tables set up in the front and on the side of the shack. While waiting in line, I noticed two other shacks nearby that looked similar to this one. They both looked closed and while one had no sign on it, the other one had what looked like an unlit neon sign that spelled out: _‘Nyte Lyfe’_. 

“While this place has the best food in town, Nyte Lyfe has the best drinks. A shame it’s owner got trapped outside when this siege started. Everyone is hoping he is safe and returns. After what we’ve all been through, we need a few good drinks.”

Behind me a giraffe had bent his neck down closer to me as he started to tell me all about the food here. Olive’s Garden has been around the longest, and while the original owner, Olive, had long since passed away, her daughter, Petunia, has been keeping up the tradition of serving the best food in the wasteland. The other spot has been vacant for years. Every time a traveling chef tried to settle down and open a restaurant here, they were unable to compete with Olive’s Garden, even though neither Olive or Petunia ever tried to make it a competition. In fact, Petunia once tried to get the last owner to create a combined menu, but the he refused to piggyback off of her food. 

I finally got to the front of the line and was greeted by a rather petite porcupine. She had a simple shirt on with an overly large apron tied around her. I had never meet a porcupine before, but her quills didn’t seem to be as long as I thought they would be. Her short stature made her seem, cute, but more in an adorable sense. 

“If it isn’t the hero of Hope. Mayor said you would be coming around here this mornin’. What can I make you?”

“Honestly? Anything. That food I had last night was amazing. Best I have ever eaten. Now that I am actually well rested, I am sure to enjoy it even better.”

“Glad to hear it. How ‘bout the house special? Maurice! One special!”

From where I was standing, the shack started to seem much larger as I saw movement behind the counter she stood in front of. I saw the occasional pans and food moving around, but I could not make out who, or what, this Maurice was. But, if he was responsible for last night food as well, I knew I would enjoy it.

“Now you sit down sugar. I will have it to ya in a jiffy.”

I thanked her and went to sit at one of the tables. People around me kept giving me sideways glances, but I could not tell if it was from me saving them, or if it was from parading around in my … bare necessities. I gave a weak smile to a few before trying to hide myself in my paws. I felt the chair next to me move as someone sat down.

“Good morning sweetie, hope you liked my gifts.”

I jolted upright. “Mayor! I thought I was going to meet you after breakfast?”

“Well, there is some business that I need to conduct, but I would like you there with me when it happens. I was actually on the way to your place to see if you were awake yet, and saw you sit down, so I figured I would come and join you.”

“Well … that was nice of you.” A couple walked by, both cheetahs, and saw the male giving me a … look. His companion must have noticed to, because she swatted him with a bag she was carrying. “Everyone keeps … staring.”

“Oh, most of them are still grateful for your help and, due to the previous circumstances, this is the first time most of them have seen you as yourself, not some kind of heroic warrior.” She leaned in, her breath tickling my ear, “And many of them also remember last nights … show. Don’t worry sweetie, I told them that if they say anything un-befitting a lady like you, that they would be on latrine duty for a month.”

My face felt warm again. I knew I wouldn’t live that down. From now on I sleep fully dressed. 

“Thank you. For everything. The food, the shelter, I have not been here a day and you have shown so much kindness to me, more than I have ever received … apart from my mother.”

“Your mother, she was special to you. I can tell.”

“She said I was the best thing to ever happen to her, and deep in that Burrow where very few ever got along, she was my only light that kept me going. Even after her … death, her memories kept me going, helping to shape me into who I am today.”

“She would be proud of you.”

I felt a tear starting to form, but tried to subtly wipe it away just as my food arrived. Five of the largest carrots I have ever seen lined the plate, glistening in the artificial light. They smelt sweet, the steam still billowing off of it as I cut a slice off with the side of my fork and took a taste. It was amazing. A sweet glaze brought out the buttery taste of the carrots. It was so perfectly cooked that it melted in my mouth. I took another bite, and another, and before I knew it I had devoured the whole thing. Petunia came by again with a tall glass of carrot juice. It tasted fresher than anything I have ever drank. I put my fork down, but I think the mayor could tell I was not quite done yet when she signaled over Petunia. 

“She will take a slice of one of your signature pies too.”

“No I rea …”

“Trust me, if you thought that was good…”

A few minutes later Petunia brought over a slice of blueberry pie that was larger than my paw! I told her that I’d be fine with just a small slice, and Petunia said that _was_ the small slice. I couldn’t tell if it was fresh out of the oven, or simply heated up, but it had the same melt in your mouth feeling that the carrots had. I could have grown fat eating this and wouldn’t have cared. I can die happy now. 

“Now if you don’t mind, let’s get down to business. Follow me.”

Once I finished my food, we got up and I followed her towards the front of the town where the medical facility was located. I did not pay attention before, most likely since I was bleeding to death from a bullet to the leg, but there was a large wall connecting the side of the building all the way back towards the main city walls. A single, solid metal door was the only passage through the door. The two wolves from last night were standing on either side of the door, and in front of them were two mammals, a very frantic looking rabbit, and a fox who, after taking one look at me, seemed to shrink behind the rabbit. 

“Holly, I already told you. We are keeping Nathan here up until we can get this whole situation settled. You should take Markus and head back while Miss Springs and I have a talk with him. I promise you, we will not harm him, but things could have been far worse due to Nathan’s negligence if it were not for Miss Springs.”

Unlike the rest of the town, the mayor’s ‘aura’ did not seem to faze the rabbit named Holly. She walked right up to the mayor with a very serious look in her face. 

“If anything happens to him …”

“As I told you Holly, nothing will. We all know that Nathan’s curiosity gets the better of him, but sneaking out in the middle of night right after a siege has gotten people a little anxious, especially when it involved that robot. We just need to settle the air before I have more people trying to kick you three out … or worse.”

Holly still showed her seriousness, even as she backed away. That was one girl I didn’t wanna mess with in a fight. While the mayor gave off an aura that made her very appealing and charismatic, the rabbit seemed to be exhuming an aura that said: ‘You better not mess with my family, or there will be hell to pay.’ The two of them finally backed down and started to walk away. The fox moved as if to keep Holly between him and me, while she gave me a look that, honestly? I had no idea _what_ that look was.

“Sorry about them. She, Markus and his brother have been trapped here like so many after the attacks. I think everyone is still on edge.”

“So, this Nathan, he is responsible for the fiasco last night?”

“Afraid so. Like I said, he is a very curious creature, but that curiosity has always gotten him in trouble, but nothing like this. He’s a good kid. They all are. But the rest of the town is starting to talk. They arrived shortly before the Berserk-kings siege, and some of them think they were spies.”

“What do you think?”

“That they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like I said, they are good kids, and I am a _very_ good judge of character.”

I could have sworn she winked at me while emphasizing the ‘very.’ I was also sure that I was blushing again. One of the guards unlocked the door as we moved through. They shut the door behind us and I heard a locking noise. The lights within this area were much dimmer, but I could make out six prison cells, not to dissimilar to the ones in the Burrow. All, but one, were empty. As we moved in front of the single occupied cell, I saw a russet brown furred fox dressed in a simple shirt and jeans. He was sitting there, his head bowed sullenly, but one thing stood out over anything else. There, on his left forearm, was a device that matched my own. He was wearing a Pip-Boar.

“Nathan Valiant, meet Olivia Springs. Something tells me you two have a lot to talk about.”

 

————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning listeners! Welcome to Stripes in the Morning featuring the the wasteland’s one and only wall-breaking zebra, C. Stripes! On today’s show, our special guest is none other than the Mayor of this fine establishment, Jessabell Swift! Mayor Swift, quite a day this town had, almost being destroyed, twice. What are your feelings on that?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“Well it has been a rather difficult time, but just like our namesake, hope drives us to survive.”

**[Stripes]**

“As I am sure the readers have guessed, you, being the lovely gazelle you are, must be related to _the_ Gazelle. The famous international pop sensation, and as some have called her, the angel with horns. Care to comment on that?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“There is no need to comment on what everyone else knows, but yes, she was my great, great, great, great, great, grandmother.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, that sure sounds… great. Now tell us, it seems that you have inherited her amazing appearance, did that beauty also come with her sensational voice as well?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“I am afraid not. While I have heard some of her songs over the Savannah Caller, I have never really cared much for sining. Keeping this town in order is a full time job.”

**[Stripes]**

“Surely you can try? I am sure we _all_ would love to hear you try, I mean your character _was_ based upon hers, so it goes to tell that you her voice surely would have translated over.”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“What do you mean my _character_?”

**[Stripes]**

“Well I mean you are simply the figment of someone’s imagination, so can our fans have the slightest glimpse of the amazing voice we are all sure you have?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“I will give you some _fans_. Reggie! Williams! Get this zebra out of here!”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, it looks like our episode is being cut off rather abruptly. This is Stripes signing off, and until the next After Show, I will strive to bring you all the behind the scenes gossip, no matter how much it hurts!”


	23. Interrogations

I didn’t know what to say. I admit that my life in the Burrow didn't do much to build me up as a very social person. It’s not that I _didn’t_ want to interact with others, it’s simply that I could never find any common ground with them. Since leaving the Burrow, things haven't changed much. The only social interactions I have had were with people who were trying to kill me. Yes, there was Bo and his family, but we only spent a few moments in each other's company. It was not nearly long enough to get to know each other. Then there was Chief Lazlo. The reason I was rescuing him was because I thought he was a helpless old man, not because he was the leader of the Steel Guardians. Although, I doubt it would have mattered if I did know. I just wanted to help, but any interactions afterwords felt more like a formality than actual social interactions. It’s not like any of them exchanged friendly banter with me. 

Sure Onion and I have idle conversations all the time, but that’s because we know each other so very well. This fox, however, I knew nothing about - except for the fact that he nearly destroyed the town. The mayor seemed to convey his innocence, and while I only knew her slightly more than I did him, something about her very presence compelled me to believe her. I hope I never have to play a game of poker with her. I felt a sharp jab in my side, did she know I was thinking about her? I looked to her and saw that she was nodding her head towards the cell. Looking into the enclosed room, I saw that the fox, Nathan, was now looking straight at us. His lips were quivering, eyes opened wide, and I could _feel_ the fear emanating from him. My heart sank. This poor fox, he was terrified.

“Nate, Miss Springs would like to ask you some questions.”

I would? About what…oh yeah, the robot. Between the mayor’s aura, and this guy’s terror stricken visage, I had forgotten why I was even here. What was I supposed to do? Part of me wanted to find out whoever was responsible for that fiasco and give them a swift kick in the ass. Another part of me wanted to kiss the genius who developed that amazing software. Now that I'm standing here in front of the guilty party, who looked as if they were about to burst into tears, I just wanted to comfort them and tell them it was okay. That mistakes happened. Fuck, this is why I hate social interactions. They’re too complicated!

“You…Can call me Olivia.” It felt as if my words were fish swimming in a deep lake, and all I had was a broken fishing pole to catch them with, “All I want to know is about last night. Can you tell me what you were doing with that robot?”

“P-please, I’m sorry! I didn’t know that would happen! Please, don’t… Don’t hurt me…”

“Hurt you? Why would we hurt you?” I looked at the mayor but she just shrugged. “I just want to know what happened, no one is here to hurt you Nathan.”

“I… I thought it was okay. I… I just wanted… p-please…”

I beckoned the mayor over to the other end of the room. “He seems very distraught. Why does he think we want to hurt him?”

“I am not entirely sure. Those three - him, his brother Markus and their friend Holly - arrived only days before the siege. They pretty much kept to themselves, keeping up with boarding fees, not causing too much trouble, although Nate’s curiosity did occasionally annoy the other residents. Like when he was adamant that he could improve the electrical generators output by messing with their circuits.”

“I did notice that there were hiccups in power flow. I actually wanted my first day as your mechanic to take a look at them, and the water purifier, and the defense systems, and…”

Mayor Swift silenced me by placing her hoof to my mouth, “You sound just as bad as him.”

“Sorry, force of habit.”

“That is why I made you our mechanic. I could tell it was your passion. Just like I knew it is his.”

“Then why not offer him the position?”

“They were never planning to stay long. When the siege started, Holly was the most restless out of them. She just wanted to leave, to get away from the danger. As you probably noticed earlier, she is very protective of them.”

“How is it you can identify us so well, when you barely know us?”

“I have to. This town represents everything that Zootopia was founded upon. Freedom from persecution no matter who you are, or were. Predators, prey, even former raiders are welcome as long as they respect the town’s rules and its citizens.”

“Raiders? You let raiders in here?”

“Not everyone chooses to be a raider. Some are forced into it, either from birth, sold as a slave, or because they had nothing to lose. While many of the raiders are truly blood thirsty thugs, for some of them it is the only life they know. If you truly want to be a good person, Hope welcomes you with open arms.”

I knew a thing or two about being forced into something against your will, “And what about the Pip-Boar? Is he from a Burrow too?”

“They never talked much about their past. I know Pip-Boars are not very common. In my time here, I have only seen maybe half a dozen. I can tell you this, unlike yourself - whose innocence has yet to be taken by the horrors of the world - they have been out there long enough to have theirs stripped away.” 

Innocence? What did she mean by that? I have seen, and done, plenty so far. More than I ever imagined I would. More than anyone _should_. All I see before me is a scared mammal, looking as if he is being torn asunder from the inside. Is this world really that horrific that it can drive someone to an inconsolable state?

“I don’t think he poses to me, or to anyone, any real danger, and talking to him, through those bars, feels wrong to me. Would you be able to…”

“Sweetie, it was never locked.” 

What? What kind of jailer leaves the prisoners cells unlocked? I looked around me and saw that there were no exits other than the one we came in. Solid sheets of metal formed the walls, ceiling, and floor. Not even a single window was present. Either she had total trust in the two guards outside, or they rarely have need of them, although something tells me it’s something else entirely.

I slowly walked back towards the cell as I took off my tool belt. Showing it to him, I slowly put it on the ground. All I had on me now was my Pip-Boar, which I am sure he already noticed. Placing my paw on the cell door caused him to shrink back to the wall behind him as if trying to keep as much distance between him and myself. I slowly opened the door until I was able to walk in. That look of fear stayed on his face as I slowly moved towards him, my arms outstretched showing him I was unarmed. 

“I'm not here to hurt you. I promise. I just want to talk. Nothing more.”

He didn’t say anything as his wide eyes followed me. The quivering in his lips increased, as nervous twitches started to appear in his paws and tail. I couldn’t tell if he was about to cry … or run. The mayor told me that their innocence had been stripped, but right now all I saw was a young cub, looking as if he was about to be scolded by his parents. Didn’t someone once say there was innocence in youth? I moved close enough to sit down next to him, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. 

“Okay, let’s just forget last night for right now. My name is Olivia.” I held out my paw, hoping that he would take it as a friendly gesture.

“N-Nate.” He didn’t return the gesture, but I could see his eyes darting between me and the Pip-Boar on my other arm. 

“I see you're eying my Pip-Boar, and I noticed that you have one as well.”

“I… Yes.”

“You're from a Burrow, aren’t you?” 

His eyes were already wide with fear, but at the mention of the word Burrow, they seemed to grow large enough that I was afraid they would fly out at me. He _was_ from a Burrow.

“Well, let’s talk about that then, shall we? I came from a Burrow as well. It was south of here, located under Zootennial Stadium. Burrow Seventy-Six.” Part of my brain was yelling at me, saying that this was not something he needed to know, but I had to find a way to calm him down, and having something in common might help.

“Zoo… Zootennial? I heard it… e-exploded.”

I felt my face turn red and he must have noticed too because it seemed to calm him down a bit, “Yeah, that was me. There was a whole mess of savage ghouls there that greeted me. If it wasn’t for this bag of explosives I found, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you.”

He was still looking at me, but remained silent. I needed to get him to talk, about _anything_. “After having spent my entire life in the Burrow, seeing this world as it is … was quite the shock. They always told us that it wasn't safe up here, that the radiation levels must still be too high, otherwise Burrow-Tec would give us the ‘all-clear.’ I was beginning to think that the Overseer was lying to us.”

Things were going fine up until the end. His quivering stopped and he started to sink into a more natural position - at least until I mentioned the Overseer. That word seemed to have drawn the fear right back into him. The shaking started again as he tried to curl himself into a ball. I hated my Overseer, but he was terrified of his. I better not press it anymore.

“Enough about the Burrows. Let’s talk about the Pip-Boars.” The mention of that seemed to calm him down, but only slightly, “Amazing pieces of equipment, aren't they? I got mine when I was, oh, about ten.”

“T-ten? We… we got ours around, six.”

“Really? To be honest, I didn’t want it at first.” I got a bit of a reaction out of him with that one, “You see, I love tinkering and fixing stuff, always have, but the thought of a clunky device weighing me down. I thought it would hamper my dexterity. To be honest though, that wasn't the main reason. I hated most of the Burrow residents and since they _all_ had one, I felt that I would be one step closer to being one of them - that I'd lose my individuality. I fought day and night against wearing it, but it was finally my mother that convinced me that it was useful when she showed me this,” I opened a folder, one that I hadn't needed to open in a very long time. “Blueprints, circuit diagrams, component layouts. Every single mechanical and electrical layout that my mother could get her paws on. They were mine, but she told me that the only way I could see them was if she downloaded it to my own Pip-Boar. For the next few months, I never took it off. I fell asleep every night while trying to memorize every little detail. I spent so much time looking them over, I could probably have built a Burrow blindfolded, and it would still be ten times more efficient than the one I lived in.”

“You memorized _all_ of them?” 

“Yup! Even though I haven’t needed them for a long time, I still know every nook and cranny of that place just from these diagrams. Hell, between that and hacking the Overseer’s terminal, escaping the Burrow was so easy that I'm surprised no one else thought of it, but then again here _you_ are.”

“I, don’t really want to talk about it.”

He didn’t seem afraid anymore, just slightly nervous. Maybe if this whole ‘hero’ thing falls through, I can become a motivational speaker. “That’s fine. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Let’s see if I can hook him in. “However, I would like to know more about last night.”

“I… okay. I’m a lot like you, I enjoy fixing things. When you…saved us, my brother and his girlfriend were so relieved that it was finally over.”

“You said that they were relieved, what about you?”

“I was, but I'd overheard that this was just the latest in a series of attacks on this town. These people have been so kind and accepting of us, especially Markus and I, since…you know.”

“Since, what? Is there something I don’t know about you two?”

The look on his face could best be described as dumbfounded. Was it something I said?

“W-what do you see when you l-look at me?”

“Um …” Was it some kind of trap? I looked over at the mayor but her face was stiff, an expression I didn’t think she was capable of making. “I see a young, intelligent mammal who made a simple mistake and is, in my opinion, overreacting a bit more than he should.”

That dumbfounded face still remained. “Is t-that all you see? R-really?”

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t really know you that well apart from our little talk. So all I can go on is looks, and right now, you look…confused. Was it something I said?”

“You… Really? You don’t s-see me for anything else, like for instance, m-my species?”

“You're a fox. So what?”

I looked over to the mayor, and it seemed she had adopted the same reaction as him. “Umm, did I say something wrong?”

“Sweetie, just who was in your Burrow?” For the first time the mayor decided to chime in.

“What do you mean? It was mostly rodent species, with a few rabbits, honestly the rodents greatly outnumbered us bunnies.”

“You mean, there were no p-predators?” Nate’s voice showed disbelief in his words.

“No, there wasn’t. I know history. I know that predators and prey were once enemies prior to modern civilization, but I never really thought about it much. I figured other Burrows had predators just like we had prey.”

“Sweetie, for the past, well... _Ever,_ out of all the predators out there, foxes have always been looked upon as sly, shifty, and untrustworthy. Predators and prey alike have an ingrained distrust in foxes and, even now, that distrust still exists. No matter how many times a fox shows the world otherwise, I don’t think it will ever fade.”

“I… didn’t know. Sure I’ve read many books where a fox was the bad guy, but I never thought about it like that. I don’t see how a species can define you. All I see is who the mammal is, not what they are. I don’t care if you are a fox, or an elephant, or a giraffe - if you are good I will protect you, and if you are evil, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you can never hurt anyone again. _That’s_ all I care about.”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you. You're not just a hero by title because you saved us, you are the definition of a hero. You are what greater mammals than us have strove their whole lives to be. If only there were more like you, then this world could finally find the peace it deserves.”

She looked as if she was on the verge of crying. Was this world really that bad? I know I've seen things, things that no sane mammal should, but if I'm the only one who really cares about it, is this world even worth saving? The mayor had a very relaxed smile on her face while Nate looked as if he just found the love of his life. I wanted to get him talking, but I didn't expect such an…emotional turn of events. Let’s see about that information now. 

“So, Nate, you were saying about last night?”

“Oh! Right well… Like I… I said, this town had been overly accepting of us. Well, I shouldn’t say ‘accepting’, but tolerant at least. We were able to trade, barter, and dine without the usual looks and sneers that foxes tend to get. While Holly and Markus were ready to move on, I just wanted to enjoy this feeling. That… and it really bothered me seeing some of these machines in such… disrepair.”

“I know that feeling. Between the generators, water purifiers, and that lousy excuse for a defense system. No offense mayor, I have my work cut out for me.”

“I know! You know how long I tried just to even _attempt_ to get that power fluctuation under control?” 

Is that how I looked when I was talking shop? The mayor just smiled at me, “Yeah, I heard. About the robot?”

“Oh yeah. You see, I wanted to find a way to repay Hope for their generosity. Since I guessed that the turret system was offline, and I _doubted_ I could get access to their defense systems, I thought: ‘why don’t I fix up that robot? Then they could have a portable defense system!’.”

“But things didn’t work out as you planned, did it?”

“That’s the thing. My code was flawless! Before I even snuck out to the robot, I spent most of the afternoon and evening writing, testing, and re-writing a special code that would allow me to purge the existing software and install my own OS. I was planning on fixing it up in secret, and then presenting it as a gift to the town in the morning. I don’t know what happened. During the download, the thing started to go crazy! That’s when the mayor’s guards were alerted and apprehended me, and you know the rest. I still don’t know what went wrong.”

“Your code, was it self-replicating?”

“That was my baby alright! You see, I figured that there had to have been some fail-safes to prevent hacking. That’s what I would do at least, so I designed my code to infiltrate and overwrite, but if it was damaged or overwritten itself, it would simply replicate the original code and try again. Just like a virus can only do so much against your immune system before it beats it back, the code would replicate indefinitely until it’s job was completed.”

That code was amazing, almost, pornographic in nature…anyways, “I think I know what happened. I didn’t just find remnants of your code and the factory code, there were…other foreign lines of code.” I pulled up that data log of my hack. I liked keeping a backup of the logs so that I can learn from any mistakes. His jaw dropped as he looked it over.

“I had no idea. That… that is some nasty looking code.”

“That’s what I thought. Originally I figured it _was_ the self-replicating code until I realized that this third set must have been like a ‘virus’ virus. I think when those Berserk-kings got their paws on this they created (or stole) a program that rather than completely hack into the system, it slowly ate away at the original code. Replacing it with its own, thus fooling the fail-safe into thinking it was part of its natural code. When your code entered into the fray, it wasn’t as subtle, so both the factory _and_ the ‘virus’ attacked it, but when the ‘virus’ kept having to beat back your replicating code, the failsafe was accidentally triggered, thus the self-destruct initiated. To be honest, if it weren’t for the whole going nuclear thing, I would have loved to study that code further.”

“You got all of that from the short time you were on the robot?” The mayor seemed impressed, but Nate had that look of a love-sick child again. I wasn’t sure if I should be blushing or cringing. 

“Unfortunately, the code is history now. I was able to piggy back off of your code in order to hide it from the other two while I searched for the root folder. Once I was in I was able to scrub the entire thing, rendering it a lifeless, powerless, hunk of metal.”

“What should we do with it? Since you are the new mechanic, you have authority over it now.”

“Honestly mayor? I still have plans for Onion’s original A.I. software. I built him years ago, and he has yet to go berserk and try to kill everyone. I developed a learning A.I. for him, but I can modify it to be much simpler: ‘do this, do that’ one to prevent any future incidents. We just need a way to power it, preferably something that won’t turn this town into a crater.”

“Maybe some kind of magnetic inducer with a metal coil? If we were to couple that with a large enough capacitor, and utilize a reversal field, we could have near infinite power for the robot without the risk of it self-destructing.”

“That’s actually similar to how Onion works, only rather than creating power, his system takes a small amount of power that is externally gathered and ‘recycles’ it in order to create a more sustained effect. A small charge can last him a few days.”

“I would love to take a look at your robot one day Olivia. He sounds fascinating.”

“You can try, but he doesn’t take too kindly to strangers poking around his circuits. Then again, you're the first person I’ve met that actually knows what they're talking about. At least I think so. I was kinda in a coma for a week. Don’t really know what happened then.”

This time both of their jaws dropped as they simultaneously shouted, “Coma!?”

“Long story. Mayor, what do you think we should do now?”

“Well, I for one believe his story. While I will try to assure the rest of the town they are not the spies they believe them to be, I also would probably advise you that you shouldn’t stay much longer. I am not kicking you out Nate, but this town needs time to recover, and paranoia will not help things.”

“Spies? Do they really think we're spies?”

“Not everyone, but unfortunately for the majority? Yes. I have tried my best to assure them that this isn’t the case, but if we happened to get attacked again while you are still here, I am afraid it will just fuel those thoughts.”

“Well, Markus and Holly are eager to leave so first thing in the morning we'll head out.”

“I am so sorry for all the trouble that has been caused to you…both of you. Nate, I will see that your last night is paid for, and that any supplies you require are taken care of. This imprisonment was merely for show, to give the people what they think they deserve. I hate lying to them, but in this world, sometimes a lie is more accepted than the truth - no matter who it hurts.”

“Thank you, mayor. And thank you Olivia. Other than Holly, I've had…difficulties with other rabbits, and, for that matter, other prey mammals as well. You've at least shown me that not everyone is so un-accepting of foxes.”

I put my paw on his as a friendly gesture, and he smiled at me. Well, I think it was a smile. It looked very…awkward. I slowly pulled my paw away from his just as the door flew open and one of the guards ran in. 

“Mayor Swift, we have an emergency!”

“What is it Reggie?”

“Deathwings, they're attacking the traders trying to enter the city.”

“Deathwings? In the middle of the day? Take your brother and gather as many residents who are willing to take up arms. Try to drive them away from the traders so they can get into town. Make sure no one engages them in a melee, and have someone standing by to shut the gates once everyone is safe inside.”

“Um, mayor…” I don’t think she heard me as she reached for her radio.

“Citizens of Hope. Please keep calm. A group of Deathwings has been spotted outside the town limits. Traders who are en-route to our town are caught in the attack. We need to assist them so they can reach the safety of our walls. Anyone with long arms experience, please report to Reggie and Williams at the gate. Everyone else, please remain calm and under no circumstances should anyone leave the confines of the town. I know we have been through a lot these past few weeks, but we have proven time and again that we are at our greatest when we stick together.”

“Mayor…” Once again I was interrupted as the Doctor Boll scurried in and jumped onto the mayor’s shoulder.

“Jessabell! We _need_ that caravan! Our medical supplies are getting critically low!”

“Calm down doctor. We are doing what we can. Remember, we have our hero with us.”

“She’s no use to us if she dies of a minor infection because we have no antibiotics!”

“Okay! Okay! Okay!” I finally got their attention, “What the FUCK is a Deathwing?”

“Oh sweetie, if you think that raiders are the worst this world can offer, then you’ve never seen a Deathwing. They are vicious, bloodthirsty, and unrelenting. We don’t know where they come from, but they are often referred to as winged demons. Not only can they fly, but they possess an unnatural regenerative capability, and they are strong enough to rip a Guardians armor in half with ease. Very few who engage them directly have lived to tell about it.”

“So _that's_ what those things were. I got attacked by three of them not too long ago. Threw a giant donut at one. It wasn’t too happy about that.”

What is it with my words making jaws drop today? All three of them were just staring at me like I just told them I was responsible for switching the sun and the moon every day.

“You fought, THREE Deathwings?” It was Nate who spoke first.

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘fought’ per say, more like ran. I did almost kill one, before it’s wing grew back. Then there was the donut, and…strangest thing, one was about to attack me when someone else shot it. Don’t know who it was, but I was finally able to escape them when the ground below me caved in dropping me into some research facility where I met this nice bear, or rather a ghoulified glowing rodent inside a bear…The guys who attacked us called him a, Corpse Engine?” It was hard thinking about Mr. Big. He'd sacrificed himself to save me and Onion, “Anyways, it’s a long, and confusing story. Best saved for another time. What did you want me to do Mayor?”

There was a long pause. I could hear them muttering things like: ‘She met a Corpse Engine? and ‘She … a donut?’. Their confused looks remained for a moment longer before the mayor snapped out of it first.

“Later. Okay, to the situation at hand. Olivia, you need to…”

She was interrupted by a scream, followed by a series of gunshots. My ears twitched and turned towards the sound but it was Nate who reacted first. He ran out the unguarded door in a panic. The mayor and I turned and followed, the doctor still hanging onto the mayor’s shoulder. There was a large crowd gathered near the entrance. Everyone had different types of guns pointed out the door, but no one was firing. I heard the scream again, followed by a string of swears that made my bad mouth feel clean. I ran to entrance as the mayor shouted, “Hold your fire!”

About fifty feet from the entrance were four giant bat like creatures. It was midday so I could see them much better than during my last encounter with them. They must have been at least five or six feet tall. While they had the body and wings of a bat, their heads were more wolf-like, and their legs were extremely muscular. They looked much more dangerous in the daylight. 

I looked for where the screaming and swearing was coming from and I saw that it belonged to that rabbit from earlier. She was firing at the creatures, but they were too fast. No matter how well it looked like she was aiming, they were faster. Her swears became louder as her aim started to waver. I went to pull out my gun and remembered I left it at the workshop. Fuck me. 

“Miss!” 

It was Onion. Almost as if he read my mind he came up to me with my gun in his claw. “Am I glad to see you Onion. Stay back, I have to go help them.”

I grabbed my gun and ran out the door. I didn't want to just fire aimlessly. Even if I _did_ hit it, it would just regenerate. I needed to use it in a different way. I looked around but there was not a lot around here, mostly scattered debris. There was absolutely nothing I could use. My train of thought derailed as a loud gunshot fired off dangerously close to me. I turned and saw it was Nate’s brother, Markus with a very heavy looking revolver firing towards the deathwings. I tried to tell him to save his bullets, but then Nate showed up with a large rifle and started to fire as well. That caught the attention of one of the deathwings as one of Nate’s bullets pierced it’s wing.

“Take cover! There's one coming!”

Either they ignored me or didn't hear me, but they remained, dashing forward between shots. Those two were going to get themselves killed, but that was their friend being attacked, so part of me didn’t blame them. Then again, they'd be no use to her dead. I ran forward and tried to get B.A.T.S. to activate, but then I remembered I was out of serum. Fuck me! I had no idea what to do. I kept running forward, trying to keep pace with the brothers, so that I could make sure they didn’t do something stupid…I suddenly realized how Onion must feel about me in situations like this. I can’t outgun the situation. I had to outsmart it.

I saw two connected wagons that must have been the trader’s caravan. Then I noticed something. While the deathwings were trying to attack anyone who came near them, they were not straying from the wagon too much. Even the one that started after Nate changed its mind and flew back and landed on one of the wagons before using its feet to try tearing off the fabric roof. They wanted something in there!

“Mayor!” I saw her standing at the gate, giving orders to everyone as they ran from place to place. She looked at me as I caught her attention. “They want the caravan!”

She looked towards the action for a moment before nodding. I saw her say something to Doctor Boll who released a small series of expletives herself before running back into the town. Mayor Swift, who I now saw was wielding her grenade launcher, took aim. The familiar noise of a grenade leaving the chamber sounded as I followed the grenade's trajectory. Her aim was impeccable, for it landed right in front of the wagon the deathwing was on before exploding a second later. The force of the shock wave sent the wagon into the air, scattering its contents everywhere. The explosion got the attention of all three of them who then turned towards us. One of them started to fly in our direction before stopping with a loud screeching noise. I saw that one of the deathwings had plucked an item from the wagon’s wreckage and started to take off. All three of them seemed to forget about us as they started to fly away. 

The traders, who were mostly unharmed, ran towards the town without looking back. Once they were in the safety of the town walls, everyone started to calm down. That is until the sound of a gun went off. I faced the noise and saw Holly with her gun. She was firing shots at the retreating deathwings. They were mostly ignoring her shots until one of them hit a leg of the one carrying whatever it got from the caravan. The impact must have caused it to loosen its grip, causing the item to fall down and shatter on the ground. All three of them sent out a near deafening shriek as one swooped down on Holly, grabbing her with its claw. 

Markus went insane. He fired off his gun until there were no rounds left and then grabbed the gun out of Nate’s hand and started to unleash every round it had. I ran over to him to try to stop him. If he wasn’t careful he'd hit Holly. The deathwings retreated unscathed from Markus’s hail of bullets with Holly continuing to scream and swear until the creatures had gotten far enough that there was only silence. The clicking of an empty rifle the only noise. 

I tried to take the empty rifle from Markus but instead he lunged at me, trying to take my gun. I didn’t want it to come to this, but I had no choice. He was acting crazy and was a threat to himself and others. I took my gun and cracked the butt of the handle over his head, knocking him unconscious.

Nate ran to his downed brother and glared at me. The mayor arrived along with her guards who picked up Markus and carried him towards the doctor's office. A few other mammals headed towards the caravan under the mayor’s order to salvage anything they could. I felt horrible for what I did, but I had to do it. 

I faced Nate, who was starting to cry. “I’m sorry. I'll get her back. I promise.”

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good Morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is everyone's favorite zebra, Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! On today’s episode, we have a very special guest, Nathan Valiant. Nathan, may I call you Nate? How are you doing this fine morning?”

**[Nate]**

“I-I… who a-are you?”

**[Stripes]**

“The Savanna Caller’s one and only Stripes! Now, you're a bit of an enigma right now Nate. You showed up out of nowhere, and let’s face it, weren’t originally part of the story. How does that make you feel?”

**[Nate]**

“S-story? What… w-what are you t-talking about?”

**[Stripes]**

“You see ladies and gentle-mammals, Nathan here, along with his brother Markus and friend Holly, were never part of the development of this fine story. They were added much later, concepts of one BaineBlade. I know you're out there, take a bow.”

**[Nate]**

“W-who are you… t-talking to?”

**[Stripes]**

“Our beloved readers of course!”

**[Nate]**

“R-readers?”

**[Stripes]**

“Yup! The reason any of this, including myself exists in the first place. Now, back to what I was saying. These three were added as a means to progress events much farther down the line, but you know what? You'll soon see that they have made such a _huge_ impact on this world that without them, this story would be staler than month old bread.”

**[Nate]**

“Y-you are… crazy.”

**[Stripes]**

“I get that a lot, actually.”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“Who’s in here… you! I thought I got rid of you. Reggie! Williams! Didn’t I tell you to toss this zebra out?”

**[Stripes]**

“Looks like our episode is over for today. Tune in next time where I will be interviewing the other half of the Valiant twins. Until then, I'll keep trying to bring the truth to everyone, no matter how much it hurts!”


	24. A Valiant Effort

“Do you have _any_ ideas where they took her?”

An hour went by as we were still no closer to coming up with a plan to save Holly. The traders had come out of the attack physically unharmed, but their mental state was a whole other story. Doctor Boll had to sedate two of them after they nearly attacked her while she was evaluating them, and the third kept yammering on about how Hope was responsible for the loss of goods due to their lack of security. I do admit that this town could have maintained a better defense line, but from everything I have been told, no one would have expected a deathwing attack in the middle of the day. 

Markus was still in the infirmary while Nate had reverted back to his inconsolable self from earlier. After our brief exchange on our technical knowhow, I was starting to like that fox, but after I had to incapacitate his brother I feared that things between us were much worse off than where they'd started. I tried to apologize to him, but he wouldn’t even look at me, let alone hear me out. I’ll have to make it up to him…somehow.

“Unfortunately, since attacks like this are typically done under the mask of darkness, no one has previously been able to find their lairs. Of course, no one was stupid enough to seek one out either.”

“Well you don’t know Miss Springs very well then.”

“Oh hush Onion. Someone _must_ have seen them. It was broad daylight.”

“I have sent word out to local settlements to keep an eye out. We know they headed North East, but that is all we have so far.”

Usually when the mayor is talking to me, she seems rather sweet and affectionate, but now I can truly see that she is a leader first and foremost. With her steadfast attitude and serious visage, I could tell that she was taking this rescue very personally. Despite Holly not being a resident of Hope, she was still under the protection of Mayor Swift. So she must feel responsible for her, and for everyone else's safety.

“What about the thing the deathwings were trying to take? It was obvious that they weren't out hunting, but rather they were seeking something in particular.”

“That’s the strangest part, it was just simple circuitry. Deathwings aren't known for their intelligence. They are savage beasts whose only purpose in life is to hunt and kill. There has never been an account of a deathwing doing anything else.”

Circuitry? From the way they're described, something like that would have no interest to them. “Mayor, is it possible they are … evolving?”

“What do you mean Olivia?”

“Well, I know from history books that we mammals used to be simple animals. Our primal instincts were the only driving force. Predator against prey, kill or be killed, but we eventually evolved past that, both physically and mentally. Isn’t it remotely possible that this could be a similar case?”

“A slim possibility? Perhaps, but it took us mammals thousands of years to get to where we are now. These...beasts, are not in any pre-war records so that means they came into existence only the past couple hundred years. I don’t think it’s possible for natural evolution to accelerate that fast.”

“Naturally, no, but what about scientifically?”

“I am not sure if I follow you.”

“Well mayor, while I have little experience with these creatures, I do have a knack for breaking things down logically. No mammal that I know of has the ability to regenerate organic flesh with such speed and efficiency. I also noticed that they don’t resemble any known mammal, but rather, multiple ones. Now I am not an expert on genetics, never cared much for anything in that type of field, but they kinda reminded me of something from my younger days in the Burrow.”

I looked around after mentioning my Burrow, I was so focused that I forgot where I was. Thankfully the only ones here were the Mayor, Onion, and Nate, who had for the first time started looking in my direction. I wonder if mentioning the Burrow helped to regain his focus? I opened some files on my Pip-Boar and held it out to show everyone. 

“When I was younger, I loved to read. I still do, but back then I didn’t care _what_ it was. From whatever technical manual my mother could get her paws on to her collection of romance novels,” I got a strange look from Nate, and a raised eyebrow from the mayor, “…anyways, I remember these books on ancient mythology. I was fascinated with ancient cultures and how their technologies were similar to modern ones, only a thousand years before our modern technology came about." 

“While watching those creatures, I was reminded of a picture I saw once in one of those books. It was called a Chimera. It was part goat and part lion. It was a predator _and_ a prey residing in the same body, and to some it was revered in a god-like manner. I always wondered if that was where the idea of harmony between predator and prey was born.”

“That’s rather fascinating, but what does it have to do with the current situation?”

“Well, some cultures believe that a chimera was not born, but made by the paws of a god. What if these things were simply machinations of some demented mind? What if they were simply using them for their nefarious deeds?”

“That … sounds logical, but unfortunately, I highly doubt that someone ‘made’ these.”

“Why not mayor?”

“Well, first of all, I recall a story about some mercenaries awhile back who raided a deathwing lair and stole their eggs. Apparently, deathwing eggs are worth a lot of caps.”

“Eggs? So that means … wait! Did you know _who_ they were? If we ask them, maybe we can luck out and it'll be the same lair!”

“Mercenaries around here are not to be trifled with. If you don’t have the caps to hire them they may as well kill you where you stand. As for your question, they died after the mother tracked them down and tore them to pieces. They may be savage beasts, but they always protect their young.”

I thought maybe I was onto something. I figured it would be a long shot, but right now there's nothing to go on, and the more time we waste trying to plan, the greater the chance that Holly would be dead, if she wasn’t already. No, she has to be alive! Why else would they take her rather than just kill her where she stood? If there was only some way to track her … bingo!

“Nate!” I think I startled him a bit, but his face told me that while he wasn’t crying anymore, he was still beside himself. Still, I had to try to help. “Did Holly have a Pip-Boar like you?”

At the mention of her name he looked straight at me, as if he was trying to burn a hole right through me. “No…She…Hated it. She didn’t want it…Where is my brother?”

“He’s still with Doctor Boll. I told her to let us know the second he's awake.” The mayor was trying to comfort him with her words, but I don’t think it had any effect on him. 

“Why can’t I go see him?!” His despair quickly turned to anger. 

“Please, calm down. Olivia and I are trying everything to help find your friend, but we both think that it would be best that you stay with us. There are rumors going around that you three have cursed this town.”

“Cursed? I think that’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

“Indeed Olivia, but the truth of the matter is, since they came here, there has been one bad situation after another, and it only takes one superstitious individual to connect the two and spread it like wildfire.”

“I…I just want my brother and Holly back…I…”

I walked over to Nate and placed my paw on his shoulder. He cringed a little when he felt the touch, but then I felt him relax a little. He looked up at me with his eyes wide, “I promise I will do everything to get Holly back. Alive.”

He looked as if he was going to say something when the door to the mayor’s office burst open. It was Markus, awake and very agitated. Doctor Boll, riding on top of one of the mayor’s guards, Reggie I think, rushed in behind Markus. The doctor was trying to get Reggie to grab him so she could give him some sedatives. 

“Markus, I’m glad to see you're awake.” The mayor was rather calm despite the sudden entrance by the irate fox.

“Where's my brother?! Where's Holly!?”

“Markus, please calm down. Nate is with us, but Holly is…”

“Mark…She’s…Gone.”

I could tell that Markus wanted to yell some more but at the sound of his brother’s feeble attempt to speak, his sudden anger evaporated and he rushed over to Nate’s side. “Are you okay? And what do you mean she's…gone?”

Mayor Swift went to respond, but I jumped in instead. I like her playful banter over this…seriousness. I knew she cared about finding their friend, but I wonder if they were oblivious to that fact. “She was taken by the deathwings. We don’t know why, and we don’t know where, but like I told your brother, I will _not_ rest until I bring her back.”

“You…” Markus’ tone started angrily, but when he looked at me it softened, “You will?”

“I know we don’t know each other very well and you have no reason to put your trust in me, but after some of the things I have seen, I made a vow that I will do whatever I can to protect the innocent, no matter the cost.”

I could see Markus’ irate attitude fade. In any other situation, I would have expected a smile, but I only saw tears forming. Between him and his brother, I felt like I wanted to cry as well. When the door to the office burst open, again, it caused me to lose that emotion as I turned to see who it was this time.

“Mayor! We finally finished salvaging the caravan. We thought you should see this.”

The ram that had barged in was carrying a large wooden box filled with electrical components. It looked like simple scrap but I recognized it from earlier. It was what that deathwing was trying to take. I rushed over and grabbed the box from him and cleared off a table in the middle of the room. The mayor looked as if she wanted to object, but the words never came as I dumped the contents out of the box onto the table. 

I sifted through everything, mentally categorizing all of it and trying to build whatever it could be in my head. A few of the components were damaged, but most of it survived the fall. Some of the parts did not seem to fit, probably from some other cargo, but it was all there. I knew what that creature was trying to steal, but why?

“What is it Olivia?”

“It’s an amplifier for a radio transponder.” I didn’t even notice Nate next to me and jumped a little when he spoke. From the looks of it he had completely snapped out of his somber mood. 

“Yes, that’s exactly what it is. We had something similar to this in my Burrow. You see, radio signals can reach very distant places. Heck, with the right relay stations, you can extend a signal indefinitely…”

“…But you can’t force that signal too far underground, or else it simply gets absorbed into the ground and disperses.” Nate interrupted me, but oddly enough, that was exactly what I was about to say. 

“Now Burrow-Tec designed the Burrows to automatically open once they send an all clear code, but they never built any receivers above ground to prevent outside forces from hacking into it …”

“… so they created these super charged receivers to catch the errant signals in order to piece them back together into an uncorrupted signal.” 

Was he reading my mind or something? “Precisely. Of course, a single one of these could never pick up every bit of signal since it would get dispersed so quickly when it hit the ground …”

“… that’s why they installed dozens of them throughout the Burrow so that they'd pick up as much of the fractured signal parts as possible.”

“Would you stop that! He’s right though. This is part of a much bigger design. One of these alone wouldn't be able to do much. But link many together and you'd be able to receive, or transmit, a signal anywhere. Even from the center of the planet.”

I looked at Nate. I couldn’t tell, but I think he was blushing, or at least a looking a bit full of himself. I opened my mouth but the mayor interrupted. “So, what does that tell you about our current situation?”

I kept looking at Nate, seeing if he wanted to take the helm this time but he just stood there, an odd smirk forming on his face. I turned to the mayor, “That means, who ever wanted these parts …”

“… is underground!”

I wanted to slap him. I think Markus was feeling that, because he casually stepped between Nate and I, looking at the parts on the table as if trying to understand them. “So, can this help us find Holly?”

“Maybe. Mayor, are there many cavern systems near here?”

“Too many to count unfortunately. There are rumors of a massive underground cave system beneath the city but no one who has ever ventured down below has returned alive. There are also the Palm Caverns beneath Sahara Square, but that is deep in Red-Neck territory. If you thought those Berserk-kings were bad, you don’t wanna tangle with Red-Necks.”

Red-Neck? Oh, those fuckers. “Actually, I do. They are pretty high on my shit list right now. Shortly after leaving the Burrow I ventured to Beaverton, hoping to find supplies and maybe a new home. Just to find it had been burned to the ground. I learned from the only survivor that it was the Red-Neck that did it. After he … died … I made a promise that I would avenge them.” I remembered the children. I had to blink to force myself to not cry. Too many tears have been spilled already today. 

“Burrow …” Markus made the word sound both bitter and confusing at the same time. 

“Later Mark.” Nate put his paw on his brother’s shoulder, I could see a small smile in him. I enjoyed seeing this side of him much more. 

“Oh sweetie, I heard about Beaverton. They were not the most respectable people, but no one deserves that.” 

The images of the children, the smell of the burnt flesh, the burning of the smoke in my eyes, they wanted to return. They wanted to remind me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. No. Not now. First save Holly, then take care of those fuckers. I opened my eyes and everyone was staring at me, worried looks in each of them. 

“I’m okay, really.” I cleared my throat, “Now, how do we use this new information to find Holly?”

“Miss? If I can interject?”

I had completely forgotten about him, “What is it Onion?”

“Well, I did not think it important at the time Miss, but with this new discovery of yours, it may be more valuable than I thought.”

My Pip-Boar beeped and my attention was drawn to it. Onion had uploaded a file to it. I opened it, but all I heard was feedback. I quickly muted the file as I watched the visuals. It was a signal. Nate had pushed Markus out of the way and was leaning over my Pip-Boar, lost in its erratic waves.

“It’s a stray radio signal. If you use your Pip-Boar’s radio to tune into its frequency, we might find out more.”

“This thing has a RADIO?”

“You…Didn’t know?”

“NO! Despite my technical prowess, my knowledge of these things is mediocre at best. Hell, I didn’t even know about B.A.T.S. until I smacked it with my paw!”

Nate laughed. I think it was the first time that I've actually seen him this happy. It was kinda … cute. Gah, not him too! I shook my head as he asked if he could see my Pip-Boar. I agreed and took it off. It was much smaller than his, due to my size, but he had no problems with it as he interfaced his own to mine. 

“Oh, I see. It’s still in factory mode. There are some modifications here and there, _Hackatron_? That’s highly unoriginal, but the Pip-Boar has many features to it, and it’s even expandable! You can get small expansion cards to add more features to it. Didn’t you learn how to use this thing in Pip-Boar 101? I thought it was a required class?”

“It was. I just kinda … skipped it. And every class that disinterested me. My mom was one of the teachers so I think she lied to them and said I was being home-schooled.”

“Well, good thing I'm here. And…done.”

He handed it back to me and I locked it back onto my arm. It looked the same as before, but there was an additional application on the main screen: _Radio_. I activated it and was greeted by static. There was the option to manually tune it but I didn't know the signal, so I switched back over to the file. I think my Pip-Boar recognized it, because there was now the option to ‘tune to frequency.’ I activated it and it switched back over to the radio. A second later, the signal was there. 

“It’s … beeps?”

The radio signal consisted of a series of beeps. They were rather slow, with a few seconds of silence between them. I moved my arm around, as if it were an antenna. The signal remained the same until I pointed it towards the East. I think it just got faster … I left the office, my arm raised as if I was trying to catch something out of the air. I walked in one direction and the beeping slowed down, and when I moved Eastwards, the beeping got slightly faster, or at least I think it did. 

“I Think … we can use this to locate Holly.”

“There are dozens of radio signals all throughout the wasteland. Why do you think that _this_ one could lead to her?”

The mayor sounded skeptical, and it was a long shot, but we didn't have anything else to go on. 

“Can I see that for a moment?”

Nate grabbed my wrist and started to play around on my Pip-Boar. “Hey! You don’t go doing something _while_ asking if you can do it!”

This felt, weird. Not weird in the fact that someone was using my arm like a mount to fool with my Pip-Boar, but weird as in there were strange … tingles in my skin. I never had any physical interaction with someone other than my mother, at least not a calm and gentle touch like his. I tried to toss the thoughts from my brain as Nate finished doing whatever it was he was doing. 

“See? There's a hidden signal buried _inside_ the primary signal. Whoever's transmitting it is doing so through two different wavelengths within the same frequency.”

“That definitely sounds suspicious. Now, in order to find it …”

I opened my _Hackatron_ app. ‘Unoriginal?’ Bah. Who cares what it's called, as long as it works. I managed to copy the radios source code into the application and proceeded to modify it. It only took a few lines of code, but I managed to alter the radio enough to track the signal. I booted it up again and along with the frequency identification, there was now a percentage tally. It was currently set at nine percent. I took a step east and it changed to nine-point-eight percent. Bingo!

“I just modified the radio so that it'll tell me about how close I am to the signal's origin. The signal strength is only at nine percent. So it’s quite far but it’s in the same direction that the deathwings fled. And if they were trying to get parts to build a signal amplifier, it’s the best lead we have. Give me thirty minutes to gather my stuff, and I'll find Holly and bring her back.”

Nate and Markus both stepped in front of me. “Hold on. We’re going with you.”

***

“No. I won’t let you.”

“She’s _our_ friend, and we will _not_ abandon her.”

These guys sure do have touchy switches controlling their emotions. “You are not abandoning her! I just don’t want to see the two of you get hurt.”

“We've been out here far longer than you have, we've seen things you can’t imagine.” Markus’ voice was now being led by his anger. 

“I don’t care _how_ long you've been out here but I made a vow to protect people, and that includes from themselves! I saw how riled up and agitated you became when that deathwing snatched up Holly. You were putting yourself, your brother, and everyone else in danger with your actions and I don’t want to risk that again. I want this to be a hostage rescue, not a massacre. It'll hard to do that with your emotions getting the better of you. What if those creatures have _other_ hostages? Are you really willing to risk their lives to save Holly’s?”

“I … you think there might be other hostages?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. Mayor Swift, have they taken hostages in the past?”

“Well they usually …” I don’t know what she was about to say, but she cut herself off after looking towards the brothers, “… not that I have ever heard of.”

“Holly would … hate us if we let harm come to another innocent mammal. But that doesn’t change the fact that we need to be there for her! We've always relied on her strength to protect us; to keep us safe and sane in this miserable world. We've been through so much. More than you can even imagine, and it's always been together that we survive. Even in the Burrow …” Markus looked at Nate before trailing off. I saw that the mere mention of their Burrow started to upset Nate. What happened to them in there?

“Look. I understand. Over a week ago I thought I killed Onion because I carelessly tossed a grenade without thinking. I was tearing myself apart from the inside over that, and he’s just a robot. I can only imagine how it must feel losing someone of flesh and blood like this. I also know how one simple careless action can cause so much pain, and how sometimes...sometimes you never feel like you can recover from that. I'm just afraid that the more people there are to stage a rescue, then more lives would be at stake. And if anything happened to either of you or Holly because of some mistake, no matter _whose_ it was, I don’t think I could live with that grief and I doubt either of you could either.”

“We've survived because of the three of us being there for each other. If even one of us were to fall, I don’t think any of _us_ could live with that grief either.” 

I didn’t know how to respond. At this rate we'll still be trying to discuss this come nightfall!

“Boys, go get your stuff. Olivia, sweetie, we need to talk. In private.”

The brothers left at the mayor’s command, along with anyone else in the room, save for Onion, and that left just the three of us here. She paced back and forth a few times before sitting down at her desk. She motioned for me to sit in the chair across the desk from her. It was nice to finally get off my feet, but she seemed a bit … agitated. To be fair, so was I. 

“Those two are … ugh! I barely even know them and they're already driving me crazy with their stubbornness!”

“I see another stubborn mammal as well.”

“What, me? Mayor, I know what you're thinking, but bringing them with me just adds more ways for this to go wrong. I don’t know any other way to let them know that.”

“Then don’t.”

“Pardon?”

“Olivia, from what I have seen from you. You are quite the remarkable young woman. You have a strong mind and a kind heart, but that can only ever get someone so far. I don’t know if you have the soul of a warrior or if you are just lucky, but either way, there is one thing I am certain of. The wasteland is a cruel mistress. Better mammals than you have fallen quickly at her whim, and you know what they all had in common?”

“Crappy gear?”

“No, they were all loners. In every single story I heard about the wasteland swallowing a ‘hero’ alive, all of them had chosen to travel their path alone. Friends and companions are not simply extra weight that you have to worry about losing. They are your sword and shield in the darkness. They are your eyes for when you are blind, your ears when you are deaf, and your crutch when you need something to lean on. As long as you have someone by your-side, you can never lose, even in the face of great adversity.”

“But I have Onion.”

“True, and I am also certain that without him you would have fallen many times over.”

She was right. While I've been able to out-think my way from most dire situations, most of them would have left me for dead if it wasn’t for Onion. All this time I thought that with just the two of us, we could survive anything. I never did consider anyone else by my side. I never had any friends in the Burrow, and I honestly never even once thought of making them out here. Sure I had the support of the Guardians, but I don’t know if I could count on them when the chips are down. 

“There’s also another matter...One that forces me to act upon it with some urgency.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Remember how I told you that after all these attacks, many of the residents are growing ever more suspicious of Nate and Mark, simply because of their species?”

“Yeah, and I think that’s stupid.”

“I agree, but as mayor, I need to respect the wishes of my people and do what I must to keep peace. Some of the more...influential residents are trying to force me to kick them out. I hate to say this, but I am glad that it was Holly who was kidnapped, and not either of them. It is because a rabbit, not a fox, was kidnapped that I have been able to buy a little more time, but this won’t last.”

“That’s…Why do mammals have to be so single minded?”

“There are some things that one can never truly change. Many mammals aren’t the type to judge others by species, but something in their subconscious mind seems to subtly imbue their thoughts with such hatred. Even if they themselves are not the hateful type.”

“But I don’t see that. Sure, if someone enjoys killing or torturing another mammal I find myself hating them. But to hate someone because of their species? I can’t even imagine how to feel about that. I could care less what your species is, it’s the actions of a mammal that define them.”

“That is why I like you Olivia. You're not the same as other mammals. You have a purity about you that I don’t think I have ever found in another mammal. Even in myself.”

“But mayor, you're so kind and generous, and accepting. How can you call me pure and not yourself?”

“I was not always like this. Even I have a past, but it is not the time or place to tell that story. You need to take those two and leave if you are to have any luck in saving Holly. While you are gone, I will try to … settle matters here with the residents. If not for yourself, do it for us.”

“I …” Even she had a past? What did that mean? I wanted to know more, but it’s already been a couple hours since Holly was taken and every minute wasted is a minute too late to save her. “… I will mayor.”

“Now move along sweetie, your boys are waiting.” I started towards the door but the mayor spoke up once more. “Oh, and Olivia? You might wanna keep your eye on Nate. He might not show it well, but I think he’s taken quite the liking to you.”

Did she just wink? She did! I glanced at Onion as I opened the door but if he had any opinion on that, his emotionless exterior didn’t show it. I shrugged it off and headed outside where I was met by Nate and Markus. They must have been waiting for me. Did they hear any of it? I took a look at Nate, who was dressed in a long coat similar to mine but with pockets. A lot of pockets. Even his pants had pockets! Markus was dressed in something similar, but he had some kind of camouflaged pants on. 

“So?” 

“I gotta go get ready, but once I am, you better keep up. Meet me at the gate in fifteen minutes.”

Onion and I headed back towards my place to get ready. Once I told them the news they looked as if a large weight was lifted off their shoulders. Markus had a hopeful smile on his face, while Nate had this cute … Fuck! Why did you have to say that to me! I sighed. I needed to stay focused. I now have to worry about two others and if I lose my concentration at the wrong time, we may not live long enough to rescue her. 

I reached my workshop and gathered everything I could. Supplies, ammo, parts for in case Onion gets … FUCK! I forgot to fix Onion’s shock baton! I had remembered to remove it, but I didn't have time to work on it. I grabbed whatever extra parts I may need for it. Maybe I'd have time on the way there. From the signal strength I'd wager we wouldn’t get there before nightfall. I’ve started to dislike the night. During the day at least I can see what's attacking me. At night? Terrible things seem to happen in the dead of night. 

Once I had everything, I went back towards the gate but was stopped by Petunia as I passed her restaurant. 

“Olivia! I heard ‘bout your trip ta rescue that Holly gal. Figure you’d be wantin’ some thin’ ta tide ya over on your journey.”

She handed me a metal box. On the front of it was a faded picture of a large hill with what looked like a Burrow door on it and images of mammals lining up to get in. Above the picture were the words: _Burrow-Tec_. 

“Where did you get this?”

“Oh that ol’ thang? From what I hear tell, back before the war they were handin’ these things out ta anyone an' everyone. Guessin’ they wanted ta promote those Burrows. Why they chose lunch boxes? Who knows. Now open it.”

I flipped the latch and upon opening it, an amazing aroma filled my nostrils. Inside were a couple sandwiches, some carrot chips, some kind of seeds, and little yellowish wafers. 

“Packed ya some kale and carrot ‘witches, sunflower seeds, and those yella things? Banana mash crackers. Careful with 'em, I hear tell they can make a rabbit go crazy, but with where you're goin’ a little crazy might help.”

“Thank you. I’ll have to find some way to repay you when I get back.”

“Hah! I like how you think rabbit. Ya betta come back, this town needs ya.”

I guess the people of Hope really do like me. I wish I could say the same for Nate and Markus. Sure they went off the rocker there, but really, who could blame them? I would probably have done the same in their position. I thanked Petunia again and continued on towards the front gate. I didn’t see the foxes anywhere. Maybe they changed their mind? 

I passed through the gate and saw the two foxes outside. Markus was leaning on a nearby support pillar while Nate had something small in his paws that he was poking at with a screwdriver. As soon as they noticed me, they both jumped to attention with Nate putting away his tools and whatever else he had in one of his many pockets. 

“You ready to go? We've already wasted enough time.”

They both nodded at me as I took the lead. Ten-point-zero-one percent. We had a long way to go, and it was already past noon. It felt odd having two more bodies with me, having been used to being alone since my mother died…apart from Onion. Maybe the mayor was right. I wanted to protect the world, but how can I do that without anyone protecting me? I really hope I don’t regret this.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good Morning Zootopian Wasteland! Stripes here with today’s episode of Stripes in the Morning! Now, some of you may be asking yourself, ‘Hey Stripes, I thought you did these shows on Sundays and Wednesday?’ well, I typically do, but I will be honest with you. I kinda… passed out yesterday and plumb forgot. Here I had this interview planned out for Mark Valiant, Nate Valiant’s brother, but it seems that my ‘appointment’ with him fell apart just like I did after a very tiring day. Fear not! I will be back bright eyed and bushy tail this Sunday with a proper episode! Until then, I will keep trying to dig up all the dirty little secrets this world has to offer and bring you the truth, no matter how much it hurts!”


	25. Bonding Rituals

“So, what brought you to Hope?”

I figured that when we left town, their mood would have been greatly improved, especially since they got their way and were joining me on the rescue mission. I really did not expect them, Nate especially, to have sunken back into their own personal despair. Hope was fading from sight as we started to venture deeper into the looming cityscape. Normally I enjoyed some silence, but this was getting to be too much. 

“Well, needed to restock our supplies, and it was the closest trading town to us, plus the most hospitable to us foxes.”

It was Markus who did most of the talking. The few times I tried to converse with Nate, he just stammered a bit and pretended that something caught his attention. Occasionally I’d look towards him and see that he was looking towards either me or Onion, but as soon as he realized I was looking, he’s cast his attention elsewhere again. If we were going to travel together, we really did need to build some trust between us. This is why I didn’t want them coming in the first place. 

“Apparently I am the only one in this entire world who doesn’t understand, but what is with the dislike of foxes?”

“Nate was right, you really _don’t_ see us like that, do you? Well, it’s really hard to tell honestly, most of us foxes don’t understand it ourselves. It probably had something to do back in the pre-historic days, back when we were nothing but primal savages. Some foxes must have done something to segregate themselves from the other species, and that stuck with them, eventually blending into the stereotype that is used to ‘define’ us. It has caused my brother and I nothing but pain over the years.”

“That’s… horrible. How can an entire civilized society treat a single species like that due to some, potentially over-exaggerated, event that happened thousands of years ago?”

“Civility is just a ruse. Deep down, this world is just cruel.”

It was Nate who spoke this time. I looked towards him, but he had already move his eyes to the ground, as if he never said anything at all. I wasn’t feeling sorry for him, but rather, I felt as if I wanted to comfort him, to tell him that this world has a goodness deep within it. Unfortunately, from everything I have seen, I often doubted that was true. If even a place like Hope, a town that was built around harmony, can still see these brothers as nothing more than foxes, despite how wrong they were, was there truly any good left in this world?

“I wanted to thank you Olivia. I doubt that anyone else would have wanted to rescue someone they didn’t know, especially if it meant helping a couple of foxes.”

Yes, there was good still left in this world. Mayor Swift, these brothers, Bo and his family, Chief Lazlo, and myself. Our numbers may be few, but as long as there is still a glimmer of hope for this world, I think things can change. We just need to show them the right path. 

“There was no way I could sit back when someone was in trouble.”

I checked my map. Twenty-eight-point-twelve percent. We were not even halfway there, but at least we were still heading in the right direction. Quiet fell upon us once again as I took a look around us. We were heading northeast, through what appeared to be a residential district, but directly north of us I could see enormous buildings looking down upon us as they climbed what looked like a giant hill. The structures around us must have only been five to ten stories tall, but the ones in the city proper to the north, some of them looked as if they had hundreds of floors! I was so preoccupied with looking at my surroundings that I nearly tripped over Onion who had at some point moved in front of me.

“Miss? He keeps trying to… touch me.”

“What? Who…”

My eyes moved over to Nate who I saw had something in his paws. When he noticed I was watching, he quickly shoved it into a pocket. 

“Nate… what are you doing?” Markus must have noticed as well. 

“Umm… nothing?”

We all stopped and just looked at him. He started to twitch a little, probably feeling a little discomfort from all the sudden glares in his direction. 

“Okay! Look, I have some… bad thoughts going through my head, I… needed a distraction. Your robot… he’s fascinating.”

“Well, if you wanted to know about him, you should have asked.”

“I… didn’t think…”

“What? You thought that since you’re a fox, that I would tell you no? Sure, I don’t want anyone to be messing around with Onion’s tech, and I am sure he would not appreciate it either, but I am open to telling you all about him. You only need to ask.”

“I… I’m sorry. Didn’t I over hear you say you built him?”

“Don’t be sorry, and yes, I did. I built him from scratch, out of whatever scraps I could get my paws on in the Burrow.” 

The mention of the Burrow caused him to shrink back a little. Markus simply shook his head a little at me. I don’t know why he seemed too afraid of me even mentioning the Burrow, but until I can find out, I need to remember to refrain from mentioning it. At least until we get to know each other better. 

“So you built him all from junk?” Markus broke the tension that was building between me and Nate.

“Yeah. I was about thirteen when I built him. My mother had recently… died, and I had no friends or relatives. No one in the…” I caught myself for a moment, the thoughts of my mother almost made me let it slip, “… where I lived had ever even shown kindness to me, and if they did, I could tell it was feigned. There were so few rabbits where I lived, and the rodent population, most of them tended to look down on us, as if we were lesser beings.” 

That thought made me wonder if the same thing happened to Nate and Markus. Did they get treated badly just because of their species? If so, it must have been worse than what I experienced. I hated my Burrow, but Nate acts like he _feared_ his. 

“I’m… we’re sorry. Nate and I lost our mother at an early age as well. We know too well what that that is like.”

“It looks like we have something in common after all.” I wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say at a time like this, my social skills really were bad. I watched for a reaction, and all I saw was a building sorrow between them, although it appeared more heavily with Markus. 

“Anyways… back to Onion. He was probably the only friend I had growing up. Before my… placement test, which was a load of crap if I might say, I was always tinkering and fixing things. My mother would often be able to get me random bits of scrap, or ‘requisition’ broken electronics from being recycled, and that is where I developed my love for technology. Most of the rabbits, what few there were, brought me their broken things and I fixed it for them. After a while, even some of the rodent population came to me instead of going to the actual technician, who was always too ‘busy’ to help. I never did find out what that fucking rat was doing all that time, but when he died, I did everything I could to prove to the rest of the… population, that I should take over for him.”

“Miss? You’re getting a bit off subject if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. So, after my mother died, I did whatever I could to find scrap. Salvaging ‘broken’ components from items I was fixing, trading with other residents, and even, on the rare occasion… stealing something. I wasn’t proud of myself for doing it, but to be fair, it was always something that was never used, and almost always went un-missed. Once I had everything I needed, I build this handsome devil.”

“He kinda reminds me of an eyebot.” Nate seemed to have snapped out his mood and kept trying to get closer, each step causing Onion to get closer to me, using my body as a shield between the two.

“Eyebot? What’s that?”

“Some type of surveillance robot that was used during the war. As the name suggested, they have a camera that can broadcast the locations of enemies to whomever was using it. Some of them even have two way communicators that can be used to send messages.”

“Well, he was of my own design. Although the whole reason he looks like… well an onion, was due to the fact that when I was building his shell, all I could find was these expansion rings designed for pipe systems. I welded them together to create the inner shell, and simply attached whatever curved metal I could find. He isn’t exactly combat worthy, but that hasn’t stopped him from helping out in that aspect. At least he has his shock baton… which I still need to fix. You mind if we stop for a moment?”

Markus and Nate exchanged looks, as if they were to say no, but then they shook their heads in agreement and relaxed for a short moment. I know they were desperate to save Holly, but I wanted us to be one hundred percent ready, and that included fixing Onion’s only weapon. I put my bag on the grown and sat down, pulling out my tools and scraps. 

“Over here Onion. Let me see your arm. Do me a favor and power down that area; last time you nearly killed me.”

“Yes Miss.”

“Why does he always call you ‘Miss?’ Wouldn’t that get old after a while?”

I started working on the arm as I talked, “It never occurred to me like that. That’s just what he always does. Honestly, I don’t even remember programing him to say that. He just picked it up at some point. Now when he keeps asking me if I am okay, when I am obviously not, that _does_ tend to irritate me.” I jabbed my screwdriver into a loose wire, causing it to spark harmlessly, causing Onion to drift backwards a foot or two before returning, silently, to me. 

“What do you mean, ‘picked it up’?” Nate’s face was showing both curiosity and confusion.

“Oh, that’s just his software. Rather than give him a stock OS that I dug up in the file systems, I decided it be much more of a challenge to make an ‘evolving’ A.I. Basically, Onion is designed to learn. Although that doesn’t stop him from being so very stubborn at times. Ain’t that right Onion?”

“Miss, really I…”

“Whoops, looks like I found your voice box. Sorry.”

“He seems more like your child, or your pet, than a friend.”

“I often think the same thing. Maybe I should get a leash for him.”

“Miss! I object!”

“Darn, looks like he turned his voice box back on. What a shame.”

“Wait a second…” Markus sounded as if he just came to a sudden realization, “… are you telling me that you built him, from the ground up, with just scrap?”

“Yup! That was the easy part too, getting a power source, now that is a story for…”

Nate startled me when he quickly moved closer, standing between Onion and I as he got a closer look at what I was doing. He was so close that I could feel his tail hitting me a few times. It felt kinda…

“Sooo. How did you come up with an intelligence code like that? How did you overcome Asimouse’s Laws of Robotics? I mean a self-learning A.I. is bound to break at least one of them…and what type of power source is connected to that baton? You know that if you adjust the outflow settings and create an amplification loop you can probably increase the range of the electric discharge by at least a few feet. You mind if I take a look?”

“Umm… sure…”

I got up and took a few steps back as Onion started to object to a stranger rooting around in his chassis. 

“You okay Olivia?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine… I think? Has your brother always been like… that?”

Markus just smiled at me as he followed my view back to Nate and Onion. “Yeah, he has. He was always tinkering with something in his free time. I think most of the time it was just to keep him distracted from… well, distracted.”

“You two had a rough time in the Burrow, didn’t you?”

“Yeah we did. He had it much worse though. Not something we really talk about much. I hope you can understand. Just know this - he’s a good kid. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone else.”

The way he kept changing the subject, and the tone of his voice - both of theirs really - when mentioning the Burrow. If it really was that bad for them, it just made my sudden hatred of Burrow-Tec all that more justifiable. Makes me wonder if somewhere out there, there are more Burrows who are being put through similar, if not worse, fates. Why did bad things always happen to good people? 

“Hey bro, when you’re done messing around with her ‘bot, we need to get going.”

“Yeah, yeah, almost done. There! Hey Onion, show us some magic!”

“Miss?”

“It’s okay Onion.”

Onion extended his baton and activated it. It sparked on, but it didn’t look any different from before.

“Turn up the juice!” Nate stepped away as he said that.

Whatever that fox did to Onion, it worked. A giant arc of electricity shot outward at least three feet, hitting against a large metal pole and arcing again towards a sign on the nearby building. The light show not only shocked me, thankfully not literally, but it also sent Onion flying back a few feet. 

“Onion! Are you okay?”

“Well Miss, that increased output consumed nearly fifteen percent of my reserves, and caused quite the recoil, but my systems are still at optimal operating capacities.”

“Whatever you do, don’t _ever_ fire that next to me, or else your scrap, got it?”

“Don’t worry Miss. I’d rather avoid the need for it altogether myself.”

Nate was dancing around, seemingly trying to show off that he did it, as if he wasn’t sure if it would work. I really hope that wasn’t the case, otherwise he is _never_ touching Onion again.

“You know,” Markus had moved next to me, talking with a low voice, “you two have a lot in common, and to tell you the truth, I don’t think I have ever seen him happier.”

Markus walked over to his brother and I heard him say that he needs to stop goofing around and get ready to head out. As for myself, I just stood there, my face feeling warm. Why the fuck was my face feeling so warm? And my tail, it felt… gah! I hurried over and grabbed my bag and tools. First the mayor, now this fox. Why is it that in the matter of _days_ , I’ve been getting these… feeling? I sighed. 

“Miss? I am picking up movement.”

This is exactly what I needed, a distraction. “Where from and how many?”

“Three, and about forty feet to the south.”

“Markus! Nate! We got company!”

I pulled out my gun and faced towards the south. Directly south of us was what once was a small road that intersected the city. Scattered cars made for perfect hiding spots for an ambush. We had stopped next to a building, but was otherwise in an open space. Since we had not seen any sign of life since leaving Hope, none of us must have thought about finding a better location to rest. I started to hear groans and growls coming from my line of sight. No, not these fuckers again.

“If you can understand me, please stay where you are!”

I saw the first one crawling out from under a large truck. Another one was slowly walking across the top of it. Once it reached the edge of the trailer, it took a step and fell onto the cabin of the truck, before falling again to the ground. It slowly got up and started forward as I saw another one come from the side of a van. 

“Miss! They are not stopping!”

“Yeah, I noticed that Onion!”

Two of them were large. Tigers perhaps? While the other was small and very lanky. It was probably a weasel. I took aim. I did not want to shoot unless I was certain they weren’t intelligent. After my interactions with Mr. Big, I had realized that there was more like him, mammals that had… changed but only physically, who maintained their intelligence. They were no different from us, and deserved to be treated the same. I was about to shout out again when I heard a loud crack and one of the tiger’s heads exploded. 

“Miss! Four more just appeared on my scanner!”

“What are you waiting for Olivia? Shoot!”

I snapped my head back into it. These were savage ghouls. I had to try. I had to try. I took aim and fired at the other large ghoul. I missed. Shit. Three more were crawling over cars while I couldn’t see the last one anywhere. Another loud crack sounded behind me, but he must have missed. Next I heard a short burst of fire as the leg of the tiger buckled, but it still moved forward. The rest were starting to pick up pace. 

“Miss! Two more!” 

Fuck! How many were there? The sounds of gunfire must be attracting them. Nate and Markus appeared beside me. Markus had a rather large looking pistol in his paw, while Nate had a rifle. They both fired, taking out two more. I fired again, my bullet tearing the weasel in half. I turned towards my next target but movement caused me to return to the weasel. Its upper half was still trying to move!

“I fucking hate these things!”

“Then why didn’t you shoot when they were not as close?”

“I had to make sure they were not like us! I don’t want to kill an innocent!”

“Trust me, these are not innocent.” Markus fired another round. The sound of his gun was almost deafening this close to me. “The more civilized ghouls never travel in packs. It’s too dangerous for them.”

“But my sensor’s only showed three! How was I supposed to know?”

Nate spoke this time, “Your Pip-Boar must still be on short range format. I’ll change that for you when we get out of here. Mark! Five more!”

“That makes… fourteen! We should really get out of here, now!”

“Miss! Behind us!”

I checked my scanner, movement was coming out of the alleyway behind us. Fuck me. At this rate we will be surrounded. I looked around us and noticed… oh that’s brilliant. I put my gun away and pulled my bag in front of me. “Buy me time!”

“What?”

“Trust me!”

I moved backwards away from the overly noisy weapons they had and pulled out my last grenade. This better work. 

“Okay, cover me. We are going through these fuckers!”

“Are you insane?!”

“We are being surrounded, and according to my map, this is the quickest way. On my mark, run as fast as you can to me.”

Before either of them could respond I darted forward, towards the larger crowd of ghouls. Sure, we could have gone the other way, but more and more dots appeared on my scanner behind us. No matter what direction we went, we would have had to fight out way through a horde of these things, and I didn’t want to waste the bullets when we are still so far away from rescuing Holly. 

I made one last calculation in my head, and took a dive, sliding next to the first ghoul that they killed. The truck, I had realized, based upon it’s warning signs posted on it, was a fuel transport. While I was certain that the fuel had been taken long ago, there should still be enough fumes in there to make a sizable explosion. When I stopped sliding, I was directly under the truck. I then noticed something else that will make this a show to remember. The decaying paw of a ghoul reached under the truck for me, but Markus shot it down with his weapon. I flipped the grenade’s safety open, pressed the button and dropped it, pushing myself out from underneath. I jumped up and ran to the side of the nearest building, pulling out my gun and firing it up in the air towards an outcropping. My bullet made its mark, causing a ladder to drop down.

“NOW!”

I had no idea what was going on through their heads, but thankfully they were not second guessing me as they ran and followed me up the ladder. Two floors up there was a broken window and I dived in. A second later so did they, just as my grenade went off. I dove behind an overturned couch and looked out the window as the truck I was just under flew up in the air, and then came crashing down, setting off an explosion that shook the building. Nate and Markus, who had gotten inside just before the explosion, started to get up to look at the devastation.

“I’d get behind me if I were you.”

They looked at me questionably as a series of explosions ripped below us, causing them to dive next to me. The ground shook so much that I was afraid the building was about to collapse, but thankfully it was still standing. That part did not quite occur to me, and this new series of explosions? That wasn’t part of the plan either. Then again, I did only come up with it in a few seconds…

“What the hell just happened Olivia!” Markus was staring at me, his face a cross between fear and bewilderment.

“Well you see…”

I heard rattling noises rising in the building and small popping noises occurring below us. I looked to my left and saw a bathroom. Not again. I had no time to react before the pressure of the explosion caused the toilet to explode, sending bits of porcelain, and the contents of the now destroyed septic system flying everywhere. The smell was horrible, but we were alive. The foxes, however, were not too pleased.

***

“Ugh, it’s everywhere. It’s in my fur, it’s in my clothes, it’s even in my…”

I finished changing into some cleaner clothing. Thankfully I had thought to bring my old jumpsuit. I hope Mayor Swift isn’t mad that I probably ruined her gift. My jacket was filthy…again. I tried to scrape what I could off but it was no use. It was getting ratty anyways. I tossed it on the ground and grabbed my bag. 

“What exactly just happened Olivia?”

“Well, you see, I had noticed an old fuel transport, I recognized the hazardous materials logo on it. We had them all over the place back in the… where I came from. I figured, even if someone had drained all the fuel from its tanks, there would still be enough residual fumes trapped in it to allow for an explosion, and decided to use it to not only force the ghouls back, but also distract them while we made our escape up here.”

“That doesn’t explain the filth everywhere!”

“That was an unfortunate side effect. You see, when I got under the fuel truck, I noticed it was parked over a sewage access. It was still sealed, but there were enough cracks for me to smell methane leaking from it. There was probably decades of crap down there, slowly building up the gas. I knew what would happen, but it was too late, so I just rolled with it.”

“Mark… come here.”

Mark and I both got up and went over towards Nate who was looking out the window that we had come through. Out there, in the street below, was my handy-work. The pipe system that connected the sewage must have run down this entire strip of road, because the entire street was torn asunder. Smoke, fire, and debris were everywhere. Damaged pipes were sticking out all over the place, and ghoul bodies were scattered, most of them torn to bits. A few were still moving, but they were in no condition to follow us, if they even knew where we were. 

“You see boys, that is why I didn’t want you to come with me. Where ever I go, things happen and shit explodes, and not necessarily in that order.”

Their faces were priceless. Jaws descended, shocked looks on their faces. It made me smile. 

“Wow, you are something.” Nate’s shocked and bewildered expression was slowly replaced with that of awe. I felt my face get warm as he snapped his mouth shut and turned towards his brother.

“So, you okay Mark?”

“Yeah, all good here. Could use a shower. Or two.”

“Hey Onion, what’s your… Onion?”

I just realized that I didn’t remember seeing Onion follow us in here. Oh no. Please don’t tell me that…”

“Out here Miss. I could use a little help.”

I ran to the window and saw that Onion was pinned between the metal floor and the ladder leading to the next floor. It must have gotten knocked loose from the explosion. I jumped out and tried to lift it up. It was heavier than I thought. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nate and Markus come over and help lift it. Once it was high enough, Onion rolled out from underneath and activated his levitator. 

“Oh Onion, I am sorry.”

“Apparently that shock test drained the power reserves from my levitator engine and I was not able to pick up enough speed and height to make it in time.”

I turned to Nate. His smile turned into a look of slight worry. “Oh, well. I can fix it. I swear!”

“Just…” I sighed, “let’s get going. It was just probably a feedback loop or something. I forgot to mention that all the parts are heavy modifications of cheap components. That’s usually why I don’t let someone else mess with him. It’s a mess in him, but a mess I know by heart.”

“I can help…” 

I shot him another look and he stopped talking. “There should hopefully be another fire escape on the other-side of this building. I don’t wanna go back down there, so we will cut through these rooms. As long as the other side is clear we can make our way from there. Sun sets soon, and I wanna make it there by then.”

I looked at my Pip-Boar. Thirty-Nine-Point-Eight. We still had a way to go. I just hope this is the last excitement we have until we reach our destination. I don’t know if my sanity can last that long and, once again, I am covered with shit. Hope better have a good shower system. Maybe I should invest in some waterproof clothing. Armored, waterproof clothing. That covers my whole body. I need a fucking suit of exo-armor, that’s what I need. I wonder if it is too late to take Chief Lazlo up on that offer.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is your humble host, C. Stripes with Stripes in the Morning, the only After Show that matters! I've finally caught up with Markus Valiant, the other half of the twin foxes. Mr. Valiant, tell us a little about yourself.”

**[Markus]**

“Who are you?”

**[Stripes]**

“Does no one listen to the radio anymore? I'm C. Stripes, reporter extraordinaire! It is my goal to bring my audience the truth no matter where it hides. Now, there's been a little visual vagueness when it comes to many of the travelers of the wastes. Tell me, I notice that your eyes are heterochromatic, as in each one of them are a different color. Your left eye is a blue hue, while your right one is a lavender or purple color, may I inquire as to your rather unique look?”

**[Markus]**

“Lab accident, that is all I'll say about that, now if you excuse me…”

**[Stripes]**

“This would be a rather short show if we were to end it now, so tell us a little about your girlfriend. A fox and a rabbit? It’s almost as if it's right out of a certain movie that may or may not have relevancy with this little tale.”

**[Markus]**

“Movie? What are you yammering on about? Look, I don’t have time to be talking with you, we have a long journey ahead of us, and I would appreciate you leaving us alone.”

**[Stripes]**

“Fine, fine. I think the audience is awaiting a much more interesting interspecies couple anyways.”

**[Markus]**

“Another interspecies couple? Who are you… wait, you don’t mean…”

**[Stripes]**

“And that’s all the time we have today! This may be a short one but don’t worry folks, just as a psychiatrist can’t solve a patient's mental woes in a single session, a reporter can’t bring you all the news in a single episode. So until next time, this is Stripes signing off and as always, I'll be seeking to bring you the truth, no matter how much it hurts!”

**[Max - Fox Recording Assistant]**

"You… You seriously don't pay me enough for this Stripes and you still owe me like, 2 months worth of coffee! You'd best hope I don't drop the mic boom next time, cause if who you've got tagged next reacts in the way I think they will… I ain't gonna run it off like that damn Rad-Roach in your office last week… Damn Zebra can't even deal with a roach. And they say us Foxes are cowards.


	26. Friends in the Making

We managed to clear the building and make it back to the ground level with relative ease and, thankfully, no signs of ghouls. Around the other side of here the streets were torn apart from the underground explosion. This would make traversing the roads a bit trickier since we weren’t on the side that we needed to be on. There was also a very rank smell filling the entire area. 

“Ugh, that smell. It’s awful. Here you two, take some gauze and wrap it around your face. It helps a little.”

Markus handed Nate and I a strip of cloth gauze from his first aid kit and we all wrapped it around our nose and mouth. He was right. It did help some, although now we looked like we belonged in a B-rated monster movie. The cloth muffled our voices a little bit, but we could still hear each other talk.

“Hey, Nate. You said something about being able to increase the range of my scanner?”

“Oh yeah! Here, let me take a look.”

He gently grabbed my arm and started to mess around with the Pip-Boar’s settings. A shiver ran down my spine, as I tried to figure out what the hell was going on with me when I was around him. I looked at Nate but his mind was lost in his work, so I tried to distract myself with Markus. 

“So, that’s a pretty … well … noisy gun you have.”

“This thing? It’s my trusty revolver. It might be loud, but it sure does kick.”

“I think my ears are still ringing from it. Can’t you put a silencer on it or something?”

“It probably just blow the thing off.”

Nate finished with his work and let go of my arm. Even though he wasn’t putting any pressure on it, I instinctively rubbed it. I looked at my Pip-Boar but it didn’t look any different. Guess I will just have to wait until something finds us. It would be nice to be able to go from point A to point B abated for once.

We were a little over halfway there when we needed to stop to rest. I think they heard my stomach growling from a mile away. None of us wanted to stop, but if we arrived filled with exhaustion, we would be just as helpful dead. I pulled out the sandwiches that Petunia packed for me. I offered part of them to the brothers, but they had food of their own. 

This sandwich was wonderful. I still don’t know if it’s her cooking, or if I just have had horrible food my whole life. I may have to work out some kind of trade so she can keep my belly full of her deliciousness. Half the town is falling apart. I am sure she has something that needs fixing. I have a lot of work ahead of me when I get back, and I am actually looking forward to it. 

“Hey, when we rescue Holly, what are your plans?”

“Probably head back to our place. To be honest, we are heading in the general direction of it. We liked Hope and all, but too many of them still have a backwards attitude regarding foxes for us to feel safe there.”

“That’s too bad Markus. You two seem to handle yourselves in a fight well and, between Nate and I, we could probably have the town running in peak condition within weeks instead of months, if we were lucky. I know that Mayor Swift likes you and, as of right now, she is trying to convince the town that you are good mammals, and I will vouch for that as well. I mean, if both the mayor and the ‘Hero of Hope’ say you’re okay, that should stand for something. Shouldn’t it?”

“That … is very kind of you. Both of you putting your trust in us so easily. Unfortunately, we have been down this road before. No matter how much you try to convince someone, if they truly believe that all foxes are un-trusting, then nothing and no one will be able to convince them otherwise.”

How can people be so heartless? To like one mammal, but hate another, just due to their species and nothing more? 

“There has to be something I can do, anything, to help. Once I get back to Hope, I will do whatever it takes to change their minds. Even if it means them loosing me. I don’t know if I can live someplace where the seeds of hate are planted so deeply.”

They both just stared at me. Why is it so hard to believe that someone cares? Sure, I may be oblivious to this world, both past and present, but all I want to do is reach for the future; a future where mammals are not trying to kill each other for stupid, petty reasons. A future where mammals can live where they want and how they want without fear of them spreading like a plague. 

And this is just here, in Zootopia. Was the rest of the world like this?

“Well, we should get moving. Everyone set? … What? … Why are you … no, don’t you dare.”

It was Nate first, coming at me with his arms reaching out at me. Then it was Markus doing the same thing. Crap they were flanking me. They were getting closer, and closer, and … now I am being hugged. This felt … weird, but oddly enough, it felt … natural.

It was Markus who broke the air first. “You may not be our Holly, but you make a good replacement. Just remember though, Holly will always be my bunny. You, you can have Nate.”

“WHAT! Are you … what … are you …"

“Whoops, I think I broke her. You okay there, bro?”

Nate had broken away from the hug rather quick, and I saw his face was bright red. I don’t think all my synapses were firing right. I kept stammering, my vision was blurry, and I felt warm everywhere, and I do mean … FUCK! Keep it together Olivia, keep it together. Breathe, that’s it, take deep breaths. Calm down.

“Miss? Are you okay? You look …”

“YESIAMOKAYLETSGO!”

I grabbed my bag and started to walk, hopefully in the right direction. I wasn’t in the mental state to even begin to think about what my body was doing. I just needed to walk, preferably in front of them so they didn’t see my expressions. I didn’t even want to know what it looked like. Hopefully they were following, because I didn’t look back to check.

***

Eighty-One-Point-Twelve. We are getting close. It’s a good thing too. The sky was darkening fast, and soon we would be under the cover of night. Since we had left earlier, after eating, nobody spoke even a word. I don’t know if any of us were regretting anything, or if we didn’t know how to break the tension. A little quiet time was always good, especially after … whatever that was. 

We had left the large buildings a few miles back, and now we were in the outskirts of Savannah Central. In the distance, we could see the massive walls that separated Sahara Square from the rest of the districts. When we first saw them, they did not look very large, but the closer we get, the higher they seem to reach. 

“Beyond those walls, a bit further north, is where we call home. It’s a rather calm area, but I admit it is dangerously close to Red-Neck territory. Thankfully, we have kept ourselves well hidden from them.” Markus took the lead in talking again, although I had been purposely trying not to look at Nate. I really didn’t know what to say about earlier. It was his brother’s fault. 

“Wait, Red-Necks? I need to pay those fuckers a visit sometime.”

“Whoa, no one just ‘visits’ the Red-Necks! They are one of the most feared raider groups in the Wastes! They would sooner burn you alive then talk to you … and that’s if you’re lucky.”

“Well, they burned Beaverton to the ground, and I made a promise to myself that I would pay them back for their atrocities.”

“Look, Nate and I understand that you care. We both agree that you have more compassion for this world than everyone else we know combined, but if you go throwing your life away for people who can’t even thank you, what’s going to happen to the ones who _can_?”

I hate being wrong. Every time I think my heart is in the right place, someone shows me that that I am acting too rashly. Even if I did have the power to save everyone, it’s no use if I am dead. The problem is, I can’t just sit back and do nothing either. How do I even know if I have the power if I don’t try to use it?

“Those fuckers are not going anywhere, but Holly’s life is in danger. Once everyone is safe, then I will figure things out. It’s getting real dark now. I hope we …”

I felt something push me back, and at first I thought it was Onion, but after quickly switching on my Pip-Boar’s light, I saw that it was Nate. I was about to say something when he pointed to the ground. Directly in front of me was a large hole. It was big enough that it could have swallowed me whole if I had stumbled into it. 

“It’s a firebug burrow. You don’t wanna rile them up … although it is probably already out hunting.”

“Thanks Nate. How did you know it was there?”

“Us foxes have pretty good night vision. I was … keeping an eye out for dangers for you … us.”

“Well I appreciate it. I’ll be more careful. What is a firebug anyways? I heard them mentioned once before.”

“Nasty things they are.” Markus came up from behind as we walked around it, avoiding two more of the large holes, “They are giant flying pests with razor sharp scythe-like claws on their legs and mandibles that could tear through steel. Although that’s not what makes them dangerous. It’s their abdomen. If you ever see a giant glowing dot in the distance, you better make sure it don’t get too close. They spit radioactive goo that sticks to everything, and if they feel threatened, they can cause themselves to go nuclear.”

“Wait, you mean there are _living_ nuclear bombs out here!?”

“Afraid so. Now, you really have to make them feel in danger to make them go boom, like cornering them, but if you see their belly pulsing, you better run.”

Zombies, mad mammals, flying death machines, and now living nukes? This world is all sorts of screwed up. I may need an army just to save everyone from its horrors. Although if I keep making friends like this, I may have an army sooner than later. I think my to-do list might need a few more volumes by the time I am done with it. 

“Sooo, tell me about Holly. I probably should know a little more about the person I am rescuing.”

“She’s my girl. We have been together for, well a long time now. Now is not the time to go into too much detail about our past, but let’s just say it’s complicated. Now she is a firecracker to say the least. Honestly, you remind of her a bit. You are both determined, care about protecting those around you, and you’re both survivors. To tell you the truth, I heard some rumors of what you have done, but I didn’t believe them until I saw you handle those ghouls. Although, Holly would have probably just shot them all. She likes her guns.”

“Rumors? What rumors?”

“Well, there’s you taking down that robot all by yourself, of course. Then there is the incident at the Regal Giraffe Theater. Mayor Swift said you took out an entire group of Grey Quills by yourself. Heck, even the Steel Guardians were having trouble with them, but hearing that some rabbit just walked in and killed them all without breaking a sweat, it is a rather unbelievable feat. After seeing you today, I am starting to believe it.”

“Wait, the mayor knew about that?”

“Yup, to be honest, during the siege she wanted to find out how to contact you, but she did not even know if you were real. Then here you come, waltzing right up the door, taking down yet _another_ raider group all by your lonesome, like you were Jack Savage himself.”

“Well, I can assure you, while some of that is true, I wasn’t alone. I had Onion there with me every step of the way, and I nearly killed myself fighting their leader - this massive elephant with a whip just as big. If it wasn’t for the Guardians rescuing me and patching me up, I would have died right there with her.”

“Wait, elephant with a whip? No, you can’t be talking about Bailey. Can you?”

“What, you know her?”

“Know _of_ her. She is the second in command of the entire Gray Quills! She used to be an arena champion, and was undefeated. When she was recruited into the Gray Quills, she rose ranks so fast that they expected her to become leader. She is one of the strongest mammals in the Wastes!”

“She _was_. I kinda choked her to death. With her own whip. I was not a happy bunny at the time.”

“So wait. You are telling me that _you_ killed _her_ with her _own_ weapon?!” 

“I thought I already said that?”

“I am glad you are on our side. Remind me not to make you angry.”

“Don’t worry. As long as you aren’t trying to kill me and torture someone, I won’t _kill_ you.”

I was teasing Markus, but when I shone my light to his face to see his reaction, it was a lot more serious than I imagined it would be. Nate’s expression was similar to Markus’. 

“These deathwings don’t stand a chance against you, do they?”

“Well, I did have one saving grace back then, B.A.T.S. Unfortunately, I ran out of serum.”

“Oh! Here. I have an extra vial on me. I don’t use it much, but always carry some. Just in case.”

Nate tossed me the vial. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. I shined the light on it and it was a blue iridescent color that shimmered in the light. I was so glad to have some more of this stuff. I think I was starting to miss it. Now, how do I …

“Here, let me help you.”

Nate came over and took the vial from my paw and gently grabbed my arm. He then froze and looked at me while I felt his grip loosening. I placed my paw on his and nodded, letting him know that it was okay. To let him know that I wasn’t going to kill him, or at least that’s what I thought I was trying to say. Nate simply put on an awkward smile as he opened a small compartment on the Pip-Boar and replaced the empty slot with the new chemical. 

“Roughly, these last thirty uses, give or take the species. Although I have seen them run dry in less than fifteen and last nearly fifty. Depends on the model of Pip-Boar, really.”

“Wait, there are different models of these things?”

“You bet. Yours and mine are both the three-thousand series, one of the later models. There are also the two-thousand series, the one-thousand series, although those last two use an older non capacitive screen, and outdated operating systems, and then there is the most elusive four-thousand model. Only five of them were ever made. They look similar to the three-thousand, but their operating system is much more adaptable, allowing its user to integrate advanced software and hardware modules. I think I would die if I ever found one.”

Here I barely knew about my own Pip-Boar, and he is acting like they are a god-given tool. Eh, whatever. As long as I can use it to suit my needs, it’s just another tool to me. Still, I would like to know more about it.

“Okay Nate, here’s the deal. After we rescue Holly, you need to teach me _everything_ there is to know about my Pip-Boar.”

“Alright! What do I get in return?”

Umm … I … No, bad Olivia! “How about I let you take a closer look at … Onion?”

“Miss! I object!”

“No one is asking you Onion. Okay, it’s settled. Let’s go before I do … say … forward!”

***

Ninety-Five-Point-One. We are almost there, and thank goodness for that. I really need a distraction, and shooting things has often proven to be quite the distraction for me. I don’t enjoy killing, but at the same time, there is this … thrill that I get when I am in the heat of battle, and I had a feeling that a battle is what we are about to get. Thankfully Nate had been able to replenish my B.A.T.S., that will come in handy. Come to think of it …

“Umm, Nate?”

I pointed my light towards him and he still had a rather bashful expression on his face, but snapped out of it when he saw I was facing him. “Y … yeah?”

“I was just thinking. Now that I have some replacement serum for my Pip-Boar, I can use B.A.T.S. again, but there is one slight problem I have been having with it.”

“What?”

“I have no flipping idea how to activate it! It always just seems to know when I am in danger and prompts me to initiate it, but I have only gotten so far with that.”

“Oh! That’s easy. There is a special command you say. The default command is ‘Serum X-241 Initialization Sequence Activate,’ but I think the developers realized that is quite the mouthful to remember in combat, so they allow you to change it,” he grabbed my arm to get to my Pip-Boar. Why does he keep doing that, and better yet, why do I keep letting him? “… and here you go. Just change this to anything you want. It is tied to your vocal pattern only, so you don’t have to worry about anyone else activating it.”

My vocal patterns? What should I change it to? A simple ‘Fuck you’ could suffice, but I don’t want it going off whenever I am angry. It had to be something quick, and simple. Something that I would not normally say, but can easily remember. I had an idea, but it probably sounded better in my head. I can always change it later. What the hell. I pressed the button so that I can record the activation code.

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

“Kind of a morbid activation code, ain't it?”

“It’s short and simple. Plus, usually there is a lot of death when I use this, so it’s also suitable I think.”

“Don’t anger the bunny Nate.”

“We are just about there, but I can’t seem to see any …”

In the distance I saw a figure shoot straight up into the sky before speeding over the wall separating the districts. I saw no lights or signs of where it came from, but it had to have been a deathwing. I checked my map and saw that there was a small strip of land that was separated by two rivers. That looked to be about where it was, and based upon the signal strength, it be a good guess. 

“Did you two see that?” Nate sounded worried.

“You mean the winged terror flying off in the distance? No, must have missed it.”

“You are acting rather calm Olivia. We are about to venture into the den of one of the Wasteland’s most dangerous creatures, and here you are joking. What’s your secret?”

“Now don’t judge me, but to be honest? Sometimes I think what I do is … fun.”

“You call nearly being killed time and time again fun?”

“I know, you must think I am insane, and I just might be, but look at it this way. When I am enjoying what I am doing, I am able to focus to much better. You saw me earlier, I nearly got us killed because I didn’t want to attack those ghouls just in case they were like us. I was frozen because I was so afraid that I would kill an innocent, that I couldn’t think straight. Once I realized they were enemies, that’s when I started to have fun with it, and you saw how quickly I was able to take care of the situation. Even in the direst of times, even if I know I am about to be killed, in the end … wouldn’t you rather die happy than miserable?”

“You … are one screwed up bunny. You know that? Holly will have a field day with you.”

“I keep telling her that Mister Valiant. But does she listen to me? Never.”

“Ugh, just call me Mark, or Markus, or something other than that. I don’t care for formalities Onion. So Olivia, what’s the plan?”

“Well, we need to get in closer, that’s for certain. After that? Well I am more of a spur of the moment girl, but we need to handle this with tact and subtlety. If we go in guns blazing, we may hurt our chances of rescuing Holly alive.”

“Sounds like we need a Stealth-Boar.” Nate interjected, shoving himself between Markus and myself.

“A what?”

“Oh, it’s a piece of tech that was created during the war to allow soldiers to sneak into enemy territory undetected. It basically creates a field of refracting energy that mimics its surroundings rendering anyone within the field invisible for a short time.”

“You don’t by chance have one of them, do you Nate?”

“I wish. They are not that common since they contain a single charge in them. Once they are used up, it becomes a five- pound brick. I have heard of multi-use ones, but they are even rarer.”

That would have solved everything. Sneak in, slap a stealth field on Holly and sneak out. Things never work out that easily for me. The area had become mostly flat, save for a few small houses that were scattered between us and the wall. We needed to get closer in order to get a better grasp on the situation. I pulled out my scope.

“See that house? The one with the damaged roof? We need to make our way there.”

“Why do you have a scope that is much too large for your gun?”

“Found this really nice long rage rifle awhile back, but it was too bulky for me, so I stripped off the scope to use for scouting. Okay, we can’t waste any more time. Follow me.”

I dashed forward putting the buildings between me and where the deathwing came from. It was too dark to see if they had any lookouts, but I did not want to chance it. If they mainly hunted at night, I’m sure their night vision is better than the three of us combined. It’s probably a good thing they came with me. My nighttime vision is terrible. They would be able to assist me so that I did not have to rely on my Pip-Boar’s light giving us away. Maybe having a team to watch each other’s backs _is_ a good idea.

We reached the house without us being seen … at least I hoped. There were no signs of activity on my scanners, so that was a good start. I set my bag down and grabbed my scope and went to climb up the remnants of the home to get a better view when someone grabbed my arm. I turned around and saw it was Nate. 

“Here.” He handed me something. “Night vision binoculars. Probably be better suited for you than that scope.”

I took a look at them. It was like two of the scopes attached together but in a smaller package. I held it up to my eyes but did not see anything. Markus showed me a button on the side of the device and I held it up again and pushed it. The entire world lit up in a wash of green. I was able to see so much details that it was almost as if it was day, and the sun turned green. 

“Oh, where were was this thing days ago. You got anything else useful? Like maybe a teleporter that takes us right back to Hope?”

“This isn’t an episode of Space Travelers. Tech like that doesn’t exist. No Nate. Not now.”

Space Travelers? I’ll have to ask about that later. With binoculars in paw, I proceeded to scale the house. Thankfully the roof had collapsed in such a manner that it was like climbing a steep hill. Once I got to the top I looked towards the direction that the deathwing had come from. Just like my map showed, there was a strip of relatively flat land that was surrounded by what looked like dried up river beds. I couldn’t see how deep they were from here, but at least we did not have to worry about radiation poisoning. 

In the middle of the landmass stood a small squat building. It had to have only been one floor. I couldn’t see how, but that must be the entrance to the cave. My thoughts were answered when I saw another figure. This time it was obvious that it was a deathwing flying down into the building. It must not have had a roof. That’s how they can get in and out. I fidgeted with the binoculars until I found the zoom. I moved my vision as close to the house as I could. The doors were boarded up, but there was a giant window that looked unblocked. I scurried back down the building to where Onion and the brothers were waiting.

“We have our way in fellers.”

“Does it look guarded?” Markus was checking the ammunition in his gun as he spoke.

“I don’t see anything, but there is activity. We will have to stay low to the ground and move in silently. Onion, I hate to say this, but your levitator gives off too much light, even in low power mode. You will need to stay back. Keep your communication channel open, and wait for me.”

“Miss! I object!”

“No Onion. Do as I say. Plus, this is different than last time. I got these two boys with me.”

Onion kept quiet. He knew he wouldn’t be able to win this argument. What I didn’t tell him was that the real reason I left him behind was so that if we were to get captured, or worse, he would need to go back to Hope and inform them. I know the mayor would want to know what happened to us. He didn’t know it, but I had already made a farewell message to be transmitted to him upon my death. I didn’t have the heart to tell him, or them, my true feelings on this mission. 

“Ok, now that that is settled, let’s move out. Remember, low to the ground.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good Morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is the Savanna Caller’s very own zebra, C. Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Today we have a very special guest, everyone’s favorite vegetable shaped robot, Onion! So Onion, tell us a little about yourself.”

**[Onion]**

“Miss? There is a strange mammal here.”

**[Olivia]**

“Just humor him Onion while we get cleaned up.”

**[Stripes]**

“Humor, the one thing that can break the monotony of wasteland living, but this reporter ain’t no joke. I'm here behind the scenes to bring about the hard truth. So Onion, tell us, you seem much more alive than the typical robot people encounter. Deep beneath that plated metal exterior, what *really* makes you tick?”

**[Onion]**

“Miss Springs created me with tender care. Despite my outward appearance, my internal workings are designed with the finest equipment available to her at the time.”

**[Stripes]**

“Ah, so she stole Burrow-Tec equipment to make you?”

**[Onion]**

“Miss Springs isn’t a thief. She told me that everything in the Burrow was recycled, she was simply advancing on already dismal equipment.”

**[Stripes]**

“So, no heart, no *soul* resides within you? You just seem so very alive, and hopefully not just mistakenly written that way as if you were being treated as another mammal, and not a robot.”

**[Onion]**

“I may not have a ‘soul’, or other biological components, but Miss Springs designed me to learn. Not just how to do things, but to learn from how others talk, how they interact with each other. Sadly, most of this is picked up from recordings and Miss Springs herself. She was never much of a social mammal, so I fear I have much to learn.”

**[Stripes]**

“Hopefully you'll learn everything you need, although it would help if a certain *someone* didn’t keep on forgetting or neglecting you in the story… I’m looking at *you*, me. Or is that me, you? I’m not quite sure how this works.”

**[Onion]**

“Mister Stripes? Who are you pointing at?”

**[Stripes]**

“Him! No, I mean me! Wait, no, that’s not right…”

**[Olivia]**

“Okay Onion, let’s leave the crazy zebra alone. We got a long road ahead of us.”

**[Stripes]**

“Or is it… oh, they're gone. Well that was rude of them. Looks like another episode of the After Show is ending. Remember ladies and gentle-mammals, they are not the only ones with a long way to go, and I hope you enjoy every moment of it, and remember, I'll be bringing you all the hard truths at the end of each chapter, no matter how much it hurts!”

**[Max]**

"Oh how I wish for the day someone would actually hurt you...then maybe I'd be able to get some rest...Maybe even enjoy some bloody coffee. I Swear you think I run on air and well wishes...By the way...The next time you bump my shoulder when I'm holding a pot of that miracle brew? It might end up on more than just your papers next time..."


	27. Into the Den of Nightmares

Just as I had suspected, the roof of the building was completely missing. I wasn’t sure if it had been damaged in the war, or if those creatures destroyed it when making their nest. Thankfully it was relatively clean on the other side of the window, so we should not have any issues getting in. Getting out on the other hand, might be a bit more problematic.

Since I was the smaller one, I told the brothers to hang back and keep an eye out for me. They were hesitant at first, but after an intense stare session with them, they backed down. Did those stories really paint me to be such a, dangerous mammal? I really hope not, that might make things like trading hard in the future. Maybe I should tone it down a notch?

Inside there was not much floor left to walk on. A giant hole formed most of the room we were in. I tried to see how far down it went, but even with my binoculars, it looked too deep to tell. Guess if you have wings a vertical drop is nothing to worry about. Since there was no sign of any ladder or steps leading down, we might have to find another way. Across the gap was a door that lead deeper into the house. I turned around and waved them in. 

“She must be down there, but I can’t tell how far down it goes.”

Nate moved to the edge of the hole and kicked a small piece of debris down into it. 

“Nate! What are you doing!” I was trying to keep as quiet as I could, but my voice still echoed in this room.

“Trying to see how far down it goes. What? The edge of this is so rough, that I am sure they are used to something small dropping in. There it is. I would say it’s probably, thirty feet down?”

“That is quite the drop. Any ideas Olivia?”

“Hmm, what if we…”

I was cut off by a small noise coming up from the bottom of the hole. It sounded like wind, or… wings.

“Hide!”

We ran through the open door on the other side of the room. This room, what appeared to once have been a kitchen, was surprisingly intact, despite the roof being missing. We ducked in under a large table in the middle of the kitchen. We could all fit, but we had to squeeze, uncomfortably, together. I felt something moving around my waist. I reached back and… is that? No… not now.

“How good is their eyesight?” I had to keep my mind preoccupied.

“Pretty good, but their sense of smell is even better.”

Sense of… fuck. “You mean a smell like, oh I don’t know, two-hundred-year-old shit?”

“Yeah… oh.”

‘Oh.’ Why is it that whenever people are about to get discovered, they answer with such as a simple word? Not, ‘We should have brought deodorant’ or ‘Maybe they won’t smell us,’ but no, it’s just, ‘Oh.’ Fuck me. 

“Maybe they won’t smell us?”

Nate… I wanted to smack him. “Look on the bright side, if they eat us, they won’t like how we taste. I’d never want to give them that satisfaction.”

I heard one of them start to say something, but it was cut off by the sound of not one, but two deathwings flying from the hole. We were in such a position that we couldn’t see the hole, but I folded back my ears and chanced a peak above us. I saw the outline of one of them, just hovering above us, but where was the other one? 

As if it was answering my own thought, I saw the wolfish head of one poke through the open doorway leading to the kitchen. Fuck. We’re dead. I felt Nate’s tail tighten around my waist. Was he doing that on propose, or out of fear? Either way it felt… Okay Olivia, mind back on the thing that is probably going to kill us. 

It slowly moved into the room. We all tried to bunch together as close as possible to prevent it from detecting us. It had home field advantage over us. It slowly moved into the room. I was too scared to pop my head out, and I knew that even if we all were to jump out guns blazing and kill it, it’s friend above us, along with the countless ones below us would descend upon us before we could even react. No, we had to wait it out as long as possible. 

Clicking noises alerted me to its over-sized claws hitting the ceramic floor as it slowly moved across the room. It moved around the table, I heard it taking large sniffs in the air, as if trying find out where that, hopefully not delectable, aroma was coming from. The table moved slightly as I heard a thump on top of it. 

“I think it just…”

“Shhhh!”

It made a chirping noise. I did not know if it was trying to talk, or if it was just happy it found lunch. Please just be asking ‘Who goes there.’ The bulk of the creature was starting to make the table bow under its weight. If it didn’t move soon, it would cause it to break, and then it would defiantly know we are here. The smelling noise was getting closer as I saw the outline of its head start to move down into our view. It was about to see us! Fuck. We. Are. Dead. 

A loud screeching caused it to suddenly snap its head back up and the table flipped over as it took off. We were completely bare to the world, but the creatures didn’t look back as it flew off into the night. We were all breathing heavily. We all started to get up. The danger was over, for now. I tried to move towards the door, but I was yanked back. Nate’s tail was still around me. 

“Umm, do you… mind?”

Nate suddenly realized what was going on as he unraveled his tail and held it against him, like he was coddling a child. “I’m… sorry. Just a… nervous reaction.”

“It’s alright. Just keep your tail to yourself next time.”

Nate went to say something but Markus interrupted him by smacking him, calling him a ‘doof.’ What was a doof? No time for that. We need to find our way down. “Okay, we need to find another way down. One that preferably isn’t a straight fall to our doom. Keep it quiet, but look everywhere. Search each room, see if there is a basement, something.”

“And if we don’t find another way?”

“How good are you with heights?”

“It’s not the heights that get to us. It’s the sudden stop at the end of a fall.”

“Then we best find another way down.”

My Pip-Boar beeped, notifying me that I had received a direct communication link. It was probably Onion.

“Miss! I am glad you are safe. I saw those two creatures, and feared the worse.”

“We are fine Onion. A tad rattled, but unscathed. I’m gonna put this thing on mute, that notification noise might attract attention. If you don’t hear from us in an hour, well, wait another hour. We’ll be fine.”

“Miss! Surely…”

I disconnected the link. I know he was worried. He was rightful to be, but I needed to maintain my focus, and the last thing I needed was to be reminded how this whole thing was a dumb, and dangerous, idea. It had to be done, if not for Holly’s sake, then for the brothers. If I did not do anything to help, they probably would have gotten themselves killed trying to rescue her. I hope I’m not about to do the same.

“Nate? What’s the matter? Nate? Olivia, you need to get down here, now!”

Markus’ voice was echoing as I instantly turned towards the sound of his voice. Attached to the kitchen was a small closet like room with a small set of stairs leading downward. I slid down the ladder as fast as I could. Oh please let them be okay. They were out of my sight for only a couple minutes!

The basement was dark, so I risked turning on my Pip-Boar. Shining it around I saw large crates scattered all over, along with heavy construction equipment. This was not the typical residential equipment I was used to seeing. This reminded me of… oh no. I heard Markus calling for me again and I bolted to where they were. 

Nate was facing a giant metal door, his entire body shaking. My ears started to pick up that he was… crying? Markus was next to him trying to snap him out of it, but having no luck. 

“Nate! You need to focus! This… this isn’t the same one! Remember why we are here! Remember Holly!”

“Holly… no… NO! I can’t go back! No… I can’t…”

I walked up next to them and Markus directed my eyes towards the metal door. My light highlighted it. Fuck. It was a symbol that I knew all too well, and one that they must have as well. A symbol that was steadily driving out my fear and replacing it with anger and hate. Burrow-Tec. This was a fucking BURROW! I _knew_ I should have gone alone, I knew it! Something happened to these two in their Burrow that has caused so much harm to Nate that it was physically and mentally debilitating him. 

“He’s your brother, what should we do?”

“I… I don’t know. I know this isn’t our Burrow, but I really don’t want to have to face one, not like this. I also know that it’s the only way to free Holly. Nate, he had it rough, rougher than you can even imagine. You probably noticed, but just the mention of a Burrow causes him pain, and to see this symbol now? I don’t know if he can make it.”

“It’s too late to leave him. If those things come back and find him like this while we are rescuing Holly, he’s as good as dead.”

“But what if, Holly is…”

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you fucking dare Markus! She _is_ alive. The only way we can continue is if we do it together. We are her _only_ hope!”

“But we, we are worthless. No one likes us, and I doubt no one besides you would have cared enough to help us.”

“You are _NOT_ worthless! I don’t fucking care what _other_ people would say. Right now I don’t fucking care about anyone else! Right here, right now, you two are the only ones who matter! If we don’t snap him out of it _now_ , all of us, including Holly, might as well be dead.”

“I can see why he likes you.”

He? Wait, does he mean? Gah! Even in this time of duress, why do my thoughts keep wondering there? I wonder if he… “You know what? Fuck it.”

I caught Markus off guard. From the look on his face, I think he thought I was about to leave them, not to do what I was probably going to regret later. I stomped over and placed myself between Nate and the door. His eyes were wide, tears falling from them. I couldn’t tell if he even knew I was there, but hopefully, he would soon. I reached up and pulled him down so that our faces were right next to each other. Oh, please don’t let me regret this. Then I kissed him.

Nate’s eyes started to calm down as I pulled my lips away from him. I never kissed anyone before, especially not a boy, but it felt… good. Wonder if it would be any better if… no, bad Olivia. Not now. 

“What… umm… what just happened.…where am I?” Nate was sounding dumbfounded rather than scared. It was a good start.

“Did you just… kiss my brother?”

“I had to do something to snap him out if, and well, it seemed like the most logical choice at the time.”

“She… you… kissed me…”

“Ok, mind focused now, you good?”

“Yes… I think?”

“Holly, in danger? Ring any bells?”

“Holly! Yes!”

“Okay, good boy. Now to get this door open. Umm, Markus? You and _Nate_ go make sure we don’t get any surprise visitors while I get this open.”

“Don’t you think… oh, gotcha. Hey Nate, you with me bro? I think I see some sort of gizmo or something over here…”

Markus’ voice trailed off as he forced his still blubbering brother over to near some of the crates. I really hope that he is fine until we get out of here. If I have to snap him out of it like _that_ again, I don’t think _I_ will make it. I cleared my mind and looked over the door. It was very solid, and like typical Burrow doors, it either had its hinges on the inside, or it slid. Although, based upon the surroundings, it was probably hinged. There should be a… bingo!

Halfway up the door was a small sign that said: _Burrow-Tec Personnel Only!_. I took out my screwdriver and removed the four screws that were bolting it to the door. I tossed the sign over into a nearby corner and shone my light at the now revealed locking mechanism. These doors had two types of entry. First is the wireless access that was typically tied to the Pip-Boar or ID card of an authorized user. I _could_ use my Pip-Boar to hack it wirelessly, but since I did not have the time to try breaking through the encryption, I risk sounding any alarms that might still be attached. 

The other way to get in, was a small trick that my mother showed me when the Overseer locked all the rabbits in their quarters during ‘Rodent Appreciation Day.’ I hated that ‘holiday.’ On either side of the doors, usually behind a sign or an access plate, there was a manual access that was designed for emergencies only. By physically connecting my Pip-Boar’s connector, and running a certain access code, it would open the door without tripping any security. Typically, only the security personnel had these codes, but my mother seemed to have a way of getting things she shouldn’t be able to. Let’s just hope that this code is not tied specifically to my Burrow. 

Once my Pip-Boar was interfaced with it, I ran the activation signal. Four seconds later I was greeted by a series of clicks just before the door slowly opened. 

“We’re in! Let’s go!”

I opened the door all the way, mainly to prevent Nate from seeing the symbol again, but unfortunately, Burrow-Tec like to use it, repeatedly throughout the place. I just have to hope that Nate doesn’t have another breakdown. I just needed to make sure they were _both_ focused on the task at hand. 

“He good?”

“Yeah, he’s still a little flustered, but good.”

“What about you?”

“I’m… good as well. I am sorry for my… I’m sorry. I was letting our feelings of that place get the better of me. I promise not to let that happen again.”

“Better not. I don’t wanna have to kiss you too.”

“Wait, what? You kissed… what?” Nate seemed very confused.

Markus slapped him again, “Let’s go you doof.”

I chuckled a bit before leading them through the door. This was defiantly going to be a very interesting experience. For all of us.

***

This Burrow must have been built much deeper than mine. The stairs leading down to the main door felt like they were going on forever. When we finally reached the bottom, the very first thing I noticed was that the Burrow door was wide open. Since it had been retracted inside, I was unable to see what it’s designation was. Not that it mattered, I was just, curious. 

I checked my sensors but was not picking up anything. The ceiling was still intact, so they must be getting in and out deeper inside the actual compound. There was more construction equipment nearby, but unlike the ones above, these were much larger. The Burrow door was also nearly twice in diameter as Seventy-Six was. 

“If I wasn’t mistaken, I think this was designed for the larger species, and that they were building the house above _after_ sending the workers down here.”

“What? You mean the workers were building their own home?” Markus was busy making sure that Nate did not have another episode. So far he seemed to be doing good.

“That’s what it looks like. There is no way that this equipment could fit up those stairs, yet alone rhinos, elephants, or hippos.”

“You’re right. Maybe there was another way?”

“Possibly, but we can’t worry about that. I wanna get Holly and get the fuck out of here, and I am guessing you wanna do the same.”

“Yes. The sooner we leave this… place, the better.”

“You good Nate?” 

“I… think… hi.” It sounded like he was having trouble responding to my question. 

“You’re fine. Let’s go.”

So far, so good. There was no sign of any deathwings. There wasn’t really any sign of life. We passed a few large skeletons, probably the workers who the equipment belonged to, but thankfully nothing dangerous. I shuddered at the thought of running into ghouls _and_ deathwings. I would probably just surrender right there and let them have their way with me. 

Unlike my Burrow, this place was plain. Seventy-Six was nothing to brag about in the looks department, but it at least had cables, conduits, and pipes running all through it, breaking up the monotony. This place, however, felt lifeless. Solid steel walls with no breaks in them. No pipes, no cables, nothing to break it up. It made it feel like the corridors were much longer than they were. There was also a severe lack of doors. 

“I don’t think this place is like the other ones.” Markus spooked me when he spoke. His quiet voice was like a ghost whispering in my ear. 

“I was thinking the same thing.”

A sudden noise caused all of us to stop. I checked the Pip-Boar. Three dots appeared in front of us, and were moving in our direction. Fuck! There was no place to hide! They must have seen my expression, because both of their faces stiffened. I looked down the dimly lit hallway. Only the emergency lights were on, so it wasn’t completely illuminated. There were no signs of movement. The dots got closer. 

“Something is coming right at us, and I can’t get any visual! There is also nowhere to hide!”

They looked around as we started to back up towards the entrance. The dots were almost upon us. Still nothing. They were getting closer, and closer, and… went right past us. Huh?

“Oh yeah. I forgot to mention something. Pip-Boars have no way of tracking if it is above or below the user.”

This time I _did_ smack Nate. “ _That_ would have been good to know earlier.”

“Sorry, guess I didn’t think about it. Keep forgetting how much of a doof you are with that thing.”

What the fuck was a doof? You know what, never mind. “In that case, we need to keep our ears and eyes open. Seems we can’t rely on sensors.”

We kept moving through the never ending corridors. I had no idea where we were going, and even if this _was_ a standard Burrow layout, there could be countless places that they could have taken her. I had no idea how the builders managed to traverse this place. There weren’t any signs or anything that pointed us in a particular direction. I did not even see any terminals. Maybe this wasn’t a Burrow? Maybe it was supposed to be like that research facility where I met Mr. Big? 

“How you holding up Nate?” I had to periodically ask him that, last thing we needed was to run into trouble and him freezing up. 

“I’m fine… I think. This place… feels weird.”

“I get what you mean bro, I never thought we would ever come back to… a place like this.”

“No, that’s not what… I mean is, there are no rooms, no anything that would make this place into a… home.”

“It’s bothering the hell out of me too Nate. By now we should have run into something like that.”

We took another turn and it lead to the same nothingness that we have been met with so far. The scanner showed movement all over the place, but as long as we did not see anything down one of the corridors, we were safe. When we turned down the next corridor, we finally saw some resemblance of a typical Burrow. Gray doors lined the hallway, alternating sides. There was something a bit off about their placement, however. 

“You think Holly could be in one of them?” 

“It’s possible Markus, but, I don’t know. Look at their placement. You two stay here, I wanna go check out them.”

I went over to the nearest door. It looked very vibrant in color. Too vibrant. I went to access the hidden lock but when my screwdriver touched what I thought was screws, it _tore_ the door. What the fuck? I scraped the screwdriver against the ‘door’ and soon realized it wasn’t a door. I moved the tool to one edge and started to _peel_ the door of the wall. It was a fucking picture!

“Did you just… scrape the door… off the wall?” 

I went to the next one and it was the same thing. Every single door was a picture plastered on the wall. What the FUCK was this place!?

“They are all _fake_! Who the fuck plasters _pictures_ of doors where there should be a _real_ ones? Tell me? Who? FUCK THIS PLACE!”

I was panting in anger when I looked over to the brothers. They were, scared. Oh boy, you really did it Olivia didn’t you? 

“Sorry, I got a little frustrated. It’s fine. Umm, hello?”

Markus pointed and I followed his paw past to where I just was. Standing at the end of the hallway was a deathwing. Fuck me. I pulled out my gun and aimed at it, but it simply continued to stare at us… at me. Why did I feel like it was looking at only me? I saw it take the claw that was attached to its arm like wings and scratch at its neck. Then I saw something familiar. A small red light flashed on and off. Was that a… this just became much more difficult for me. 

“It’s not attacking, umm Olivia? Why is it not attacking?”

“I don’t know Markus, but, and I am being serious here, I don’t think it _wants_ to.”

“What do you mean? We are sitting targets here. Why doesn’t it just attack?”

Before I could answer it stopped scratching at its neck and turned and walked away. “I’m following it.”

“WHAT!?” Mark and Nate yelled that simultaneously before each of them slapped their paws over their mouths. 

“It’s… well it’s a hunch. Look, if it wanted to kill us, it would have. If it wanted to call its friends, it would have. But it didn’t. So I am going to see where it is going, and if you don’t like that, well, the exit is that way.”

“No, we are not leaving without Holly. Just… don’t get us killed. Or eaten.”

“I make no promises. Let’s go boys.”

A collective sigh fell across them as they reluctantly followed. They were probably right, and it was most likely leading us into a trap, but what if my hunch was right? What if it really _didn’t_ want to hurt us? If I wasn’t mistaken, it did not have an itch, but rather, was trying to show me the collar around its neck. A collar that looked an awfully lot like the one in my bag. Just like when I met North and Mr. Big, my mind was now torn between savagery and intelligence. If that thing attacked us, it would have made things so much easier for me. It really would have. 

I slowly led the way down where the deathwing went. As I turned the next corner, I saw it, standing there just before moving down another corridor. It was leading us someplace. At trap? A feast? Maybe Holly befriended it and since I was a rabbit, he thought I was with her? Whatever it was, I couldn’t just ignore it. I had to find out. 

The creature finally led us to hall that had no visible connecting ones. It was a dead end. Oh fuck. Was it a trap? This feels like a trap. I looked back towards Nate and Markus. They must have had the same thoughts as I did. I gripped the handle of my gun as I prepared to enter B.A.T.S. The deathwing knelt down, as if going to charge. It was now or never. Then it disappeared into the ceiling. I checked my sensor but there was no dot coming towards us. 

“Umm, Olivia? Look.”

I looked to where the deathwing was. It was a door. Instantly I knew it was a real door, not one of these fakes. Above it was a sign. The first sign that I have ever seen. Nate must have seen it as well because his eyes were starting to widen again. I put my paw on his, and felt him trembling, but it was not as strong as before. 

“Hold it together Nate. Remember, we are here for Holly, and don’t make me kiss you again.”

His trembling faded a bit, as his face became more serious. He was still scared, but I didn’t think he was going to lose it again. We all faced the door and stood there for a second. The sign was bringing back memories of my own. _Overseer’s Office_. I took the first step towards the door, but a scream caused the foxes to suddenly push me aside as they sprinted towards the door. I recovered and went after them. 

They reached the door and it was slightly ajar. Markus was the first one there as he forced the door open, causing it’s slam to echo throughout the halls. When I caught up to them I had to shove myself between them. Inside was something out of a horror story. The tunnel from the surface lead straight to this room. This room was massive, but it was so torn apart that I couldn’t tell if it was built like this, or if the deathwings had expanded it. On the walls were large poles, at least a hundred of them, and on nearly every single one was a deathwing, hanging upside down, it’s wings covering them like a blanket. Fuck me.

“Holly!”

Markus caused my concentration to focus in the center of the room. It was filled with computers and tubes, and what looked like medical equipment. In the middle was a large metal structure, placed vertically to the ground. Tied to it was a rabbit, hoses coming out from her body and connected to a machine. She looked terrible. Holly managed to look up at us. I think she was trying to smile. 

“W…ell, my boys… I didn’t think…”

“Holly!” Markus tried to race over to her, but I had to stop him as two deathwings landed on either side of Holly. 

“I… I’m not… gone a… day and… you already… find another… rabbit?”

“Holly, it’s not like that!”

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A rather pitiful attempt at a rescue I imagine.”

A deathwing walked towards me. I think it was the same one as before, because it was scratching its neck again. At first I thought it was the deathwing speaking, until it moved to the side, revealing a large boar with brown fur that had started graying with his age. A white streak of hair went from between his eyes and over his head, almost like he painted it on himself. The boar was wearing a black suit with a white tie that matched the white on his head. 

“Who, the hell are you? And what are you doing to her?”

“Oh, just a little hobby I am working on rabbit. One that you three will be very acquainted with soon enough. Now, I have wasted to much of your time. Get them.”

I went to draw my gun up, but three deathwings ‘fell’ from above us, pinning us to the ground. They grabbed each of us and stood us up as another one dragged in a couple more of those standing tables. I tried to struggle, but it was no use. They were too strong, and we had been caught off guard. My head kept trying to formulate plans, but it was no use, nothing I could think of would help. I looked over to Holly whose expression had just turned from a smile, to… sorrow? Anger? Fear? I couldn’t tell. To her I was probably just some dumb bunny who just got her friends killed. 

I should have listened to myself earlier. I work better alone, and now I have just doomed these two to whatever horrors Holly has faced. There was only one thing I could think of to say. 

“I’m sorry.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland!”

**[Max]**

“It’s eleven at night Stripes! And why are you always so damn chipper?”

**[Stripes]**

“Coffee. Wonderful, wonderful coffee. Now as I was saying. This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Today’s guest is… trivia! Now you may be thinking, ‘Trivia? Who’s Trivia? Did I miss someone new?”. Not quite. You see Stripes in the Morning isn't all about interviews, it’s also your premiere source of general knowledge and history! You see folks, sometimes it’s rather hard to squeeze in lore and history into the story without making it seem… forced, and that's exactly why I'm here, to force it upon you!”

**[Max]**

“You didn’t plan anything, did you...And did you raid my coffee stash?! You'd better not have raided my coffee stash!”

**[Stripes]**

“No. No I didn’t. Now onto the show! You see folks, according to a Burrow-Tec guide to the Burrows that I just so happen to have found one day, it says there are multitudinous Burrows both within the Zootopia City limits, and in the far reaches of the world. What these little informative pamphlets don’t tell you is the dark, secret history of them. You see the Burrows were actually…”

**[Max]**

“I think I should stop you right there Stripes. You don’t want to spoil everything for the audience, now do you?”

**[Stripes]**

“Whoops, got a little off track there, didn’t I? As a certain musical stream once said… ‘Spoilers’. Okay, so the Burrows. They weren't your typical ‘let’s save the mammal race’ type designs, as many of you who have played a certain video game that this is based off of know, Burrow-Tec had a more… sinister plan to help protect the future of the mammalian race. Burrow 23, this one they stumbled into, is by far no exception. You see, according to some… information that I got my hooves on, Burrow 23 was designed to house only a single mammal, the one who would be called the Overseer. He was led into the facility being told that they wanted him to get acclimated with his new role before the residents arrived. His office was packed with all the food, books and games that would entertain any mammal for weeks. However, what Burrow-Tec *neglected* to tell him was that the Overseer’s office was the *only* room in the entire Burrow. All the doors he saw on the way there? Very realistic posters that were simply glued onto the walls. Once the Burrow-Tec representatives left, they sealed it off and began their monitoring. A rather cruel fate for such an innocent mammal I think.”

**[Max]**

“Cruel? That’s downright dastardly.”

**[Stripes]**

“Indeed. Well there you have it folks! A little back story on a Burrow that will never be mentioned again! This is Stripes signing off, and remember folks. I'll continue to do what I can to bring you all the news, no matter how much it hurts!”


	28. Deathwing Cabaret

Neither of the brothers were looking at me. Nate had been reversed back into his fearful state, looking worse than I have ever seen him. His eyes bulged so much that I was afraid they would simply pop out and fall to the ground. He was shaking uncontrollably. I heard pitiful whimpering and, the part that got me the most, I saw his tears. 

I could see the fear in Markus’ face as well as that fucking… monster, tied him to a table. I could tell that whatever happened in their Burrow, it had affected Nate much worse than his brother. The way Markus tried looking at his brother, I could tell that he was more fearful of Nate’s life than his own. 

That left Holly, who had been glancing between the three of us. Her face showed worry over Markus, fear for Nate, and… contempt towards me. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry, that I did not want them to come with me, but the words kept getting stuck in my throat. Never in my life have I been in such a position that I felt utterly and totally useless. I hated it. 

“This one looks downright petrified. Tell me little fox, what is it you fear?”

The boar was hovering over Nate, with a large needle in his hoof. The tone of his voice was calm and collect, as if he had done this a million times over. I despised him for that. He tried to get a reaction out of Nate by waving the needing past his eyes, down his nose, and lightly jabbing him on the neck. Nate’s fear seemed to prevent him from even the most basic of conscious reactions. I only saw his body twitch as he was poked with the needle. 

“Oh well, if this works I will find out soon enough. If not? Well, at least I have two more to _play_ around with.” He jabbed Nate’s arm with the needle, injecting its contents into him. If he hurt him, I will tear that smile from his mouth and feed it to his ‘pets.’ 

When the boar proceeded to attach hoses similar to what was sticking out of Holly, Markus was fighting against his bonds so ferociously, I was afraid he’d break his own body just to save his brother. I wanted to do the same, I would happily risk my own life just to save them from whatever atrocities were about to fall upon us. Unfortunately, whatever was in that syringe had caused my body to fall limp when he injected it in me moments before Nate. Markus was the obvious threat to both the boar and himself right now, so why wait until last?

“You have much fight in you fox. Fight that I can use.” 

I wanted to scream, to tell him to fuck off and if he let them go, he can use me for… whatever he wanted. I just couldn’t form the words. I wasn’t sure if it was whatever he injected me with, or if it was my own fear, but despite the reason, it was pissing me the fuck off! I managed to regain a small amount of motion in my let arm, and tried to move it against the bonds. It was a useless gesture, but I could not sit idly by while he tortured them. 

“Oh? Looks like the serum is wearing off already. You got quite the spirit, don’t you rabbit? That one there,” he pointed towards Holly, who looked as if she was between consciousness and unconsciousness now, “put up quite the fight, but it didn’t take much to break her resolve. Her mouth however? Well, she has a rather expansive vocabulary. It required me to up the concentration to give me some peace and quiet. Looks like I may have to do the same for you. Science is so much fun don’t you agree?”

I could feel more of my arm, and now my legs, getting their feeling back. I started to move my Pip-Boar up and down, hoping that maybe I could use it to create a gap in the bonds. Looking around I saw that there were a few deathwings just standing there. From here they did not look natural; the way they stood upright while the other ones above hung upside down. Why were they not attacking him?

“Oh, now silly me. I forgot to take off your Pip-Boar. The way you are fidgeting, it must be rather uncomfortable for you. Here, let me just…” he walked over to me and started to unclasp the lock on my Pip-Boar. 

I wanted to swear, I wanted to yell, but in the end, the only thing I could do was spit right in his face. He stopped and gave me a very displeased look. He wasn’t angry, just disappointed. It was as if he was a teacher and his ace student just got a ‘B’ on a test. He took out a small white piece of cloth from his suit pocket and casually wiped my saliva off. 

“I should be mad. I really should. You, a common rabbit spitting on me, a distinguished gentle-mammal, but in your position, I will forgive you. I may have been inclined to do the same. Now, as for your Pip-Boar. These things are quite rare indeed, and to have _two_ of them in the same room? Well, it must be my lucky day!”

Even managing to spit on him didn’t anger him, and now he was taking my only way to call for help! He took my weapon, my bag, my tools, and now my Pip-Boar, I am surprised that I wasn’t lying on here naked. After taking off both of our Pip-Boars, he placed them on a table near a bunch of computers with the rest of our stuff. Even if I had somehow managed to get out of these restraints, the deathwings between us and our gear would recapture us, or worse kill us, before I could take a single step. 

“Now then, I think I shall begin. If you wouldn’t mind waiting here, I need to go change into something a bit more… suitable.”

Wait here? _Wait here_! Oh, fuck you and the mother you came from! He never managed to give me another dose of the paralytic, so I tried again to work against the restraints, but the only thing I managed to do was chafe my wrists and ankles, but that was good. The pain from the raw skin was helping keep me focused, to let my mind create a plan to get out of here. We WILL get out of here!

The boar returned, having traded his tailored suit for a full body hazard suit. Instead of a helmet, he wore some kind of respirator that simply covered his mouth, leaving his large tusks shooting out the side, as if they were the only things keeping the mask on his face. He moved over to a small table that I could see was covered in medical tools. He picked up one, but I didn’t recognize it. 

“Ok. Which one of you would like to be my first volunteer? Speak up now. No one? I think… it… will… be… you.” With each word he pointed his hoof at one of us, moving between Markus, Nate, and I. He stopped at me.

“Now. In order for this to work, I need you to talk, and I imagine you will have just vulgar mouth as your rabbit friend here. So tell you what, if you play nicely, I will spare the others from the more, let’s just say, vivid experiments. Run that pretty little mouth of yours too much? Well, you won’t be the only one singing the sweet melody of agony.”

If words could kill, I would have a nasty surprise for him. I moved my vision away from the boar hanging over me, trying to focus on the foxes instead. I didn’t think Nate could look any more fearful, but I was wrong. He wasn’t just petrified with fear any more, he was in an agonizing state of terror. Even Markus had started to share Nate’s look as he heard the boar’s words. Fear was causing the ferocity to slowly drain away from him. 

“F…” I could feel whatever was blocking my ability to speak fading away, “F… k…”

“Ah, it seems that the serum is nearly out of your body now. Good. Now, what is it you want to say my dear?”

“F… k… o…”

“Hmm? A little louder now. Yes, that’s it, a little louder.”

“Fuck… you…”

“Oh dear. Oh my. It looks like you are just as bad as the other one. Perhaps rabbits are just genetically disposed that way? Well, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my tests, it really doesn’t matter, now does it? And, as I _am_ a boar of my words… 1125? Please get the collars.”

“What… are… you…”

“I told you, didn’t I? If you ran your pretty mouth afoul, I would simply have to take it out on your friends. Ah, thank you 1125.”

A deathwing came over with a small tray in its clawed wings. It looked rather, ungainly, the way it moved. I realized that it was the same one from before as it looked at me and scratched at its collar before being sent off by the boar. The collar on his neck… looked exactly like the ones he was now putting on Nate and Markus!

“What…”

“Oh, do save your energy my sweet rabbit. These things, are not those _ghastly_ collars that those, slavers, use,” he said the word slavers with a bit of disgust, “but an invention I found, or rather, found the plans for and that I have modified ever so slightly. You see, a long time ago, decades before the war, before peace was obtained between all the predators and prey of the world, a small little company called SafeCo, produced tools specifically to ‘deter’ any physical harm between species.”

He paused and moved his vision away from me towards Nate and Markus before continuing. “Some of their biggest sellers were anti-fox items, such as Fox Tazers and Fox Repellent,” he focused on me again, “but they had this one design, something that they thought would revolutionize the world of interspecies safety, and more importantly, get rich fast. It was called a Tame Collar.”

He picked up one of the collars and started to affix it to Markus’ neck. “You see, SafeCo thought that the best way to make the prey, whom I might add, had the largest shares of the company, feel safer. And to do so, they wanted to make sure every predator wore one.” He put the other collar on Nate as he continued. “These are harmless gadgets, really. All they do is measure the emotions of its wearer, and if they happened to, I don’t know, get angry?” He picked up a small object and pushed a button. A light on the collar around Markus’ neck turned from green to red as his body started to convulse, “then it would send electrical shocks through their system. It wasn’t designed to kill… oh that would have given them a bad reputation. No, it was simply a love tap, to get the predators to calm down.”

He walked over to Nate and pressed the button again. Nate, who was probably already beyond his limit, was pushed even further as his body started to convulse. He started to choke as foam and saliva poured from his mouth. 

“You… fucker! Leave them… alone!”

“My, my. I am wondering if you are worse than her. Well, like I said once before…” He pushed the button again as both Nate and Markus started convulsing, “I _am_ a boar of my words.”

He put the remote down next to a third collar. He went to pick it up, and then stopped. “It’s a shame the whole, ‘Mammal Inclusion Initiative’ was created. It ended the entire Tame production before it even began. This world might have been better off with these simple collars.”

“Why are you doing… this?”

“Why? Now, that is the question I have been waiting to hear! Oh, it’s quite the wonderful little tale my dear, and it is all quite simple. I want the world.”

“The world? What the…” I had to stop myself from swearing. Even at the hint of me saying a swear, his hoof moved close to the remote, “… why? Why do you want that?”

“Well isn’t that the million cap question! History has been _full_ of conquerors. Oh they had their reasons: expansion, money, fame. In the end, however, they had one thing in common: They all failed. You might be thinking, ‘If they failed, surely you will as well,’ but that is where you are wrong. 1125, 1213, please come forth.”

Two deathwings stepped in front of him. 1125, that must be the one who lead us here, into this trap. The other one, he looked stronger, more alert. It might be the chemicals still in my body, but the one called 1125 seemed to be a bit slower and less fluid, than the other one. 

“1125, jump.” As he said it, the one deathwing crouched down and jumped five feet into the air before landing and returning to attention. “1213, give me a pirouette.” The other deathwing lifted one foot as it started to spin itself on the other one until the boar told it to stop. From the look of it, it would have kept spinning indefinitely if he never told it to stop. I thought these were savage beasts?

“Ah, now _that’s_ a look I am all too familiar with. You are probably wondering why are these creatures bending to my will when they should be eating me? As I clearly mentioned in my little history lesson, I have altered these Tame collars a bit. Rather than just sending a small shock through there system, it can also…” he grabbed the remote, but instead of pushing the button, he flipped a small switch on it, “…inject a rather harmless chemical directly into their spinal fluid.”

I saw Nate and Markus twitch a little, but it was not as bad as the shocks. Both of their expressions started to calm a little. At first I thought maybe he was taking pity on them, and injected a pain reliever, but I knew that was too good to be true. The brother’s faces started to go from calm to subdued.

“Now, that should be good enough. I think it’s time to let these boys go, don’t you think?”

He’s… letting them go? That… no, something is wrong. I heard a small noise as the restraints on both of them unlatched, causing them to fall to the ground. They… oh no. Oh please no. I thought they were dead, until Nate started move. They both slowly managed to stand, but they looked just as ungainly as the deathwings.

“What did you do to them!?”

“Oh, the same thing I did to these creatures. Now, let’s try them out, shall we? Um, Nate is it? Move next to me. Slowly.”

Nate stood there for a moment, as if petrified again, but then lifted one foot, and then the other. He was walking towards us, very slow and almost mechanically.

“These things, they tend to take every little word a bit too literal. A little faster Nate, we don’t have all night.”

Nate picked up speed into a steady walk. His movements seemed so unnatural. 

“Ok, Markus?” He looked at me and whispered, “It was Markus, wasn’t it? Ok Markus, come here please. At a normal speed if you will.”

Markus started to move in the same mechanical manner as Nate. Once they were both standing on either side of the boar, he looked at me and smiled. 

“I could tell, the moment you came in. You have feelings for this one, don’t you? Ah, love. To be swept away by her eternal arms. Unfortunately, love is also a cruel mistress. Nate, take this.” He handed Nate an object who glimmered as it caught the reflection of the room’s lighting. It was a knife. 

“Nate! Oh, please Nate, listen to me! You’re in trouble!”

“It’s no use I am afraid. Yes, I do think that somewhere in that brain of his, he is struggling to break free of the confines of my collar, and I _know_ he can hear you. Oh, see?” I looked into Nate’s eyes as a tear fell from one. “He cares too. It’s a shame, really. Oh, don’t worry rabbit, he’s not going to kill you, I just need to test his… resolve. Nate cut off…”

His words were cut short as a clanging noise fell behind him. I saw the two deathwings become alert, as did a few more perched up above as well. The three of them were in my way, so I was unable to see what the noise was. It must have been an unknown variable to him, because for the first time he sounded… nervous.

“What is… is that a metal… onion?”

ONION! But how did he… the distress message! When my Pip-Boar was removed, it must have sent it to him! Oh, thank you, you wonderful piece of technology! 

“Nate,” I started to whisper, “I know you can hear me, please fight it. If not for your brother and Holly, then do it for… me.”

I saw another tear drop from his eye as the paw holding the knife started to quiver. The knife fell and clattered to the ground. The boar looked over at us, a look of sheer confusion in his face.

“What is going on here?!” His voice cracked, as if he was not used to such unknown variables. 

I started to laugh. “That’s no onion, that’s… ONION! NOW!”

He didn’t speak, and he didn’t move, but I knew he heard me. The familiar sound of an electrical build up occurred a second before it was the _boar_ who was starting to convulse. The arc of electricity started to bounce from target to target, nearly missing the three of us as it impacted the nearby computer systems. The power flickered as the boar fell to the ground. Then I heard small fizzles followed by the noises of Nate and Markus’ collars falling off and hitting the ground. They both dropped to their knees. 

“I… am… I couldn’t… I’m sorry.”

“No, Nate it wasn’t your fault.” I wanted to hug him, but then I remembered I was still restrained on the table. “Umm, a little help?”

That’s when a third shadow loomed over us. At first I thought the boar had already recovered, but then I saw it was much bigger. It was one of the deathwings. Its collar was now gone. If they controlled them, and the control was broken… fuck. I circled around to my feet and raised its large scythe like winged claw. Nate and Markus couldn’t react fast enough before it slammed down it’s claw onto… my bonds?

The creature proceeded to slice through the restraints on my other leg and both my arms, completely freeing me. Oh, please don’t try to eat me… I’d be a lousy meal.

“Thank. Bunny. Free. Us.” 

“You can… talk?”

“Yes. I have. Learned. I have. Waited. You. Come. You. Free us. Thank.”

“You’re… welcome. I think? Although, to tell you the truth, I came to free her.” I pointed towards Holly who was now completely unconscious. 

“I. Free. You. Leave. Not. Safe.”

The deathwing walked over to where Holly was and started to cut her bonds as well. Nate was still whimpering over the whole situation, and I really couldn’t blame him. Markus was in utter shock at recent events; that is until the last bonds came loose and Holly fell down to the ground. Markus darted over to her and tried to lift her onto his shoulder.

“Not. Safe. Leave.”

“What about…”

The boar finally regained consciousness. “You fucking cunt whore bitch!”

Ok, NOW he was mad. Finally. At least he was now reduced to the level he should be at. A pathetic thug. I could feel that most of the drugs had faded from my system and I jumped up as he came barreling at me. He had the size advantage and those tusks looked like they could cause some serious damage. Since Nate was not recovered, and Markus was busy trying to help Holly, I darted over to my stuff and tried to grab my gun, but the boar managed to get a good hit in on me, sending me flying towards the wall. I looked up and saw the other deathwings were fleeing through the tunnel above. Gee, thanks for the help. 

I didn’t manage to get my gun, but next to me was a large wrench. It was much larger and heavier than the ones I was used to, but that was good. I _really_ wanted to hit something. That something being the boar who was now charging at me again. I knew that he wasn’t going to stop, so I had to stop him first. I waited until he was close enough and then… 

I dodged to the side as I swung the wrench as hard as I could. I think the adrenaline was pumping through me at unprecedented levels, because my swing was strong enough that I managed to tear off one of his tusks, leaving a bloody stump in its place. His scream filled the room, and I am sure that Hope could hear it from here. 

“You messed with the wrong rabbit.” I know that we had been thrown through the ringer here, but this was the perfect time to recite a line from one of the Jack Savage books. This, this was my element here. I smiled, as big as I could, and that caused his expression to turn into something akin to, fear? No, he wasn’t afraid, he was terrified as I lifted the wrench up, aiming for the white stripe on his head. I swung and… missed? 

He had been grabbed on the shoulders by a deathwing at the last minute and was being carried into the air. Fuck, I wanted to kill him. Well, hopefully they are going to eat him. Slowly. I want him to feel the same fear and pain as he caused them, and anyone else before us. I hope he suffers.

“Olivia! She’s out cold. We need to get her out of here, to someplace safe!”

“Agreed, Nate. Hey Nate you with me? Don’t make me kiss you again. My mouth is too dry for that.”

That snapped him out of it a bit. He was still crying but managed to crack a rather pitiful smile. That poor thing, at least he was trying. I went to give him a hug, something that I have never initiated since before my mother died, but was interrupted by a very loud unmammal-like scream.

“What the…”

Before I could finish, I saw three more deathwings land next to 1125. Was that really his name? 

“We. Bring. Safety. You. Leave. Dangerous. To stay. Not all. Wings. Safe.”

“Not all wings? Oh, you mean deathwings?”

The creature, no, not creature, mammal, nodded. If it could speak, and was willing to help, it was not some savage beast - it was something more than that. 

“So you are willing to help us to safety? Thank you, but I don’t know how the residents of Hope will react seeing us being carried in by four of deathwings. It might not be safe, for any of us.”

“The bunker.” Nate had started to calm down more, now that we were safe.

“Good thinking Nate! Yeah, we have a little place we like to call home not too far from here. We should go there, get rested and cleaned up, we have showers, and then we can decide what to do from there.”

“Showers? I like your place already.” I looked up through the hole above us, the night sky making it look as if there was no end to it. “Now, _how_ do we get there? We are deep beneath the ground, and if I recall, there is a large wall and at least a few dozen deathwings nearby. I am sure they are not _all_ on our side.”

“Yes. Only few. Not all. Wings. Safe. We can. Take.”

“Take? What do you mean… oh, you don’t mean…”

Yup. Take, as in take us waaayyy into the air. I was beginning to think 1125 was the only one who could or wanted to talk. 1125 grabbed me by my shoulder, and the other three deathwings took the others. Markus was very hesitant to let the deathwing take Holly, but I assured him that it was okay. 

“Wait!”

“Hurry. We need. To. Hurry.”

“Our stuff! Just give me…” 1125 let go of me and I ran over and gathered our stuff. I tossed Nate his jacket, bag, and weapon, and thankfully he was alert enough to realize what was going on. Then I tossed Markus both his and Holly's stuff, before grabbing my own. I slapped on my Pip-Boar and was ready. 

“What about Onion? Onion! Do you have enough power to follow us?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t Miss. My levitator is at twenty percent power. I used most my reserves on that shock.”

“I can’t leave him behind.”

“Bunny. Light. Me. Take.”

Before I could inquire to his choice of words, he grabbed me by the back with one claw and latched onto Onion with his other before any of us knew what was happening. 

“You sure we are not too much for you?”

“Bunny. Light. Junk. Light.”

“I object! Miss, tell him I am not _junk_!”

“Okay, if you got me and the… junk… I think we are ready. Hey you two! Please don’t fight these friendly fellows. If you struggle, they may drop you.”

“You… trust them?” Markus did not sound so sure of my decision. 

“Well, better them then stay here until his less friendly relatives come back.”

“You… you… you _are_ insane, you know that?”

“I’m told that quite often actually. Okay 1125, up, up, and away!”

“Nate, what have you gotten yourself into?” I heard Markus whisper to his brother. I didn’t hear a response, so chanced a glance back. Nate’s face was a mix between worry and happiness. I am sure the happiness had to do with the fact he was finally free of this place, and part of me hoped it was something else as well, but his worried expression was due to the fact that he was just about to be taken, voluntarily, by a deathwing. I knew that was the case because the happiness faded rather quickly once we were lifted from the ground, and his expression was then replaced with the much greater sense of dread. He better not try to struggle. I had to make sure he remained calm.

“Hey Nate! Your brother mentioned a shower? Well, once we get there, I’d like to get cleaned up. Wanna join?”

His worry disappeared as a bashful smile appeared. I was just joking. I only wanted to get him in a better mindset before he did something stupid and fell to his death. Although part of me… no, bad. We just escaped a near death situation, again. We just need to get cleaned up and rested, both physically _and_ mentally. But perhaps after…

“At this rate, it shouldn’t be too far!” Markus had to shout as we were carried further into the sky. The wind rushing between us creating a rather noisy barrier as we left the giant hole. When we were out of that horrid place, I could see that the night sky was starting to clear in places. Stars twinkled through the thinning clouds as I let the air bathe my face with its coolness. We had not been down there for more than an hour or two, but it felt like an eternity; one that was finally behind us as we approached the wall. 

From this height I could see everything. I turned to see if I could get a look at Hope from here, but there were too many tall buildings for me to determine where it was. Ahead of us, beyond the wall, was a flat arid area. Small lights were scattered here and there, probably camps for travelers, or raiders. In the distance I saw a tall building lit up from the ground up. I couldn’t make it out from the distance, but it was the brightest thing around.

We crossed the wall, and thankfully there was no sign of any danger. I checked my scanner and the only dots I saw were that of my friends, and their ‘rides.’ Good. A few trees scattered the ground as we started to decrease altitude. I thought maybe there was still life in the wasteland, but I noticed that all the trees were lifeless, just like the rest of this world. I never thought about it before, but we did not have too many plants in the Burrow. Sure, there was the garden area, but we only grew a few selected crops. There were no trees, or flowers, or anything like that. I had seen them in books, but part of me had hoped the surface still had them. Somewhere there had to still be something, shouldn’t there?

“Okay, it’s nearby. You can set us down next to that large dune over there. We can make it the rest of the way.”

Markus had pointed to a large hill nearby. Was that their bunker? It didn’t look like much. I am guessing that he wanted them to set us near it, but not at it. Something made me trust them, or at least 1125, but I didn’t think they shared my feelings about him. Still, they had to have realized that if he was dangerous, we would already be dead. No, I think he’s… different.

The four of us were gently dropped off where Markus had shown them. Three of them flew off but 1125 remained. 

“Thank you. I heard him call you, 1125? That is not a name, that is a designation. Do you have a name?”

“Before. Baird. We. No speak. They. Still. No speak. Only. Me.”

“Baird? Was that the name of the boar?”

“Yes. Baird. Name. Evil. Boar. Evil.”

“You said that not all deathwings are like you. Is there any chance that he is still alive?”

“No. Yes.”

Well, that was… vague. Maybe he was trying to say ‘uncertain?’ “Okay, well, I sure as hell am not going to call you a number, especially a number that _he_ gave you. You know what you remind me of? In my mythological books I remember seeing pictures of these giant fire breathing creatures. What were they called?”

“Drakes?” Nate answered, but seemed unsure of his response.

“No, it wasn’t that. Oh yeah, dragons, but you know what? I like that better. From now on, I will call you Drake.”

“Drake? Drake. I. Like. I. Drake. Now.”

“Good, then it’s settled. What will you do now Drake?”

“Leave. Return. Safe.”

“Return where? Where is safe for you?”

“No. Safe. No. Home. Home. Not safe.”

“Well, I can’t have that. As long as you promise to protect and defend, not harm and maim, well…”

“No, you can’t… can she?” I think Markus knew what I was about to say.

“Drake, would you like to join my ragtag group?”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

****

_Featuring:_

‘Stripes in the Morning’

**[Stripes]**

“Good evening Zootopian Wasteland! This is your host with the most bringing you everything from A to Zebra, and since I am _A Zebra_ , guess the show's over, right? Wrong. I _was_ going to bring you a little interview with the dastardly boar by the name of Eugene Baird, but it seems that he's currently unavailable for comment. Something about needing a tusk replacement? Can you even _get_ that in the wasteland? I mean, basic medical help sure, but full on cosmetic surgery? Finding something like that is like finding a city of diamonds.”

**[Max]**

“You're getting a bit off subject you striped bastard.”

**[Stripes]**

“So I am. Ahem. So anyways, onto today’s interview! Today we have a very special guest, one who is mostly unknown in the story, mainly because he _isn’t_ in the story. May I present my assistant, co-producer, and the fox who is always fickle with the coffee, Max Redbridge!

**[Max]**

"Wait… WHAT?! Oh… Oh you 'ornery bastard! We are NOT doing this… No, uh-uh. You still owe me for this morning's pot… Which you THREW ON A DEATHWING! Folks, I don't know what cockamamie crap he's filled your heads with but I implore you, DON'T TRUST THIS STRIPED BASTARD!"

**[Stripes]**

“What did you expect? You added _sugar_ , and you know I detest anything in my coffee, except coffee. Anyways, back to the show! Max, tell us a little about yourself. Your hobbies, interests. Spill your deepest, darkest secrets. Just… don’t spill the coffee.”

**[Max]**

"… Says the one that wasted a good Columbian Brew on an oversized mutant bat… Right, if I have to… Well folks, I'm from a little desert down waaay out in the south west, I enjoy firearms collecting and shooting of said firearms… Especially now that I've got a brand new target in Stripes here. If you hear the sudden sounds of screaming and begging for life… Ignore it. You'll live longer."

**[Stripes]**

“You can’t ignore this majestic voice. Plus it’s not that I will run in a straight line or anything to make it easy for you. So Max, tell our audience how you became my bearer of my coffee… ahem, my assistant.”

**[Max]**

"Your bearer of… Oh, ooh I'll tell 'em. I'll tell 'em alright. See folks, I jumped on this little ship waaaaay back on chapter… Damn I think it was 12 or 13. Knowing my luck being saddled with this… Mud drinker it was 13. (Hey, lucky number for me actually!) I'll tell you this though, after alll this? I still suffer under this bloody Zebra's inability to brew a decent cup of life saving liquid. I swear, when I REALLY feel masochistic, and I mean REALLY feel that. I let him brew something that looks like it came from the primordial pits."

**[Stripes]**

“It’s not real coffee unless there's a nice thick tar at the bottom. So, what do you think of your position here, roaming all over the wasteland looking for the biggest things to report on?”

**[Max]**

“… Honestly? I'm surprised I haven't shot you yet. With the raiders, the deathwings, the GIANT BUGS. You really shoulda warned me about that building… REALLY shoulda warned me. Though… If I haven't shot you yet, there's gotta be a reason, hell if I know what it is though.”

**[Stripes]**

“Hey, you said you didn’t want any spoilers, and I figured a giant building on the verge of collapsing, while filled with hungry ghouls, was a bit of a spoiler. Now, tell us your personal opinion on how events have unfolded so far. They’ve heard it from the horse's mouth, well, a type of equine to be exact, so give us your say on what has been transpiring.” 

**[Max]**

“Honestly? So far we've seen only a smidgen of what these kits are going through, you all have only gotten to see through Olivia's eyes and the way the world is to her must be terrifying. That and she seems to harbor a strange joy in fighting… I wouldn't be surprised if she became the first MMA Bunny if that still existed in this hell-scape we call home. I think it'll take a hell of a lot more than some twisted, demented, sick minded, small snouted, Big headed, one tusked son of an ugly pig to stop her. Just… Gotta see what happens next folks! I've already been informed that I'm not allowed to give spoilers… Trust me, it's not easy.”

**[Stripes]**

“The Valiant Brothers and their sister Dot… I mean, Holly Kerrigan, are a relatively new addition to our story, you wouldn’t happen to know about that… Would you?”

**[Max]**

“Weeellll… I COULD say I do… I could say I'm sort of their father in a way… I COULD also say Shut up before you find this nice new 10 gauge I picked up rammed where the sun don't shine and have a new yet… Short live career as flying stunt mammal.”

**[Stripes]**

“Now last question, and one that I am sure the listeners are very eager to know. What _exactly_ does the fox say?”

**[Max]**

“… Fuck you Norway and Ylvis… Fuck you for that god awful song. May it burn in the everlasting fires of damnation and YOU ALONG WITH IT STRIPES FOR BRINGING THAT INSULT BACK UP YOU BASTARD!!!”

 

**[Stripes]**

“Well that’s all the time we have for today’s show! Tune in Sunday when we have our first interview with Holly Kerrigan! Take it easy folks, and for all you ladies and gentlemammals playing that new Pip-Boar app, ‘Wasteland Go’, do remember to keep aware of your surroundings. We’ve had reports of slavers and raiders targeting them. Keep safe in the wasteland and remember, I'll be out there finding all the hard truths to bring to you, no matter how hard it hurts!”

**[Max]**

“OH I ain't done with you yet funny butt! HEY! PUT MY COLOMBIAN SPECIAL DOWN AND GET BACK HERE!!”


	29. Home Away From Home

“You wanna WHAT?”

Markus seemed much more shocked at me wanting Drake to stick around than Nate was, and of course Holly was still out. I really hope she is okay. I know I don’t really know her, but I’ve started to grow fond of the foxes, and if they cared enough about her to risk their own lives to rescue her, then I am sure we will get along as well. 

“Look, I know I am pretty ignorant about the wasteland and it’s ‘dangerous’ inhabitants, but there is one thing I do know. Kindness, and that is _exactly_ what Drake showed us just now. I don’t know if it was simply out of gratitude for rescuing him, or if he felt indebted to me, but no matter the reason, he helped us.”

“But wasn’t _he_ the one that lead us into that trap?”

“I. Knew. Bad. Evil. I wanted. Help. We needed. Help. You. Strong. Rabbit. I see. You. Live.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean you’ve seen me live?

“We. Brood and I. Attack. You. Threw. Giant. Rock at. Me.”

Giant rock? Attacked me? What the hell was he … oh. “That was _you_ who attacked me in Little Rodentia?”

“Wait? What!? This _thing_ attacked you and you want it to keep it near you? You are insane!” Markus seemed to be the only one against my decision. Nate was keeping rather quiet about this whole thing.

“We. Starve. Baird. Evil. Feed. Scrap. No. Scrap. Days. No. Eat.”

“That fucking boar _starved_ you? No wonder you tried to eat me, I would have tried to eat someone as well!”

“Wait, you … please don’t tell me you’re a cannibal.”

“Sheesh Markus, it’s just an expression. Oh, please don’t tell me that cannibalism is a thing. That’s where I draw the line.”

“Umm …”

Great. Just great. Not only do I have to worry about being enslaved, beaten, stabbed, shot and eaten by some undead abominations, I have to also worry about being eaten by other _mammals_? More and more I am beginning to think life was better in the Burrow. I took a look at everyone. Drake, the brothers, Holly. If meeting people like this means I have to worry about cannibals trying to eat me? Then bring them on!

“So, what _do_ you eat?” Nate surprised both Markus and I when he asked that question, asking it as If he was simply talking to another mammal.

“Meat. Flesh. Blood.”

“Ooookaaay. Olivia? A word?” Markus still had Holly propped up on his shoulder as he brought Nate and I close to him, “I vote for _not_ taking the flesh eating creature with us.”

“I still stand by my decision. Plus, you two are predators, aren't you? What do _you_ eat?”

“Fish and insect protein, military grade nutrient rich meat alternatives, and whatever fresh fruits and vegetables we can get our paws on. Just because we come from carnivorous roots, doesn’t mean we still crave … flesh and …” Markus shuddered. 

“Well, why can’t we ween him off of _blood_ ,” I purposely emphasized that word, making Markus cringe a little, “and onto whatever it is you eat? Plus, there are still plenty of non- intelligent things he could eat, like, savage ghouls? Are they edible?”

“Ghouls. Bad. Chewy. Taste. Bad.”

“You can hear us from all the way over there?”

“Drake. Hear. Good. Hear. Long. Distance.”

“So he’s a flesh eater _and_ an eavesdropper. Great. Nate, what is your opinion on the matter? You have been pretty quiet.”

“I …” his eyes moved between mine and Markus’, “I … side with … Olivia.”

“So it’s settled … what? You side with _her_? You do realize what he is, right? Especially after what we just went through?”

“She’s … right. If he really did want to … hurt us, he would have. He said it himself, he had no home now. If the other deathwings were gonna return to that … place, it was _their_ home now, not his, and if he wanted to save himself, he would have just … left us, to our own devices. That’s why I am siding with Olivia. It just feels … right.”

“If Holly was awake I am sure that she …” Markus was interrupted by a loud screeching in the distance, “we need to get inside. It’s not safe for us, for her, out here.”

“And Drake?”

“He’s too dangerous.”

“If he stays out here, so do I.”

Nate walked over and stood next to me, “I do too.”

“Gah! Alright! You can _all_ come inside, just do it now before I change my mind!”

“Thank you Nate.” I reached up and gave him a little kiss on the cheek, he deserved it.

“I … I …”

“Uh-oh, I think I broke him. Drake, do you mind?”

“I. Obey.”

“You don’t have to ‘obey’, it’s not an order, I’m not demanding you do anything, I’m just asking. As a friend.”

“I. Help.”

Drake picked up Nate, who was still mumbling after a simple peck on the cheek, and carried him as we followed Markus to their home. We walked around the side of the large dune but I didn’t see anything that resembled a home. All I saw were hills, rocks, and other naturally occurring things, then again it was dark so maybe I am just missing the giant: ‘Welcome Home!’ sign. 

I risked my Pip-Boar’s light and turned it on. Surveying my surroundings with light was no more helpful. There was a large outcropping of rocks followed by sand dunes that wen on scattering the landscape. This area seemed to be on the edge of where the earthy terrain of Savannah Central merges with the aridness of Sahara Square. I guess after two hundred years without proper upkeep, the natural environment is slowly taking over. Makes me wonder how the Rainforest District and Tundratown faired. They were both mammal made biomes like this one.

“Welcome to our home.”

“Home? All I see is …”

I didn’t see it before, and now that I do see it, it made me wonder _how_ I even missed it in the first place. In that large rocky outcropping was a large metal door. It had been painted in a way in order to allow it to blend in better. The entrance was large enough for us all to fit through, but Drake still bent down a little to avoid hitting Nate on part of the doorway. That’s when I noticed he was starting to snap out of it. 

“Umm, why are you carrying me? Why is my face red, why did you …” he trailed off as his eyes met mine.

Never-mind. At least I knew how to shut him up if I ever needed to. This time it wasn’t so bad. Drake was able to put him down and he started to walk on his own accord. It was rather cute. Uh … I mean … you know what? Fuck it. He’s cute. There, you happy now fate? The fox is cute!

I wonder if Nate noticed how flustered I was feeling, because he quickly moved up to his brother who had lead us down into a large main room. “Here Mark, let me help you with her.” Nate glanced back at me but when my eyes came into contact with his, he quickly snapped away, back towards Holly. With her held between both of them, they brought her into one of the first rooms we came across. It must have been some kind of communal residency because inside were five beds, and each of them had beds on the beds. Who the hell puts a bed on-top of another bed? What if a rhino wanted the top bed, and a tiny little otter wanted the bottom? One small mistake in the structural integrity, and the otter is as flat as a pancake. 

Nate and Markus brought Holly to one of the beds and gently laid her down. Markus covered her with a blanket and kissed her forehead. “You two should go get cleaned up. Like I said, we have working showers, but unfortunately we don’t have an operational water heater, so you will have to deal with a cold shower. As for you …” he looked at Drake, with a look of defeat in his face, “… just don’t kill anyone, please.”

“You. Kind. No. Kill.”

“See Markus? He’s just a big cuddly little thing isn’t he?” 

I don’t know why, and I know I really shouldn’t, but I stood on the tips of my toes in order to scratch under Drakes jaw, as if I was coddling a child. The thing that surprised me, and I think everyone else, Markus most of all, was the fact that instead of objecting, Drake … purred. 

“You. Nice. Bunny. You. Mother.”

“Mother!?” Mark, Nate, and I all had the same reaction.

“Hold it, I am too young to be a mother.”

“Mother. Brood. Kind. Baird. Kill.”

“Oh, your mother. He … killed her? I am sorry. I am so sorry. I know what it’s like to not have a mother anymore, I think we all do.”

The room was quiet as I gauged the brother’s reactions. They both had the same visage, one of loss and sadness. In a way, we all had one thing in common, and while differences in loss still remained, we all had someone we loved taken from us. Markus turned towards Holly and placed his paw on her forehead for a moment before heading towards the door. 

“I need to get my medical kit. Drake?” He looked at him and for the first time his eyes were void of fear. “Make yourself at home. We all deserve some rest after today.”

***

I was the first to use the shower. Unlike the Burrow that had private showers in every residence, this place had just one large room. From the looks of it, someone had attempted to separate it with a giant blue tarp, each end tied to a shower head on either side. I stripped out of my clothes and threw them to the side. Setting my Pip-Boar down next to the pile of clothes, I turned the knob to the shower. At first I turned it towards the hot water, but then remembered that he said there was none, so I slowly moved it to the other side. 

“COLD!!”

My voice echoed through the room as the freezing water hit my body. It was really cold. How long has that heater been broken? I figured a tech wiz such as Nate would have been able to fix it? Maybe he wouldn’t mind letting me try? I wonder what he was doing. What _did_ they do here when they are not letting a bunny lead them through hell? Better question, why do thoughts of him keep entering my head?

I nearly slipped on the tiled floor when I heard a shower head on the other side of the tarp turn on. While the tarp itself was opaque, the room’s light’s was tossing a silhouette onto the material that looked an awfully lot like …

“N …Nate?”

“Oh, I’m … sorry Olivia. Did I … startle you? I wanted to let you finish, but this smell.”

“No …” I didn’t know what to say, there was a naked boy only a few feet from me. I sighed, my mind was already about to burst. “It’s understandable, I was just … caught off guard is all. You should have said something.”

“Sorry … I didn’t want to … disturb you.”

“Well, what’s done is done I guess. So, how you holding up?”

I grabbed some soap that was sitting on a small ledge. It smelt good. Lavender? Probably Holly’s. I couldn’t imagine either of the boys wanting to smell this … pretty. I started to get a good lather up as we conversed through the tarp.

“I’m … still a bit shook up, I think.”

“I don’t blame you. After all you went through, all _I_ put you through, I would be too.”

“You’re not … we wanted to help, to help Holly, to help … you.”

“I … thank you. I know that things did not go the way we planned, but I am glad to have done it with you … you all. All of you that is.” Why was I feeling so nervous around him all of a sudden? Just because there is a naked fox right behind that … “ … we made a new friend too, so that’s a plus. I gotta ask, _why_ did you take my side instead of your brothers? He had some very valid points that in any other situation, I would have agreed with him on.”

“I did it because of … you. That is, I mean, you are so accepting of us. You didn’t know us, and where most mammals just see … foxes, you saw something else, didn’t you? We were strangers, yet you still risked your own life to help us. I think that’s why I like … chose to side with you. If you saw something else besides a fox in us, maybe you saw the same thing in Drake, where anyone else would have just seen a deathwing.”

“I’m not going to say I am a good judge of character, I nearly got kidnapped by slavers because they sounded ‘nice’, and on multiple times I have almost gotten eaten by ghouls because I thought that _maybe_ they would be intelligent like us. But Drake? I honestly do see something in him. I don’t know what, and deep inside I am hoping I don’t regret it, but just like you and Markus, I don’t think he’s what everyone else sees in the surface, deep down I think …”

I had now realized that I had been slowly moving closer to the tarp, and from the shadow, I think Nate was as well. It was tall enough that we could not see each other, but we could still clearly see the shadows being cast on it. My brain and my body seemed to be both fighting against each other, and working together simultaneously. 

“Miss. I brought you a …”

Onion’s sharp voice broke the silence in a way that startled me, casing me to slip on the floor, and sending me crashing into the hanging fabric. I tried to catch myself on the tarp, but the ropes snapped, causing it to wrap around me as I fell, right onto Nate, landing on him as I let out a slightly embarrassing squeak. I saw his face now as he was lying on his back, the tarp the only thing between our naked bodies. 

“… towel. You okay Miss? You face is turning a most unbecoming red.”

“What happened! Is everything … alright?” Markus must have just entered the showers to see what the commotion was. My eyes were still locked onto Nate’s, my face feeling as if my entire body’s blood was now rushing through it.

“Look, I know you two just met, but aren’t you taking it rather fast?” I didn’t have to see Markus’ face to know he must have had a large smirk on it.

I snapped my mind back to the situation as I quickly jumped up, the tarp still wrapped around me. In my haste to get up I had forgotten that Nate was also naked, I saw … everything. I turned and marched right up to Onion, not looking at anything else, grabbed the towel from him and went straight to the empty room of beds, still wrapped in the fabric, dragging it and the ropes it was attached to behind me. I walked past Drake as he looked at me rather inquisitively.

“Bunny. Okay?”

I ignored him, entered the room and slammed the door behind me. 

“She’s fine Drake, just a little embarrassed is all.” I was still able to hear Markus through the door. 

I ferociously tore off the tarp from my body, wrapped it in the towel and collapsed face down on the nearest bed. I did the only thing I could do. I screamed into a pillow, hoping to use it to drown it out. Then I did something that even I wasn’t expecting. I smiled.

***

I’m not sure how long I dozed off, but a scream woke me up. Without thinking, I jumped out of bed, towel still wrapped around me, and rushed out of the room. The scream came from the other sleeping quarters down the hall. Were we under attack? I didn’t have my gun, _or_ my Pip-Boar. Fuck! 

“Get it away! Get away!”

It was Holly! She was awake, but what was making her … oh no. I reached the door and ran in.

“Drake!” I had feared the worse, that somehow he was still under the influence of that fucking boar. He was under his control for such a long time, that I was not sure if there were any lingering effects.

Drake was just standing there, non-threateningly looking at the panicked rabbit who was being restrained by Markus. I could hear him trying to comfort her, but she must not have been in the state of mine to comprehend his words. I calmed myself down, not wanting any show any agitation that could potentially escalate this. 

“Drake, would you mind waiting for us out in the hall?”

“Yes. I wait.”

Holly’s expression of panic suddenly turned to that of utter confusion. 

“It … can talk? Why is there a deathwing here!? Why is it talking?!” she looked over towards me. “Why is there a half- naked rabbit here?! Markus! What’s going on?!”

“Wait … don’t!” 

Nate had just run in, this time fully dressed in a t-shirt and cargo pants. He looked at me and an odd expression appeared in his face before he ran over to Holly.”

“Nate! You’re okay!”

“Yes, we are ok, please, calm down Skips. I know it’s a lot to take in, but you need to rest.” He signaled for me to come closer. “She is the one who helped rescue you. If it wasn’t for her …, Holly Kerrigan, meet Olivia Springs.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” I held my paw out and she cautiously took it.

“Nate you look ...” I noticed Nate sneaking a look at me as Holly addressed him, causing him to snap his attention back to her, “...happy. Too happy. Someone please wake me up from whatever this is!”

“Hey Olivia, is it okay if we had a little privacy? I think it would be easier to explain recent … events, with just the three of us.”

“I understand. I’ll just be …”

“You’re welcome to use my … workshop. It’s just … down the hall.”

Holly’s vision rapidly switched between Nate and I before finally flopping her head onto the bed, releasing what sounded like a groan and a sigh mixed together. I took that as my cue to leave. I saw Markus wrapping his arms around Holly as I left the room. Outside the room, Drake was standing there, stiff, as if someone just placed a statue of him there without me seeing.

“Drake, just because I said wait out here, doesn’t mean you have to literally _wait_ out here. You are free to move around at your leisure.”

“You. Said. Wait. I. Wait.”

“Oh boy, we really need to work on that. I meant to ask, why do you always look so, uncomfortable, standing?”

“Stand. No. Comfort. Stand. Hurt.”

“It hurts to stand like that? No wonder you always look uncomfortable. Why?”

“Baird. Evil. Baird. Make. Stand. Me. Hang. Me. Hurt.”

“Wait, are you saying that if you were to hang, he would hurt you for doing it?”

“Yes. Baird. Evil.”

“What about the other ones? I saw dozens of them who were hanging.”

“Baird. Pick. Me. Baird. Pick. Others. We. Stand. No. Pick. Can. Hang.”

“You mean he selected you, what as his personal guards or something?”

“Guard. Yes. Blood. Take. No. Take. Hang. Me. Take. More.”

“I don’t follow. I get that he chose a few of you to guard him, but blood? What do you mean?”

“Blood. Take. Me. Give. Blood. Take. He. Use.”

“You mean he was forcing you to guard him _while_ he _experimented_ on you?!

“Yes. Baird. Evil.”

“Oh, if that boar managed to live, I will find him, and I _will_ end his life.”

“Bunny. Nice. Too. Nice.”

“I’ve been getting that a lot. Let’s go see if we can find someplace for you to hang for a bit. I promise you, I will _never_ force you to do anything you don’t want to. But, you are strong, so I may _ask_ of your help, but no matter how dire the situation, I will never, _never_ force you to do anything you don’t want to. You just have to promise me one thing.”

He didn’t say anything, he just stared at me. 

“I want to protect anyone who needs it. From the smallest rodent to the biggest …” I looked at him and smiled, “… deathwing. If someone needs help, if they are an innocent who needs protection from the evils of the world, I want you to promise me that you will help others, like I helped you. That is all I ask of you.”

“Drake. Promise. Bunny.”

“But what if he EATS US!” Holly’s voice echoed from the room before I heard the door slam shut.

“Oh, and don’t eat anyone, unless they are bad. You can eat the bad ones.” 

I smiled at him, and I think, I just think, he smiled back at me.

***

About an hour went by before Nate found me and said that Holly had calmed down. I had managed to find some resemblance of clothing tucked away in a dusty trunk. It was defiantly way too big for me as Nate gave me a look that must say how silly I looked. It was a button up shirt with overly long sleeves and a pair of black pants whose long legs kept trying to trip me as I followed Nate back to where Holly and Markus were.

Upon entering I saw that Holly must have gotten cleaned up, because her fur looked much more vibrant, and she was in a rather loose fitting white t-shirt and black jeans. Markus and Holly were chatting, a smile on both of their faces when she turned and saw that I had arrived.

“They told me … what on earth are you wearing?”

“The only thing I could find, sadly. I really did not want to put that filth covered stuff back on, and I didn’t remember to pack an overnight bag.”

“She is a feisty one Marki. I think I may have something for you. Ok you two, leave us alone for a moment, we need a little, girl time. Aww, don’t worry Marki, I am not going anywhere. If what you said is true, if someone _did_ happened to magically teleport into room the very moment you left, I am sure if I give Olivia here a spoon and a toothpick she will have us out of here, and maybe even with a wall or two still intact.”

What the hell did they tell her about me!?

Markus left but Nate seemed hover near the door until his brother grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out, closing the door. 

“I should have something in your size. Here, put these on.” She tossed me some pink panties and a matching undershirt. Pink wasn’t really my color, but I didn’t wanna offend her by refusing, and I also didn’t want to have to wear these … things everywhere. I stripped out of the overly large clothing and turned and faced away from Holly as I slipped the undergarments on. 

“For an insane death bunny, you sure are rather shy. We’re both girls here, it’s not like it isn’t something I haven’t seen before. Although Nate’s right, you _do_ have a cute butt.” 

He said _what_ about my _what_?! “He … did he …”

Holly started to laugh. “No, he didn’t. I don’t think puff tail would be able to mutter those words without, well, muttering. Although, from what Marki says, I am pretty sure he’s thought it at least once.”

Once again my face warmed up rapidly. Holly distracted me by tossing some clothing at me. It was similar to hers, a loose fitting t-shirt, although the one she gave me was dark blue instead of the white one she had. She also tossed me a pair of black jeans that fit rather snug. A little too snug I think.

“Aww, is Olivia now self-conscious of her ass?”

I realized that I had been patting, and attempting to see, my butt. I immediately stopped and acted like I had never done … that. An hour ago she was acting delirious, and now she is teasing me to a point where I may go mad. And _I’m_ the crazy one!

“I want to thank you too. Mark and Nate, they are like family to me. No, they _are_ family. Mark says that you know we came from a Burrow, and that even mentioning that brings back … painful memories. They hurt them in there, just because they were predators, just because they were _foxes_.”

“What did they do to cause them, to cause Nate so much pain?”

“I … I don’t think it’s the time or place, not yet at least, and certainly not from me.”

“I won’t press it.”

“Thank you. Also, thank you for protecting them. If you had not been there when I was … taken, I am afraid that, well, they are good boys, they really are, and smart too. But without me, sometimes they’re just … doofs, but they’re my doofs.”

“Okay, what is a doof? It’s been bothering the hell out of me.”

“Oh that, it’s just a little nickname we call each other, usually when one of them does something embarrassingly stupid.”

“That’s like, all the time then.”

She laughed again, this time harder. “You got it in one. I love those boys to death but sometimes, well.”

“You seem to be okay with me now, but what about …”

“Drake? I won’t lie, I get the willies around him. After having one snatching me up and bringing me to that … place, you probably can imagine the shock of waking up and seeing him. I really wanted to tell Mark to throw him out, part of me still does, but he told me about how you, and Nate, stood up for him. I tell you what girl, if you can get that doof to stand up for a _deathwing_ of all things, there must be something to you.”

I had no idea what to say, and thankfully I didn’t need to come up with anything when a rap at the door interrupted us. The door cracked open a little and I heard Mark’s voice come through the opening, “You girls decent?”

“Yes but …”

The door opened instantly on the ‘yes’ and Mark walked in with Nate on his tail, Holly gave me a smirk as they entered, what is she …

“… Olivia’s still naked!”

Mark froze but Nate clumsily stumbled into his brother as he tried to cover his eyes and dropped something that clinked on the ground. Whatever it was got thrown over near me as the two fell to the ground and Holly just started laughing. “See? Doofs. Okay boys, get up, I was just teasing, she is fully dressed and her face is nearly the color of her fur.”

I tried to ignore what just happened, before she makes a comment about my butt in front of Nate, and leaned over to pick up what I now saw was a bottle on the ground. It had a wax covered cap, and it was filled with an almost amber colored liquid. A label on it said: _Tapir’s Lark_.

I held the bottle up to show them. “What’s this?”

“Oh, Nate, haven’t you tortured that girl enough?”

“My nerves are shot. I … could use this. I thought that maybe…”

Mark grabbed the bottle from my paw and looked at me with a small smirk, “This stuff tastes horrible, you don’t want it.”

“It’s an acquired taste!” Nate snatched it from his brother’s paw and opened it, taking a whiff. He pulled out two small glasses from his … pockets, why so many pockets?

“You don’t have to drink it ‘livi if you don’t want.”

“‘Livi?”

“Short for Olivia, of course, both my boys have theirs. I figured, if you were going to be one of us, I might as well give one to you. You don’t like it, do you?”

“Oh, no. It’s just that, I never had a nickname before. Never really had any friends to …” From the looks on their faces, it looked like I was about to put a damper on the mood, so I quickly changed subjects as Nate handed me a glass filled with the amber liquid. “So … where’s Drake?”

“He seemed very antsy. He said, or at least I think he said, that he needed to ‘hang.’ Figured he meant dangle from something like those other ones were doing.”

“Yeah, I tried to find something for him earlier, but there wasn’t a place big enough, or strong enough, for him.”

“Well, the garage has plenty of hanging pipes and beams in it, so I let him in there. He took ‘roost’ and seemed rather, happy, so I left him alone. Kept the door open in case he wanted to come and say hi.”

“I am glad you are okay with him here. I …” I took a big swig of the drink in my hand, but it hit my taste-buds before Holly or Mark could stop me. “Ugh! What the fuck is this?!”

“I told you she wouldn’t like it. I don’t think _anyone_ other than you would.”

“Bah, she just took too big a sip is all. Olivia, you need to sip it, enjoy it. Savor it.”

“Enjoy what? Battery acid?”

Nate swirled the drink in his cup a little before taking a sip. “I don’t usually drink too much of this, but after today, I think I earned a little extra. We all have.”

I sniffed the drink, it had a rather sweet aroma to it, but it also felt like it was burning my nose a little. I’ve been through much worse. I took another drink, but this time a small sip. 

“Nope! Nope! I would rather go paw to paw with a rhino decked out in full Guardian armor than drink this … although.” 

I started to feel … good. A slight warmth filled me from the inside out. I said I wouldn’t drink it, I said I wouldn’t … I took another sip. Oh, that felt … “Actually … once you get past the battery acid it is rather …” I took another sip. It was slowly tasting better. I think. My arms started to get wobbly as I tried to lift it for another drink. My head was swimming. I felt as if I could just fly right up into the air. I went to take another, but realized that at some point, I finished it. 

“Maybe one more?”

“I think she has had enough. You trying to … take advantage of her …” Mark elbowed his brother on the shoulder. Nate almost dropped the bottle as he was pouring me another. 

“You know what Marki? I think he is.”

I took another sip. Whee. I saw their mouths moving but their words were jumbling in my head. Every sip of this stuff made me feel better, happier, looser. It was like my bones had been removed, leaving me to bend and contort my body at will. It was a very nice feeling. I tried to walk but then I remembered that the lack of bone in the legs make them go all wibbly wobbly. I fell on the ground. The others rushed to me to pick me up, but nothing they said made sense. Something about a banana? Oh I have those wafers, maybe they want my wafers? I tried to move, but they were pulling me closer and closer to the bed. I tried to take another sip but they pried the glass from my paw before I could. I just wanted a little more, just a little more? 

I felt my body fall onto something soft as the world was washed away.

***

The softness was gone as I started to fall again. I tried to open my eyes but they felt as if they had been sealed shut. The happiness and looseness from my body was gone, replaced with a sense of loneliness and stiffness. I tried to move my arms, to find out where I was, but they wouldn’t listen. I tried moving my legs, my ears, my head, but they too were unresponsive. I tried to speak but no words could form.

I continued to fall. The loneliness was being stretched. Holes were forming in it as new feelings filled them. Fear. I started to feel scared. I couldn’t see as if I was blind, and I couldn’t speak as if I was mute. The only sound was that of the rushing wind as I fell. I did not know where I was and that scared me. 

Trepidation. My fear escalated, as if my body and mind knew of some oncoming danger. I kept falling. The air rushing around me was slowly being replaced as well. At first I couldn’t make it out, the wind still drowning it, but soon the wind started to fade as the noises became louder, clearer. It repeated, over, and over. One word. One, fearful word. 

_Help._

As I fell, the word got louder and clearer, as if I was rapidly approaching their origin. So many were crying out for help, but they were not screaming it, they were not shouting it. It sounded as if, despite their pleas, they knew help would never come. As I plummeted towards the pleas, I tried to call out to them, to tell them that it was okay, that I would save them, but the words could not come. It was not if I was unable to create them, I felt them forming in my throat, but I knew, I knew the reason. I was too late. 

I stopped falling. I did not hit anything, nor could I feel anything supporting my weight, but I simply stopped moving. My eyes started to burn as I could feel my vision returning. I opened them, slowly. The world around me was dark, but there was a single spot of light in the distance. Everything was blurry, but I could tell that that small dot of light was getting larger. Larger. Larger. Soon the light was upon me, but it was not normal light. This light was red with anger. I felt heat. I smelt smoke. 

The flame became brighter as it’s light filled the area around me. Ash started to burn my eyes, but I couldn't wipe them, my arms still unresponsive. I heard the cries for help. They were all around me. I tried to find one of them, any of them, to tell them that is will be alright, that it will be over soon. I was lying. 

_Help._

I want to. I want to. Tears started to form, and as they did, they took with them the ash that was blinding me. 

_Help._

The voice was getting closer. Just let me help. Please. Let me help. 

_Help._

The voice was right in front of me. I could feel the heat. I could smell … no. Please no. The tears started to fall harder as my vision focused on charred remains in front of me. This wasn’t Beaverton. No, this was, different. This was someone who needed my help, someone who begged for me to save them, but I never showed. 

_Help._

Another voice. This time behind me. I felt my body move, as if I were some kind of puppet, being manipulated by an unseen force. The new voice was now in front of me. The heat of the flames, and the smell of burning flesh left as the new once came closer. 

_Help._

Who are you? Why are you tormenting me? 

_Help._

This voice, this one belonged to a little girl, just a small white bear who wore a pink dress. Please, no more children. Images of the children I found in Beaverton started to flash in my head. Please, no more. Tears were falling, as if they could drown the world, drown me. I begged them to take me, to take my suffering. 

_Help._

Suddenly a collar appeared around the girl’s neck. It was flashing red. No. Not that. Please. I wanted to reach out, to take the collar off and tell her it would be okay. I was too late. The explosive detonated, causing the girl’s head to fly off. Blood sprayed like a fountain from her neck as the body crumpled under its own weight. The lifeless head rolled in front of me. I was too late.

_Help._

Please, no more. I want to help. I want to help you all! I just need … I need to be stronger!

_Help._

My body moved against its will again. 

_Help._

Please, just end this. If I could save them all, I would gladly trade my own life. Please!

_Help._

The voices surrounded me. New voices were slowly being added to them. 

_Help._

There were countless voices now, all surrounding me. I tried to closed my eyes as the tears wouldn’t stop, but they wouldn’t let me, as if someone was making me watch. 

_Help._

Then I saw them. Heads, countless heads, all with lifeless stares in their eyes, their mouths still gasping in horror at whatever terrible force ended their lives. The heads had no bodies, but instead were impaled on large spikes. Blood still flowed from their open mouths. 

_Help._

North West. 

_Help._

Mayor Swift. Please, no more. No more!

_Help._

Bo, and his family. 

_Help._

Drake. No. 

_Help._

No. No. Please. I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted to make it all go away. I wanted to scream to make it stop. 

_Help._

Holly. 

_Help._

Mark. 

_Help._

Nate. 

I started to fall.

***

“Please no. Please make it stop!”

I woke up, my pillow covered in tears, my heart racing, the feeling as if I just died, only to be resurrected again. I couldn’t breathe. I sat there. That nightmare, it felt so … real. I tried to forget it, to wipe away the tears, to make it go away. I felt something on my shoulder. I turned, expecting my nightmare to become reality, and I saw Nate. His paw was on my shoulder as I saw him sitting next to me. I felt something move. It was his tail, wrapped around my waist.

“Nate?”

“I … you were … crying. I think you were having a … nightmare. I tried to wake you … but …”

They were still alive. It was only a dream. A horrible, dream. 

“I can … I can leave.”

He started to get up but I grabbed him and pulled him back the bed. I wrapped my arms around him as I felt his tail wrap tighter around me. 

“No. Stay. I … don’t feel like being alone.”

I just laid there, my head pressed against his chest. I could hear his heartbeat. It was fast at first, but it slowed. The noise relaxed me. His arms moved around me as the movement of his chest, the warmth of his arms, lulled me into sleep. I started to dream, but this time, it had a happy ending.

***

“Do you really have to go? Can’t you stay for a … little while longer?”

“Sorry Nate, but I have to return to Hope. I need to make sure everything is fine and report my findings to the mayor. She might want to know about some mad-boar who may or may not be alive and who can control mammals. Most importantly, I want to know if she ironed out things with the residents about …”

“Us.”

“Yes.”

“What about Drake?” Mark and Holly walked into the room, his tail wrapped around her waist, one arm on her shoulder while the other was handling some sort of food.

“Well, is it ok if he stays here, for the time being. If they had issues with two foxes, imagine the uproar that would happen if I strolled into Hope with a deathwing?”

“Fair point. He hasn’t moved from his perch all night. I actually got worried and tried to poke him with a stick to make sure he was alive.”

“You don’t go poking people with a stick Holly!”

“But it almost looks like Nate poked _you_ with _his_ stick.”

It took a few seconds for it to register, but when it did, I jumped up and rushed over to my stuff in the corner of the room and hurriedly gathered my stuff.

“Look what you did cottontail. You just flustered her. Again. You really should stop teasing that rabbit. I have seen her do … things.”

Ignore them. Just ignore them. I glanced over to Nate who, from the looks of it, was thinking the same thing. Our eyes made contact but Holly had to go and make it worse. 

“I am surprised she can even stand.”

“Nothing happened! Tell her Nate. Nothing happened!”

“I … I …”

“Oh, I am just teasing you ‘livi. To be honest, I don’t think puff tail would even know what to do with it.”

That time Nate was the one who jumped up and he stormed out of the room. 

“In all seriousness ‘livi, I want you to be safe. I took the liberty of packing you a few provisions, some ammo from the armory, and … this.”

She walked over to a nearby bed and lifted up a black jacket and handed it to me. It was about knee-high to me. It had a few pockets on the outside, but was lined with even more on the inside. Seriously, what is it with these guys and pockets? I tried it on and it felt like a perfect fit, but it was slightly heavier than my old trench coat. 

“It’s heavy.”

“It has a special ballistic weave in it. Can stop most normal bullets, and even protects against knife wounds. That is if you keep it on. Don’t go throwing this away. Those weaves are not easy to come by.”

“It’s … thank you.”

Holly came over and gave me a hug. “Thanks again for protecting my boys. It’s the least I can do.”

I heard a clacking noise as Drake walked into the room followed by Nate.

“Cub. Said. You. Leave?”

“Yeah, for a little bit. I need to check on things back at Hope and, I am sorry to say, I need to leave all of you here. They are not as welcoming as you would think towards certain … species.”

“Bad. Outside. Danger. Me. Take.”

“No, I don’t want you to put yourself in danger just for me.”

“Drake. No. Make. Drake. Ask. Bunny.”

“Let him ‘livi. It will make all of feel better about it. Please?”

I sighed. “All right.”

“Olivia … before you … go.”

“Look what you did to the poor guy Holly? You gotta stop teasing him like that.”

“Well Marki, it’s about time Nate found someone. I didn’t think had it in him honestly.”

Nate’s whole body seemed to glow a reddish hue as he handed me a small data chip and turned to leave. He hesitated for a moment, faced me and gave me a hug, lifting me off the ground. “Be safe.”

“I will.” I don’t know what happened last night, but I felt, better. I decided to tease him a little too by giving him a surprised kiss right on the lips. He dropped me and stiffly ran off. 

“Looks like someone else likes to tease.”

“Onion! We gotta go!”

“Right away Miss.”

Onion looked shinier. “Onion, is that you?”

“Yes Miss. That Mister … Nate fellow gave me a good polish. He wanted to ‘tinker’ around with me, but I expressly told him not without your permission Miss.”

“Probably best for now. Hey Onion, remember when Drake carried you yesterday?”

“Unfortunately, I do Miss. It was rather dreadful.”

“Well too bad. We are taking another ride.”

“Miss! I object!”

“Overruled. Thank you for your hospitality and the … um… tell Nate I said goodbye, but I promise that I will be back sooner than later.”

“Oh, since Nate left in a … hurry, let me tell you that the chip he gave you? Contains both coordinates to the bunker, and our private communication channel. If you need to get a hold of us, you can use that. It also has Nate’s Pip-Boar tag and identification as well. He wanted to update your Pip-Boar personally, but, well, guess he was too _busy_ to do that last night.” She winked at me. 

On that note … “Gotta go. Drake! Onion! Go. Now.”

We left the bunker and I was nearly blinded by the morning light. How long was I asleep? I checked my Pip-Boar. It was a little after ten in the morning. I wanted to get back to Hope much earlier than that. I guess I was too … I really hope we didn’t do anything last night. I _really_ hope Holly was joking.

I told Drake I was ready and he grabbed both me and Onion and took off towards Hope.

***

He dropped us off far enough away that, if anyone saw us, it would have just been a small blur. I thanked Drake and told him to go back to the bunker. He was a bit hesitant on letting me go. I reached up and scratched the bottom of his jaw, and he purred again. I wasn’t sure if I made a friend, or got a pet. Either way I assured him that I was fine, and was more worried more about him. During the day he was a target. Eventually he gave in and went off and back to the bunker. 

Before moving to Hope I popped in that chip. Just as Holly said, it instantly uploaded everything to my Pip-Boar. A new station appeared under the radio: _BNK-124-Gama_. There was no way to remember that, but thankfully it gave me the option to change it. I made it something much simpler. _Bunker_.

It only took ten minutes to get to the front gates of Hope. It was a busy morning. Large tents were set up outside the gates as mammals went to and fro. Buying, selling, and trading. Life had returned to Hope, and thankfully, it was still standing. After that nightmare, I was afraid I would come back to a burning mess. Thankfully nightmares are not real. I hope. 

There was one thing off however. After stepping foot in Hope, everyone was … staring at me. I know I was gone a day or so, but did they forget me this fast? Every single mammal stopped what they were doing and just stared as I walked past them. Was it something I was wearing? Did I say, or do something wrong when I left? I hope this wasn’t about Nate or Markus. 

I was stopped when the mayor, dressed in her typical half combat uniform, half ballroom dress attire. When she was convincing me to go with the foxes, she was serious. When she was with me ‘interrogating’ Nate, she was serious, but this look? It was beyond serious. It was … frightening. 

“Olivia Springs. We need to talk.”

 

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is C.Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Today we have a _very_ special guest.”

**[Max]**

“Don’t make any sudden movements you striped bastard, there's a _deathwing_ over there. Quick, if we move quietly, we can escape it before it sees us. Or _smells_ you.”

**[Stripes]**

“Don’t be such as scaredy fox Max, _he’s_ our guest tonight. Ladies and Gentlemammals may I introduce, Drake the Deathwing! Say a few words to the audience Drake.”

**[Drake]**

“Horse. Loud.”

**[Stripes]**

“Zebra, actually. Although horses and zebras do both belong to the equine variety of mammals.”

**[Max]**

“It’s… a deathwing… and it’s… talking… holy fuck nuggets Stripes! You’ve done it, you really done it, we are going to die thanks to you!”

**[Stripes]**

“Don’t be silly Max, this guy wouldn’t hurt a fly… aaand he just ate a fly. Didn’t see that one coming. So while my assistant hyperventilates over here, tell us a bit about yourself Drake.”

**[Drake]**

“Drake. Free. Drake. Live.”

**[Stripes]**

“Vague, I'll give you that. Deathwings can’t talk, but you are the exception to that, aren’t you?”

**[Drake]**

“Baird. Change. Drake. Baird. Make. Smart. Make. Drake. Talk. Drake. Not. Talk. Well.”

**[Stripes]**

“Umm… add the two, carry the elephant… why is there an elephant? Okay I think I got what you said. That boar experimented on you, and gave you the ability to talk, but you're having difficulties understanding what to say, so you have to think it out very carefully, choosing the right words that contain any meanings that your already know, before speaking, is that correct?”

**[Drake]**

“Yes. Horse. Smart.”

**[Stripes]**

“Zebra. Not horse. Want some coffee?”

**[Max]**

“Don’t you fucking DARE give the vicious killing machine CAFFEINE!”

**[Stripes]**

“Not even a small drop? It’s only triple espresso.”

**[Max]**

“NO!”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, his loss. So, Drake. Now that you're free, what are you going to do with yourself? A deathwing such as yourself wouldn't fit in very well with modern society.”

**[Drake]**

“Protect. Bunny. Protect. Friends.”

**[Stripes]**

“Sounds like a plan. Now, what about the rest of your brood? You had some others help you, can we expect an army of deathwings in the future?”

**[Drake]**

“Drake. Alpha. Drake. Old. Brood. Respect. Brood. Listen. Drake. No. Order. Brood. Brood. Free.”

**[Stripes]**

“Free? Free from the boar’s control, or free to do whatever they want?”

**[Drake]**

“Free. Brood. Free.”

**[Stripes]**

“But are the citizens of the wasteland in danger of deathwing attacks from your own brood? I'm sure I speak for my listeners when I ask, are we safe from your kind?”

**[Drake]**

“Drake. No. Kill. Brood. Kill. Brood. Free.”

**[Stripes]**

“So you won’t kill, but they might? The citizens of the wasteland still need to cower in fear from your kind, still need to try to avoid, or even kill your kind out of fear, is that what you are saying?”

**[Drake]**

“Horse. Mean. Horse. Bad.”

**[Stripes]**

“Just trying to ask the questions others are afraid of asking.”

**[Max]**

“Stripes? Why is he making that clicking noise? No you know? I think I get it. He's going to EAT you...Wait. Hey! Uh...Drake right? If you're gonna eat him? THANK YOU!”

**[Stripes]**

“I know some species make noises like that when they are annoyed or aggravated, but how any can anyone be annoyed at my charming personality?”

**[Holly]**

“Drake? What’s going on out here? ‘Livi sent me to check up… who the hell are you?”

**[Stripes]**

“C.Stripes at your service. I was just asking this kind fellow a few questions.”

**[Holly]**

“Well you're annoying him, so leave us alone!”

**[Stripes]**

“But madam, we are only trying to…”

**[Holly]**

“MARK! We have an intruder! Activate the perimeter defenses!”

**[Stripes]**

“Perimeter defenses? Oh, those are guns. Those are BIG guns. Well folks, looks like this is all we have for today’s show. Tune in next Wednesday with another rousing session with the host with the most, me! Now if you will excuse me, I need to make sure I don’t get my stripes blown off my body. Eep! That was close. Stripes signing off!”


	30. They Came Knocking at Hope's Door

Onion and I followed the mayor through the busy path that cut from the entrance through to her office in the back of town. Every trader stall was packed with eager buyers and traders, and Olive’s Garden had a line so long it was a wonder she and the cook could keep up with the orders, let alone with supplies. I was glad to see this place lively. That is until I noticed that everyone was staring. At me. What was really bothering me was the fact that it wasn’t actually _everyone_ , but rather, every _resident_. Visitors and traders were not paying any heed to me, but the rest of them…

“Mayor, what is going on? Why are they looking at me like… that?”

She was silent as she led me to her office. When the people wanted to kick Nate and Mark out, they stared too, but they also whispered, and glared, as if the mere vocalization of their troubles, and the piercing of their eyes, would have made them go away. Now? Nothing. There were no whispers, and their stares looked more like their very life was drained from them. Something happened while I was gone. I just couldn’t imagine what it could have been.

We reached her office, but I still wasn’t able to get her to tell me what was wrong. I don’t think Hope was attacked. There was no sign of violence, and I was only gone a day. So if it _had_ been attacked, I doubt it would be this busy. Did the leader of the Berserk-kings threaten them with another attack? If so, I need to be fixing the defense systems instead of standing here. Then a thought hit me. What if she couldn’t convince the town to let Mark and Nate back, what if they still thought they were spies and that I was _with_ them. What if they found out about…

“Miss Springs,” her normally sweet voice was completely gone. Her tone made it seem like I had just been called to one of my ‘disciplinary’ meetings with the Overseer, but this felt even more serious, “while you were gone, we found out some… troubling news involving… you.”

News? What kind of news would cause such a thick air of… I still don’t even know what it was! “What news? What happened while I was gone?”

“The Legionaries.”

“The who?”

“Sometimes I forget that you are a Burrow dweller. The Legionaries are a group of mercenaries. Unlike the raiders you have come across in the wasteland, these guys won’t kill you for fun, they won’t rape you just because you are an easy target. No. These guys are worse than that. They represent all that I hate in a mammal. They do it for money.”

“Greed is everywhere, what makes them more dangerous?”

“They will do _anything_ as long as the price is right. Pay them to kill a child? Done. Kill your own mother, daughter? Done. They don’t care who they hurt, what they take, as long as they get paid. _That’s_ what makes them dangerous.”

“But what does this have to do with me?”

“Miss Springs, it was _you_ who they were after.”

Wait… what? “ME? Why would they be after me?!”

“We don’t know. They came to me first, asking to hand you over. When I told them that you were not here, which incidentally you weren’t, they paid a ‘visit’ to every single resident asking the same thing.”

“No one got hurt did they?”

“Thankfully, no. Like I said, they do anything for money, but they won’t do anything if there are no caps in it. They must have only been paid to find you, not stir up trouble, or else I don’t think any of us would be standing here.”

“Are they really that bad?”

“They are organized, they have weapons and armor that look like they were just made, they have training and tactics. Not even the Steel Guardians want to tangle with them. Yes, they really are that bad.”

“If that’s the case, why am I just now finding out about this? If they asked everyone, someone must have wanted to give me up. I mean I was helping the two foxes that they all wanted to be rid of.”

“I thought the same thing. It happened soon after you left, and I did not have time to try to convince them of the brother’s innocence. The Legionaries came empty pawed, and they left the same. No one was willing to give you up. Honestly, I don’t know who they fear more, them or… you.”

“They are afraid of me?”

“Yes. And no. They are not afraid of you as you are. To them, you are their savior, their hero. But, there has been talk… of events involving you. The Theater, the Stadium, Little Rodentia. Every time someone hears about a major commotion, _you_ are always at the top of it. I have… friends, that said the Theater was you, but the other stories…”

“Are all true.”

“You mean… all of them?”

“Yup. And a few more. Such as me recently fighting off a wild boar who was controlling an army of deathwings. Speaking of which, you haven't seen a boar with a white streak on his head, and, oh yeah, a newly missing tusk, have you?”

She seemed, taken aback by my question, breaking her previously serious demeanor, “No, I haven't. Should I?”

“I fucking hope not.”

“I see…” she grabbed a few items on her desk and moved them around hastily, “Anyway, back to the matter at hoof. If these mercenaries are after you, for whatever reason, you are not safe here, and…”

“They are not safe with me here, are they?”

“… no, they are not. While collateral damage with the Legionaries is usually minimal, if whomever is paying them to get you decides to increase the fee to tear apart Hope in order to find you…”

“Then me staying here is a liability. To you and to them.”

“I don’t want to tell you to leave. We need you, _they_ need you, but this town can’t handle another attack. Not yet anyways.”

“Well then, its settled. The last thing I want on my conscious is the death of more innocents. I don’t want to leave as much as you. More so, honestly. I have only been here a short time, but this place makes me feel more at home than anywhere, even my Burrow. However, if the only way to protect you, all of you, is to leave, then…”

“What will you do? Where will you go?”

“I have a place in mind. As for the what?” I turned to the door and opened it, “I am going to find these Legionaries, and I am going to _make_ them tell me who is paying them.”

“They won’t be easy to find, and they would sooner die than reveal a contract holder.”

“Well then if that’s the case,” I cast a smile towards the mayor that made her look, uneasy, “there may not be any Legionaries left to fear after I am done with them.” 

“Olivia! Wait!”

***

I didn’t want to leave. I had just returned, but I couldn’t put this town in danger because of me. The longer I stayed here, the bigger the chance they would return. I knew nothing about these guys, but from what I have seen in this world, if someone is willing to kill another living being for something as petty as caps, then they have no good morals. They are just trash, and trash needs to be disposed of. 

“Miss? You appear agitated.”

“YOU THINK!?” 

“Miss, I…”

No, don’t yell at him Olivia, don’t take it out on your friend. “I’m… I’m sorry Onion. I didn’t mean to yell at you. It’s just that… I thought things would be different. I figured, once I was settled in a nice place, the road ahead would get smoother, clearer as to where I am going, but I keep hitting detours along the way and getting lost - needing to turn around and start again. I am not sure if I _can_ lead a normal, happy life.” 

“You were happy with them Miss.”

I was. Yes, I was thrilled at having a home, a place to sleep in safety, a place to do what _I_ want to, not what others wanted me to. I didn’t plan on making friends. I didn’t plan on finding happiness in others, but as I have learned time and time again, things don’t usually go how they are planned. In some cases, that non accordance to plan turns out to be…

“ _Elevated Hear Rate Detected. No Imminent Threats. Activate B.A.T.S.?_ ”

“Did I tell you to ‘kill’? No I didn’t, so shut up.”

I was feeling flustered again. I felt my tail quivering, my heart racing. Why was I feeling this way? The only thing I thought of was Nate… oh fuck me. No! Wait! Wrong choice of words Olivia! I am so glad that they were not here, and able to read my thoughts. That would have made this past day much more embarrassing then it already was. Still…

“Miss? What are we to do now?”

A distraction, just what I needed. “I honestly don’t know Onion. I can’t stay here, I can’t put anyone else’s life in danger, especially over mine. They knew I was here, and if no one was willing to give me up, then it is a matter of time before they return. I grabbed everything I could that might prove useful. Parts and supplies. Clothing, what little I had. Then I found the mayor’s _other_ gift, the sexy little nightgown. Last time I saw it, all I could think about was the mayor wearing her similar one, now I look at it and all I think about is…

“Hello? Anyone here?”

I quickly shoved the nightgown into my bag. “Yes? Who is it?”

I looked around but only saw an open door, with no one standing there. Was I hearing things? I heard a small cough and looked down at the floor. A small red squirrel with an overly fluffy tail, who was dressed in a two-piece pinstripe suit, had made his presence known. I looked at him inquisitively as I saw him dragging a large bag behind him.

“My name is Francis Rattigarian. I am in charge of the town’s finances.”

He’s not trying to collect rent is he? She said I wouldn’t have to pay rent, but then again, I haven’t fixed _anything_ since arriving. I sighed and grabbed the bag with what little caps I had in it. I tried to hand it to him, but he seemed like he was slightly offended. 

“I am not here to collect money from you, I am here to _give_ it to you.” He pushed the over-sized (to him at least) bag to my feet. I opened it as saw hundreds of bottle caps.

“… say again?”

“Mayor Swift,” he jumped up onto the workbench and beckoned me to bend over as he whispered in my ear, “and I will tell you this is in utmost confidentiality that no one is to hear of our transaction,” he sat up straight and adjusted his suit, “has generously offered to fund your, excursion, away from town.”

“Wait… What?… Excursion?”

“Yes. Due to, recent events, the Mayor will be making an announcement later today informing the town that you, Olivia Springs, have been called away due to an emergency, and is unsure when you will be coming back. She asked me to give you this stipend of five hundred caps. Despite previous financial arrangements between you and Mayor Swift, this was the typical weekly allowance we offered our previous mechanic. The Mayor feels that even though you have been unable to perform your duties as town mechanic, the fact that we still have a town to fix is reason enough to allow the payout of the first week’s stipend.”

“Why didn’t the mayor give it to me in person?”

“As the official accountant, I am…” he sighed and looked at me, not as an official, but as a resident, “I will be blunt Miss Springs. She doesn’t want you to leave, _none_ of us do. I’ve known the mayor for a long time, ever since she was a child, and she has always been sweet, kind, and innocent. Now? She’s scared.”

“Scared that if I leave, the town will get attacked again?”

“No, she’s afraid that she will… lose you. This town is called Hope, but recently, some of us have wondered if there was even any meaning to that word left in the world, until you arrived. Your actions not only saved us, but showed most of us that there is still some resemblance of hope in the world to cling onto. In one day, trade has returned, our income has doubled, and people feel happier… all thanks to you. If you leave, if you… die, then that hope may die with you.”

They really did care about me. That just made leaving harder for me, but I had to. I vowed to protect the innocent, and by staying here, I may just break that vow. If I can find out who was after me, then maybe, just maybe, I can find the solace I am so desperately seeking.

“Thank you. Thank you all. I… don’t think I will be here when she makes that announcement. It’s already hard enough to leave as it is. I need to put some distance between me and Hope before they come back and find me here.”

“She thought you would say that, and she sends her love, and this. I hope your travels are safe, and that you can return to us unharmed.”

Rattigarian jumped down, made a small bow and left. He had given me a small folded paper. I opened it, and inside was a note. 

_Dear Olivia,_  
Part of me had wished that you would have chosen to stay. We all would have fought for you, but in the end, as mayor, I need to think about the sum of the whole. You are our greatest hero, but also our greatest danger. I want to tell you to not do this, to find somewhere else, start a new life, away from all the evil of the wasteland, but I know as well as you that nowhere is safe. Even among friends do our enemies grow, but leave knowing this. Your actions have inspired us. Mammals young and old are no longer cowering, using the ignorance of the world as a shield. Some have started to join our security, while what few have the technical skill are working to get our defenses online. You have shown us that we have the ability to stand up for ourselves without needing to rely on others. I thank you, the town thanks you. And remember, you will always have a home here.  
Sincerely, Jessabell Swift 

Don’t cry. Please don’t cry. Damn it Olivia! I sat there, re-reading the note, letting my tears fall onto the paper. I folded it up and put it into one of my pockets. I remembered that… nightmare. I may not be able to save everyone, but I will do whatever it takes to save as many lives as possible, to protect as many as I can. I won’t just shield them from danger anymore, I want to encourage them to shield others as well. 

I may not be able to save the world, but I will die trying to save those I can.

***

I had cut though the outer edges of the town where there was no activity. I wanted to leave without being seen. If someone else gave me a gift, or a letter, or even gave me that look of loss, then I don’t know what I would be able to do. I didn’t want them to see me cry. 

I used a group of camels to sneak out of town. They did not show me any acknowledgment, so I figured they were traveling traders. Onion had slipped between the crowd rather unnoticed as well. You think that out of everything here, a large metallic _vegetable_ would have attracted attention, but the residents who weren't busy with traders has started to form a crowd around the center of town. Her announcement probably. I wanted to hear what she said, but I just left. 

Once I was far enough away from the crowd, I turned my radio to the bunker’s frequency. 

“Is that? ‘Livi! We were wondering when you would call.”

“Hey Holly, um, is everyone…alright?”

“Yeah everyone’s… what’s going on? What’s wrong?”

How could she tell there was something wrong? “Listen, I need to… take care of something. Something important. I don’t know how long it will take, or even where to start. I just wanted to make sure you guys were safe.”

I heard Mark’s voice come over the radio, “Is that Olivia? It is? What did she say? Olivia! Holly says there’s something wrong. Are you okay? Nate! Drake! It’s Olivia! I think somethings wrong!”

I managed a smile. I came from a place where no one liked me, no one wanted me, to having two places where no one wanted me to leave. I think this will be even harder though. 

“I don’t think Nate heard me. I got him a gift and he has been fiddling with it all day. What’s the matter Olivia? Holly said you sounded sad.”

I did? I didn’t think I did. Then again I was just crying. “I have already put Hope in danger, I don’t want the same for you. I am not sure when I will be able to return to Hope, or you guys. Keep an eye out for Legionaries, if they find out where I was this morning…”

“Legionaries? Why would they be…” there was a loud noise that caused the transmission on their end to become garbled. It kept going in and out as I hit my Pip-Boar hoping it was just interference. 

“Nate… workshop… explosion… Drake… get… Holly!” The static was too much and I couldn’t get a clear signal, and then it suddenly cut off altogether. Fuck! Were they under attack? I should have called them earlier. I should have warned them!

I took off in the direction of their bunker. Thankfully its location was hard locked into my map, and didn’t need a signal. Whatever was happening, it was still too far off. I wouldn’t make it. I had to make it. I _had_ to!

***

I don’t know how long I was running. It felt like an eternity. My legs hurt, I couldn’t breathe, but I couldn’t give up. I had to push myself to the breaking point, and then push past it. If I stopped, even for a second, then that was a second too late for them. I tried to jump over some large debris that was blocking my way, but I didn’t have the energy to do it, and instead I tripped causing me to hit the ground. No, get up. Get up! I heard a rustling noise above me as something jabbed into my sides. I watched as the ground below me gained distance.

“Bunny. Safe. Drake. Protect.”

“Drake? Oh, thank goodness. What happened at the bunker? Is everyone okay?”

“Cub. Break. Others. Help.”

Cub break? Nate? Did he…

He must have sensed my feelings, or seen my how I looked.

“Cub. Good. Cub. Safe.”

I felt a tear fall from my eye as I sighed in relief. “There was an explosion, and yelling.”

“Cub. Poke. Blue. Break. Hurt. Ears. Loud.”

I could usually pick up on what he was saying, but I was clueless as to what he meant. I just sat there and let him carry me back to the bunker. 

“Miss? I think I’m starting to hate heights.”

“Ball. No. Talk. Drake. Drop.”

“I object!”

“Drake. Joke. Ball. Funny.”

In that moment, despite everything going on, I started to laugh. “What exactly have they been teaching you?”

***

We reached the bunker a short while later. To my relief there was no one near it, and it wasn’t a smoking pile of rubble. Maybe they would be safe. Hope was inside a giant building, but even in broad daylight, it was still hard to tell that this wasn’t nothing more than a pile of earth and sand. Maybe I should convince the mayor to move Hope underground. It would be a lot safer. 

Holly was at the door and let us in. “That singed ear doof really did it this time.”

“What happened? I heard an explosion and then yelling.”

“Oh, he was working on a little ‘toy’ Mark bought him a bit ago from a trade caravan a short distance from here, and that doof must have done something to have it blow up in his face, literally.”

“Is he okay? Where is he?”

“Aww, ‘livi is worried about her foxy.”

I felt my face turn red. Did she always do that? “I… just… I mean. Is he okay?”

“He will be fine. Marki is in patching him up, although, it might take a few days for his fur to grow back.”

Holly lead me to where the medical area was. I realized that I really didn’t know this place too well. We were so tired and things got a little…, that I didn’t even think about what kind of place this was. It looked very fortified. It reminded me a lot of the Guardians base that they patched me up in, although this place was much smaller. 

When we finally got into the room where Mark was tending to his brother, I could smell singed fur, and skin. It started to bring back… memories, ones that I have tried ignore. I closed my eyes. Just in case. 

“Your fox has gone and done it this time Olivia.”

“What did he… wait, _my_ fox?”

“Well, he ain’t my fox. That spot is already taken, and he ain’t Drake’s fox, so that leaves you the only one left.”

“Cub. Smell. Cooked.”

“Well ‘livi, if you don’t want him, I can always put him back into the oven. What do you say Drake?”

Nate jumped out of bed, causing Mark to drop all of his supplies. He was wearing nothing but… my face started to burn as I quickly turned away. 

“Oh yeah, forgot to tell you ‘livi. His clothes were, kinda on fire.”

Why did I come back here? Why? I’d rather be fighting ghouls and giant insects right now. I need something to shoot. Or drink. No. Not drink. Drinking bad. I think my head was still fuzzy from last night, and that dream. I couldn’t face another one. I tried to think of something else, to keep my mind off of things. Small trails of smoke were still coming from down the hall where Nate’s workshop was. I know he was okay, but that smell, the singed flesh, burning fur, the smoke filling my eyes, my lungs. 

“Bunny. Cry.”

I felt Drakes clawed wing touch my arm, like a paw trying to comfort me. His claw was sharp, and it felt as if it was going to pierce my flesh. I knew he wasn’t bad, and he probably didn’t know what he was doing, and he cared. 

“Get Nate some clothes Mark. Olivia, are you okay?”

“It’s…” I wiped away my tears before turning to face Holly. “…nothing. Just bad memories.”

Holly grabbed me and started to hug me. “We all have them. Some more than others. Just remember, we are all friends here, and you are safe as long as you are with your friends. Now, tell me what’s troubling you.”

I didn’t go into the reason why I was crying, I still couldn’t face those… images, but I told her of the reason I had called them in the first place. I told them everything that the mayor and Rattigarian had told me. The looks on the faces of the people, about the Legionaries. I showed them the letter that the mayor left me. 

“Those guys are trouble, with a capital T. You sure you don’t know why they want you?” Mark had just finished putting the last bandage on the now fully clothed Nate.

“No, the only thing I could think of would be that boar, Baird, but the mayor said it happened shortly after we left and we didn’t run into that fucker for at least another few hours after that. Sure, maybe it was the Gray Quills, or the Berserk-kings, but would they even hire mercenaries to come after me?”

“Anything is possible in the wasteland. Maybe the face that a single rabbit outwitted them, along with taking out a large chunk of their forces, made them second guess sending their own mammals after you. The Legionaries have been hired for less than that. If it involves caps, they don’t care what the job is.” Holly sounded a bit… proud retelling my outings with the raiders.

“That’s what the mayor said. I still can’t believe that mammals would do that, just for petty cash.”

“It’s not that hard to believe. There are rapists, slavers, mammals who wouldn’t hesitate to kill you just because you looked at them funny. To be honest, mercenary work is one of the more… reputable jobs, between them. People like the Legionaries don’t just kill for money. Although, I will admit, that is the brunt of their work.”

“I still don’t think it’s right. Still, I need to find out who hired them. The Legionaries, they are just doing their job. They probably don’t care who I am. They don’t care who they hurt trying to get to me. They just want their money. The contractor, however, that’s who I want to find.”

“If they can’t get paid… they usually won’t continue.” Nate spoke for the first time since I arrived. Up until now I either kept catching glances from him, or he caught glances from me. By now I would have thought Holly would have continued the teasing, but I think after my news, she was too concerned with what I had to say. 

“But how will you find them, and _should_ you?”

“I don’t know where to start, but I know I have to. As long as they are after me, I can’t live a peaceful life. I can’t just keep looking over my shoulder, wondering who lurks in the shadows. I also can’t let anyone close to me get hurt. What if they decide to attack Hope looking for me? What if they find this place and hurt you?” I was including all of them, but I just couldn’t help but focus on Nate. 

“From what my boys told me, you are not a rabbit who is easily stopped when your mind is set on something. But you can’t just go traipsing all over the world, hoping to get lucky. You need a plan.”

“I know. I just… while I mull this over, I have to know. What _exactly_ happened Nate?”

Half of his face was wrapped in bandage, along with both his paws. Looking at him like this, and knowing that the was safe made me feel better. 

“Well, Mark found me a power source from some traders.” 

Mark interrupted him, “He kept on complaining that he did not have anything ‘good enough’ for his project. I know nothing about these things, but I know a good deal. Tell him what it’s for, fluff head.”

“I… it’s… a gift.” He whispered that last part so quiet I almost didn’t hear it, a gift? For who? “I… was trying to modify it to take a reversal charge, when the core went critical and blew up right on my workbench. I triple checked everything! I even had a redundant safety system going on. It shouldn’t have done that! That’s why I don’t let him buy my stuff. A good ‘deal’ is pointless if it doesn’t work.”

“Maybe you can get your money back?”

“I doubt it. Usually in cases like this they will go ‘user error.’ That ghoul was muttering on about a replacement holo-chamber, maybe we can trade one for what we paid? Do we even have a holo-whats-it?”

Mark and Nate kept bickering back and forth. I would have found it rather endearing, but something was bothering me about that conversation. There was something familiar about what they said. A holo-chamber? Not sure what that is, but I assume that it must be for some sort of holographic tech? I remember that those were a thing, and a ghoul? Why does that… bingo! 

“Why did you just suddenly jump up? What is it ‘livi?”

“I know exactly who can help me!”

The last time we met, he told me he knew ‘everyone.’ The mammal I was looking for was out there someplace, and if anyone can help me, he can. He ‘owed’ me after the last two times, and I think it’s about time to collect, even if he doesn’t think so.

“Where were the traders Mark?”

“About a mile south east of here, why?”

“Because, south east lies North West, and that is the one direction that can help me.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is everyone’s favorite zebra, C.Stripes presenting today’s episode of Stripes in the Morning! We managed to catch up with the lovely cream colored rabbit, Holly Kerrigan. Holly, as you're probably aware, is Mark’s significant other, life-mate, main squeeze, big…”

**[Max]**

“We get it you inebriated striped bastard! Do you really have to drink, _now_?”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, since you were rude enough to cut me off of coffee for today, I had to resort to my second favorite beverage, a nice hard cider.”

**[Max]**

“You idiot. You're no better than B…”

**[Stripes]**

“Spoilers! Now, where was I? Oh yeah. Interview. We caught up with Holly while she was at a nearby trader market. Good morning Miss Kerrigan.”

**[Holly]**

“It’s four in the afternoon, what do you mean… IT’S YOU!”

**[Stripes]**

“Always happy to meet a fan, now t…”

**[Holly]**

“You're the one who kept pestering Drake! I'm surprised he didn’t eat you. What, are you _stalking_ me or something?”

**[Stripes]**

“No, no. Nothing of the sort. I'm actually with the Savannah Caller. I host an After Show called Stripes in the Morning. Just wanted a quick interview.”

**[Holly]**

“I’ve listened to that station for a long time and I never heard of that show.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, it’s a _special_ broadcast. Now, would you be so kind as to do a small interview? Won’t take but a moment.”

**[Holly]**

“If it will get you out of my fur, then make it quick.”

**[Stripes]**

“Excellent! Now tell me. You're relatively new in the spotlight, what’s your take on Olivia Springs?”

**[Holly]**

“She put her own life on the line to rescue me and protect my boys, so she’s alright in my book.”

**[Stripes]**

“Now, next question. What do you think… whoops. Almost fell on my butt, sorry.”

**[Max]**

“ _Now_ will you stop drinking on the job?”

**[Stripes]**

“You gonna give me some coffee?”

**[Max]**

“Not until you apologize for last time!”

**[Stripes]**

“Well then, that answers your question. Now Holly, if you wouldn’t mind answering another of mine. I know the citizens of Hope are not too happy about recent events, despite you and the fox’s non-involvement in them. If you _were_ given the opportunity to live there in peace, would you take it?”

**[Holly]**

“While I doubt even their mayor can erase thousands of years of hatred and suspicion towards foxes, if that actually were to occur? Yeah, I think we would. Our home might be where we keep our stuff and sleep securely, but it’s not a real home. If we were given the opportunity to have a _real_ home, I think we would all jump at the opportunity.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, hopefully Mayor Swift can turn a few heads. Lovely girl that one. Reminds me of a certain singer from long ago. You know the one. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh…”

**[Max]**

“That’s it! I'm cutting you off from coffee _and_ booze!”

**[Stripes]**

“You can’t! You shan’t! Whatever will I use to parch this unquenchable thirst?”

**[Max]**

“Uh, water?”

**[Stripes]**

“That tasteless piss? Looks like this will be the last airing of Stripes in the Morning. Oh woe is me.”

**[Holly]**

“Um, I think I'll leave you two… alone. It’s been… interesting. Um, why are you staring?”

**[Stripes]**

“Sorry, but I couldn’t help but notice that lovely russet stripe. It goes from the tippy top of your nose, and all the way… how far _does_ it go I wonder?”

**[Holly]**

“…The only one to know that carries a revolver the size of my arm. You're lucky he's preoccupied at the moment or I'm sure we'd find a nice hoof sized crater in your chest. Now if you _excuse_ me I must be off. Pervert."

**[Max]**

“Great. Public intoxication _and_ sexual harassment. That’s it. I’m looking for a new job. Good luck getting your coffee now you striped bastard.”

**[Stripes]**

“No, it was just… I wasn’t… ahem. Well, looks like that’s all for today’s episode of Stripes in the Morning. Tune in next time where I'll be seeking out the brave heroine Olivia Springs for her second interview, where I promise I'll be much more sober. Until next time folks, I'll continue to bring you the truth no matter how much it hurts! Now, if you will excuse me, I think I will go pass out for the next few days.”


	31. Hunting the Hunters

I had wanted to go alone, but they had managed to convince me otherwise. I don’t know if it was my fear of those mercenaries tracking me to their bunker and attacking them while I was away, or if it was simply the fact that I was getting used to not being alone. Then there was poor Nate, who in his condition could barely hold a tool, yet alone a weapon. It would be the most dangerous for him, but something tells me he would have been the one that felt the most put out if I had left them behind. 

“Bunny. Face. Hard.”

“Hard? Oh, you mean my expression? I was just thinking, and sometimes thinking is more dangerous then acting. You don’t have to call me ‘bunny’ every-time either. You can just call me Olivia.”

“Bunny. Nice. Bunny. Now. Olive.”

“No, uh-LIV-ee-uh.”

“Olivia?” 

“Yes! I’m Olivia. What about the others?”

“Other. Bunny.”

“ _Other_ bunny? I’m older than her! At least, I think I am older than her. Marki, am I older than her?”

“No, but you’re … prettier?”

Holly punched him. “Was that a question brushbutt?”

“No! Sorry. Just a little distracted is all.”

“Mark. Sad. Hurt. Cub?”

“Wait, you call him Mark and yet I am _other bunny_? How rude.”

“No Drake, that isn’t it. That singe ear doof has nearly blown himself up countless times, but I always manage to patch him up. It these mercenaries. I have heard … stories about them, and even with Olivia’s insanity, Nate’s ingenuity, Holly’s weapons, and Drake’s … Drake, I am not sure we can take them on head to head.”

Insanity? I’m not insane, am I? “I won’t lie. I don’t think it will be easy. I will let you in on a little secret. Back in that … with the boar? I was _positive_ we were all going to die.”

“If you were so certain, why did you bother at all? You could have turned back at any time, yet despite your assuredness of death, why did you still try to save us, especially since we were strangers to you and to Hope?”

“Well, Holly. The thing is, despite what I thought, despite all the odds stacked against me, there is no certainty unless you try. If we were all doomed by the fates to die, then I wanted to die doing _something_ to help, not sit back and watch. I know that I am going to die someday, but fates be damned, I will make it difficult as fuck for them to take me.”

“If only more mammals had your drive and focus, then the world would be a better place.”

“Yeah, but I’d be out of a job.”

“Drake. Smell. Drake. Hide.”

“You don’t smell Drake.” he pointed towards the distance, “Oh, looks like we arrived. Yeah, I doubt things will go over too well if we wonder into a trader camp with a deathwing.”

“Oh! I forgot I made something for you Drake before my accident. Didn’t have a chance to give it to you but,” he tried to open his backpack but dropped it, probably due to the burns on his paws, “um… could someone help me?”

“I got it swe …” it almost slipped out, but why was I about to … they were staring. Fuck. “Err… I got it. No sweat. Yeah. Here you go.” I tried to cover myself as I picked up his bag and unlatched it. I still was confused about what I was feeling. “What did you make?”

“I… I… oh, this.” I pulled out a large black jacket. I couldn’t tell the materials, but it looked like it was made from very heavy fabrics, but I was surprised at how light it actually was. “It’s … a micro-weave. It won’t stop a bullet like ballistic, but it’s super light. Figured that Drake could use it to blend in better. Your head is very, wolf-ish, so I made it a tall neck. Maybe people will think you’re just a very tall wolf. Wasn’t sure about the arms though, with your wings, so I made the sleeves with quick release fastener, so if you need to fly, you can without needing to take it off, but it may be cumbersome.”

I was impressed. I could make my way through a code, or build a robot from scrap, but making clothing? I never thought about it. “That was nice of you Nate. When did you find time to do this?”

“Well, I… I couldn’t sleep. You were… drunk, but some mammals have an adverse reaction to it. I wanted to… make sure you were okay. Then your …, I was worried, and forgot all about it.”

“That was sweet of you, for Drake and for… me.” I handed it to Drake. “Here, try it on.”

The poor lumbering creature had no idea what he was doing. Between his wings, and his large clawed fingers, he was unable to get it on right. I helped him the best I could. He was almost twice my height so it was rather difficult. It was a good idea making the arms partially detachable, as it helped me pull his wings through. While he didn’t look like any mammal I have ever seen, when he was finally dressed in his new outfit he didn’t look like a deathwing. At least until you look at his ‘paws’ and feet. The giant clawed finger was obviously out of place. His feet also looked more like a pair of very sharp skates than toes, but as long as it passed first impression, we should be fine.

“How does it feel?”

“Drake. Weird. Thing. No. Comfort.”

“Sorry Drake, but it will have to do for now if you want to stick with us. I have a feeling that a giant deathwing approaching anyone would trigger a ‘shoot first ask questions later’ scenario.”

“Drake. Wear. Olivia. Like.”

Did he mean that he would wear it because he liked me, or because I would like him to? We really need to work on his vocabulary. “Now, it was from Nate, so thank him too.”

“Drake. Thank. Cub. Make.”

“Why does he keep calling me a cub? I am an adult!”

“Cub. Soft. Heart. Cub. Smart. Cub. Foolish. Cub. Like. Child.”

“I am not a child!”

“Then stop acting like one bro.”

“Olivia. Like. Cub. Drake. Like. Cub.”

Even he can tell? Fuck me. At least he’s not teasing me … better not leave him alone with Holly anytime soon. “Okay, all this aside, we need to get going before they leave.”

The trader camp was just over a large dune. Once we got to the top, I was able to see them clearly. They had made their camp in a large flat area. Unlike the area near the wall, where it was mostly sand and rocks, this area looked more like part of a city. There were small buildings, but unlike the buildings in Savannah Central. Those buildings were mostly brick, steel, and glass, but these looked as if they were carved from stone or sculpted from clay. Every building around us had an earthen tone to it. 

A long, one story building created a shadow that fell upon the camp. I had realized it was getting hotter as the day progressed, but my mind had been focused too much on other things to notice. They must be using that building’s shade to keep cool. One of them must have noticed us, because he stood up, with a gun pointed right at us. 

“Olivia, put your paws in the air. I should have mentioned this, but when you visit a trader camp, you need to show that you’re friendly. This is the usual way we do it. No matter how gruff or rude they seem, don’t show any aggression. They usually have one or two guards with sniper rifles hidden away. As long as we don’t show any aggression, this will go smooth.”

Is this world so fucked up that no one trusts anyone? I pulled my coat closed to make sure my gun was hidden and put my arms into the air. It was then that I noticed the others had already done so. I think I need a ‘Wasteland’s Guide to Etiquette’ or something. Their guns were still trained on us, but they seemed a bit more relaxed. Wait a second…

“Where’s Drake?”

“Even though he has his ‘disguise’ I suggested that he stay back. Too many traders come through here to get to know them all, and you can never be too careful.”

“That’s probably a good idea Mark,” I casually glanced back to see if I could spot Drake, but I was unable to see him. I was also unable to see… “Onion’s missing as well.”

“Oh, he _volunteered_ to stay with Drake.” Nate seemed to put a little too much emphasis on that word.

“What do you mean, ‘volunteered’?”

“Well, I suggested that he stay back, just in case. He gave me his tag and communication link. If anything were to happen, he and Drake would be our backup.”

“That’s a smart idea. Looks like you guys planned this all out.”

They didn’t know it, but I had a plan as well. I didn’t want to tell them it, not just because I hoped to not need to use it, but they would have thought it to be insane, dangerous, or even try to talk me out of it. I had to have an ace up my sleeve, otherwise I may never get the information I need. If North truly did know _everyone_ , then he must be able to point me in the right direction, and if I felt he was hiding anything, well then, the ace is wild.

We approached the camp slowly. Two foxes and two rabbits probably didn’t look to be too much concern because once we got close enough, they lowered their weapons. One of them, an ewe that, if not for her bulky armor, would look very petite, came up to us and started to speak very informally. 

“Here to trade? Show us the goods. Here to buy? Show us your caps. Here to steal? My boys will show me your blood. What’ll it be?”

She was, direct. “We actually are looking for someone.”

“You see here girl. We don’t deal with those slaver asshats. If you want to be buying a slave, you gotta look elsewhere.”

“Oh no, nothing like that. Just looking for someone. A ghoul named North.”

“Oh that fucker. Yeah, he was here, ‘till we kicked him out. That fucker does the same thing to all us honest traders.” She spat onto the ground, “He slinks his way into our ‘vans, travels to all the hot spots, and then does whatever he can to deal us out of the situation. Between you and me, I don’t hate them ‘live’ ghouls, but that North West fucker? I’d gut him and leave him to hang if I could, but he always manages to slink off to whatever hole he came from. Don’t know what you want from him, but he is trouble.”

“Yeah, my ‘dealings’ with him has not been so good either, but he has something that I need. Do you know where he might have went?”

“Nope. But I may have an idea. He might be slippery, but I have seen him a few times hanging around at The Dam. Careful though, strange things happen that close to Darkwater.”

The Dam? Darkwater? I didn’t want to seem like some idiot, so I waited to ask my friends later. “Thank you for the information.”

“That will be twenty caps.”

“Um, excuse me?”

“I gave you information. That’s just as valuable a commodity as a gun or food. Twenty caps. Unless you wanna pay us with your own blood. Up to you.”

Oh that pissed me off. Having to pay for words? They aren’t even tangible! I wasn’t sure if I should take out my caps, or my gun. A paw on my shoulder stopped me from doing either.

“Don’t mind her. She’s had a rough few days, being the Hero of Hope and all.”

Why did Mark just… I saw the tension among the traders decrease dramatically. The two camels that had raised their guns at me dropped them to their sides. Even the ewe had put her gun down on a nearby crate. 

“You are _that_ rabbit? You should have told us! Thanks to you, we were able to restore our normal trade route between Bullswick and Hope. Not to mention having some of Petunia’s cooking. Best food in the wasteland and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Tell you what, that information? On the house. Hell, I will toss you a discount too.”

“We need to be going, but I thank you for your help.”

Funny how the mention of my deeds in Hope turned them around. I wonder if other traders might do the same thing? A discount might not be a bad thing in a pinch.

“Sure thing girl. Oh, and just so you know, I may be thankful for your services, but I still got a business to run. Discount only applies right now. Next time we meet? Full price.”

And… there’s the greed. Guess I can’t be lucky all the time. Still, at least we didn’t have to pay for the information. 

“We should get going Olivia if we want to find this guy before nightfall.”

We left to meet up with Onion and Drake. The entire way back I couldn’t help but think of the trader’s reaction to finding out that I was the one who saved Hope. I expected its residents to ‘praise’ me, but not some random mammals that don’t even live there. Hope must have been a critical stop for many traders. 

Once we were far enough away from the trader’s camp, I needed some questions answered. “I didn’t want them to think I was an idiot asking this, but what were those places she told us about?”

“The Dam or Darkwater?”

“Both.”

“Well, I am not sure about The Dam. It’s probably some kind of bar or hangout, but Darkwater, that is something _everyone_ knows,” Mark suddenly stopped when Holly elbowed him in the back, “… who has been here long enough to find out. You might have known it from the history books as ‘Tundratown’.”

“Tundratown? You mean that district full of ice and snow?”

“Not anymore. During the war, something happened to rapidly melt all the ice, and it became trapped in the district walls. It’s a giant lake. No one dares venture in there. Besides having to scale a giant wall, the water is said to have so much radiation in it that if you’d jump in to it, you’d either be a ghoul, or dead, in seconds. There are also tales of… creatures that live there. I don’t know if the stories are true, but people make them out to be more dangerous than a deathwing.”

“Then I am guessing The Damn must be near one of Darkwater’s walls. Any of you know where it’s at?”

“No. We tend to stay as far away from Darkwater as possible. Even being near the walls gives me the chills. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to reside that close.”

“Well, first time for everything. If you wanna turn back, I won’t blame you, but I am going to find The Dam, and hopefully find North while I am at it.”

“If you don’t?” 

“I will keep asking. Plus, if this place is as seedy as she made it out to be, maybe someone else will have answers to my questions. Hell, maybe I will even run into some Legionaries, cut out the middle mammal all together.”

We made it back to where Onion and Drake were waiting. From the sound of it, this Darkwater place really must have been that dangerous, because they were all torn between staying and going. Well, Mark and Holly were at least. Nate had already expressed his decision on the matter. As soon as Nate said he was not leaving, that had made up their minds. I don’t think it was possible to separate those three, but I had the feeling that even if they all didn’t want to go, they still would have. They must be just as stubborn as me.

“So, if there are no objections, let’s head out.”

***

I could see the towering wall that separated the two districts in the distance, but no matter how long we traveled, it always seemed right out of reach. We must have been on the outskirts of civilization due to all the buildings being so far and few between. We left rather deep imprints in the sand, so you would think tracking someone would be easy, but the winds were constant enough to erase any tracks we made. On the positive side, that was probably making it harder to track us.

This part of Sahara Square was very hilly. Large sand dunes blanketed the area, and the loose particles made climbing some of them very difficult. Half the time one of us sunk into the dunes, the other half we did not get a good foot hold and started to slide down them. Drake wanted to just fly us over, but I did not want to risk being seen, so we trudged our way past them. 

We had just stopped at the top of a rather large sand dune to rest when I saw something, shining, in the distance. I grabbed binoculars that Mark gave me, but regretted it instantly. I had forgotten they were _night_ vision, and I was trying to use them in broad daylight. I don’t think I went blind, but it became very difficult to see. 

“Did you just try to use those in the middle of the day? You did, didn’t you?”

“Bah!” I blinked a few times, trying to force my vision back, “Just tell me what’s out there, I saw something in the distance.”

I still couldn’t see well, but at least I could hear what Mark had to say.

“I don’t see anything… oh I see it! It’s small, very small. I can’t make it out, but whatever it is… someone’s there. It’s … yeah, it’s defiantly a ghoul. Hard to make out any greater details from here. That ghoul keeps tossing something in the air and catching it, that’s what is making the reflection.” 

“Can you see what he is wearing?”

“Not really. A ragged shirt and some shorts, but they are both so faded that it’s hard to make any details out. We’d have to get closer.”

“It’s him. It’s gotta be.”

“Well, he _is_ between us and the wall, so I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Shall we go say hi?”

“Not us … me. He knows me and I can use that to my advantage. If we all go down, he might feel threatened and run. He has the uncanny knack of disappearing. But just in case… Onion, come over here.”

“Yes Miss?”

“Remember that glowing ghoul when we fell into that sinkhole?”

“That was a nasty one Miss.”

“Remember how we, or should I say, you stopped it?”

“You mean with the…”

“Yes. Now,” I pulled it out and handed it to Onion, “if I give the signal, you need to do the same thing to North. Okay?”

“But Miss, you don’t intend on…” 

“Don’t worry Onion. I know what I am doing. Now, this next part you will not like. Drake? There is something that Onion _might_ need to do, but he will need your help.”

“I will? Whatever do you mean Miss?”

“If I need Onion to act, can you fly him right over that ghoul down there and drop Onion onto him?”

“I object Miss! I am not some kind of toy!”

“It may not even come to it, and I really hope I don’t need to do this, but I need a backup plan.”

“What exactly _is_ this backup plan ‘livi?”

“It’s… complicated. Just trust me on this. Now, the last two times I ‘ran’ into him, he was alone, so it’s a good chance that he is alone now, but just in case, keep an eye on me, but stay out of sight. If I can get the information I need, I will let you guys know it’s okay to come down. If not, well, you will know either way. Wish me luck.”

Before they could even respond I jumped off the side and slid down. My vision had thankfully returned, otherwise this short distance would have felt much longer. I made sure to move slowly. While I couldn’t see that far, I could still see where he was. It was rather open area except for what I first thought was a tree until I got closer. It was a palm tree alright, but it was made of metal. I think it was some kind of lamp. They seemed to be scattered all over the place.

He still didn’t seem to notice me as I got close enough to make him out. It was him alright. Despite the fact that I was looking at his back, I could tell it was North. The only question was, is it _him_ or a holograph. From the sounds of it he was looking for holo parts, so he may have only had that one, but there was only one way to be sure. I carefully took out my gun, and popped the magazine out. Taking a bullet from it I tossed it with all my might at the figure before me.

“Ow! What the hell was that?”

He was real. Perfect. “Hey asshole, remember me?”

“Well, well. If it isn’t carrots, the hero of Hope. Oh, sorry, I forgot you _hate_ being called carrots. Look, _Olivia_ , I am a rather busy ghoul at the moment so if you wouldn’t mind…”

“Oh I would, I really would. You see, I have two problems. First, I just so happen to _loose_ a couple coins, maybe you have seen them?”

“Like I told you, _carrots_ , I don’t have them.”

“Then what is in your paw?”

He stared at me for moment longer before his face softened as he looked to his outstretched paw. He must have been doing out of habit and not noticed, because there he was, telling me he sold the coins, while casually flipping one in the air and catching it this whole time. He held it up and looked at it, as if lost in its image. It was the Luck coin. I knew because I remembered the rabbit on the front of it. 

“I…,” he looked as if he was considering it before clenching the coin in his paw, “No. No I will not.”

I had a feeling he wouldn’t. Whatever force seems to keep drawing me to it must be affecting him too. Maybe it was better to let him keep them. My luck they were probably cursed. 

“Well, fine. There was one other thing.”

“What is it! Didn’t I tell you I was busy?” 

He seemed, agitated for some reason. The past two times he never seemed to falter in his smoothness. Always moving a step ahead of me. This time? He seemed troubled. Maybe something happened? Or maybe it was just another trap to lure me out of a false sense of security. I don’t think he would try to attack me, but the moment I took my eyes off of him, he would probably disappear again.

“Last time we met, you said you know _everybody/ _. Is that true?”__

__“Look sweetheart, I have been around a _very_ long time. Longer than you can probably imagine. So yes, I have come across just about everyone there is. So far, _you_ have been the only oddball in my travels. Destroyer of Gangs, Hero of Hope. I have even heard rumors that you took out an entire nest of deathwings just trying to save some stupid rabbit. I don’t know if even half of that is true, and if they were? Then you scare the hell out of me.”_ _

__Was my reputation becoming that bad? Sure, this guy has given me nothing but grief since first meeting him, but to hear that he is scared of me? That was not the reaction I was looking for. I don’t want to drive terror into other mammals. I just want to make the world a better place, even if it was just giving some people hope. Hope. No, I can’t let North’s fear drive me away from my goal. The lives of too many people, innocent mammals who have probably had to earn their living their whole lives be put at risk from some bastard who just steals and lies his way out of everything. He may not be a raider, but he certainly wasn’t my friend._ _

__“If you are so scared of me, then why don’t you just give me what I need and I will be on my way. Where can I find the Legionaries?”_ _

__He might have rotting flesh for a face, but I could tell that look anywhere. Shock and confusion. “You want to find WHO?”_ _

__“The Legionaries. Apparently someone hired them to find me, and I need to find them, or rather, the one who hired them first.”_ _

__“No. No way carrots. Even if I _did_ know where to find them, no one crosses the Legionaries. You stand in between them and their target? Your good as dead, and I may be over two hundred and thirty years old, but I don’t want to die, not like that.”_ _

__I lifted my Pip-Boar. “You tell me, or else you will regret it long before they find you.”_ _

__“What, you going to shoot me carrots?”_ _

__I forgot that I was still holding my gun. The magazine was still in my other paw, but I could use this. “You have ten seconds. Ten.”_ _

__North started to back away from me. “You’re supposed to be some kind of Hero, but you are not acting very heroically.”_ _

__“Nine.” I didn’t need to wait till ten, but I did need to distract him. “Eight.” I pushed a button on my Pip-Boar, disguising the action by loading the clip into my gun. I had made sure to have a message, rather than a verbal command to Onion, I didn’t want him to catch onto my plan. I slowly turned in order to force him to back towards my friends. “Seven.”_ _

__“Carrots, please! Don’t do this! here, you want your coins? You can have them!”_ _

__I cocked the hammer on the gun. “Six.” Despite what he told me moments ago, I was getting an odd pleasure from this. Maybe I really was insane. “Five.” I heard Drake’s wings, but I think North was too worried about me to notice. He looked terrified._ _

__“You don’t need to do this carrots… Olivia! You can’t!”_ _

__“Four.” Just about… “Now!”_ _

__“Wha…”_ _

__North did not have time to react before Drake dropped Onion onto North. Just like I wanted him to, Onion didn’t land on North, but rather floated next to him as he performed his duties just as swiftly as before. I pushed a button on my Pip-Boar just as I heard the others catch up to me._ _

__“Olivia! What the hell is going on? Is that a…” Mark knew what it was. They all did from their expressions._ _

__“What is this? What did you…” I knew he saw it, they all did. That little green light._ _

__They all stood there, faces expression shock, confusion, and even some horror at the fact that I had just ordered Onion to put around North’s neck, a slave collar. With my finger on the button, I looked at North, and as spoke as calm as ever, knowing that this is my only chance for answers._ _

__“Tell me where to find the Legionaries, or else.”_ _

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

____

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

____

_Featuring:_

____

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is your host-ess with the most-ess, Stripes with today’s episode of Stripes in the Morning!”_ _

__**[Max]** _ _

__“Uh, I think you may want to reword that intro Stripes.”_ _

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“What you mean? I always introduce myself this way.”_ _

__**[Max]** _ _

__“Um, host… ess? Hostess, like as in, a female host? You… you're a guy, right?”_ _

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“Most assuredly! I… oh, OH! I get my sudden faux pas. Guess I got caught up in the moment trying to spin my rhymes.”_ _

__**[Max]** _ _

__“Damn it you striped bastard, you're a reporter, not a rapper, stick with what you're good at. Then again, I'm not so sure you're even good at this. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken away your coffee and booze…”_ _

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“No, you shouldn’t have. Anyways, welcome folks to today’s episode! Today’s guest is the one and only, heroine of the wasteland, Olivia Springs! We caught up with Miss Springs outside the town of Hope. Good morning Miss Springs, how have you been?”_ _

__****[Olivia]** ** _ _

__“You? What the fuck are you doing here? Out of my way, I'm not in the mood.”_ _

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I'll make this quick then. Tell us, who do you think is responsible for sending these mercenaries after you?”_ _

__**[Olivia]** _ _

__“How the hell should I know? If I knew that, I would be beating down their door right now. Wait… how the fuck did you know about that?”_ _

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“It’s my job to know these things. It seems that subject is a bit of a hot plate, so let’s talk about something else. What about your _friend_ Nate Valiant? Something tells us that you two are a bit closer than that.”_ _

__**[Olivia]** _ _

__“I… he’s… what business is that to you?”_ _

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“It’s my duty to bring all the news, even the most… personal bits, especially the ones the audience might be curious about. On the subject of your _boyfriend_ …_ _

__**[Olivia]** _ _

__“BOYFRIEND? What are you… things are not like… he’s just…”_ _

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“The reddening of your ears is telling me that there _is_ something between you two, isn’t there? Why are you un-holstering your gun? Max, she’s pointing a gun at us!”_ _

__**[Max]** _ _

__“No, she’s pointing a gun at _you_. I’m just sitting back and enjoying the train wreck you call a show.”_ _

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“Max! Do something!”_ _

__**[Max]** _ _

__“Hey Olivia? Mind not hitting anything vital? I don’t think he’s insured. Plus I’m wearing my favorite shirt, and blood stains are so difficult to get out.”_ _

__**[Olivia]** _ _

__“Y-you two better leave, now. I’m in a hurry and if I see either of you again this won’t be some idle threat.”_ _

__**[Stripes]** _ _

__“Well then folks, I guess this is the end of today’s After Show. This is Stripes signing off, and remember I'll be out there risking my neck trying to bring you all the news, no matter how much it hurts.”_ _

__**[Max]** _ _

__“Yeah, and one of these days it’s gonna get us killed. I don’t know why I even put up with you.”_ _


	32. Hustling a Hustler

“Are you crazy Olivia? That’s a slave collar!”

“I know what it is Mark, and I also know it’s the only way I will be able to make North tell me what I need to know.”

“You’re insane rabbit! You are willing to _kill_ me just to find those fucked up mercenaries?”

“I will do what I have to in order to ensure the safety of everyone around me. Now if you had only told me what I needed to know in the first place, I was willing to leave you be. Plus, you said it yourself. If they found out you told me, you’d be dead anyways. I’m just cutting out the middle mammal.”

“Olivia don’t! You are better than this, I know you are!” Nate sounded as if he was conflicted over my decision. If I was in his place, I would be too. 

“Okay! I will tell you! Just get this blasted thing off of me!” North actually sounded genuine, guess fear can do that to a mammal. 

“Not until you tell me what I need to know.”

“Look, I _don’t_ know where they are,” I tapped a button and the light started to flash red, “but I know who does!” 

I returned the collar to it’s default state. North must have been holding his breath the whole time because he released a large sigh of relief. The other’s were still staring at me, wondering what to make of the situation. I knew that North wouldn’t get hurt, but they didn’t and it was killing me having them think I was some kind of … monster. I couldn’t do this. Not to them, not to Nate. 

I felt a paw on my arm, causing me to move my finger away from the Pip-Boar. It was Holly. She had remained silent this entire time, so I had no idea what she was thinking. I turned to her and she had a very worried look in her eyes. I half expected her to hit me, I mean that’s what I did to her boyfriend a few days ago, but instead she just spoke, softly.

“‘Livi, what are you doing? This… your not like _them_ so why are you acting this way?”

“I am afraid that if I don’t do something, and fast, so many innocent lives will be on the balance. For all I know, Hope could be under siege again from those mercenaries, and I would be to blame.”

“You said it yourself, none of them were willing to give you up to them, so they knew what they were getting into, but do you?”

Why is it everyone was always right? Onion, the mayor, Holly, every time I think I am in the clear, that my decision was the best one, someone comes along and reminds me how stupid it was in the first place. I had planned this out so very carefully, the entire time thinking that this is the right way, this is the _only_ way. Now? I need to do something else. 

“Go get Drake.”

“‘Livi?”

I gave her a warm smile. “Trust me.”

When they rushed down after I had started to threaten North, Drake must have remained behind, either as backup or simply because even with his jacket, he still looks rather intimidating. I’m not sure who actually got Drake, my eyes remained on North as he was standing there, his eyes making him look like the most pathetic ghoul, no, mammal in the world, but from the rapid change in expression, I knew Drake had arrived.

“Who… or what… is THAT?”

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Drake towering above me. “This is my friend Drake. Now, I am going to be fair. As you can tell, my friends think I have gone a little… overboard with this whole thing, and I probably have. So you better start talking. Who knows?”

“There’s a bar, a place where the wasteland’s most notorious mammals go. That’s where you will find her.”

“Let me guess, The Dam?”

“How did you… if you knew already, why do this to me!?”

“We didn’t until you confirmed it. Problem is, none of know where it is, and we needed a _guide_. Figured if you knew everyone, you’d know how to get there.” 

“I’ll take you, just take this off. Please?”

“How do we know that you won’t just run away, or betray us to someone?”

“You don’t, but if you want to find the place, I know how to get there, and the way to get in. If you kill me, you will never find it.”

Figures that a place like that would be hidden. I had already made up my mind on the matter. “Tell us how to get there.”

“I’s hard to describe.”

“Wrong answer.” Before anyone could say anything, I pushed the button on my Pip-Boar and the light on the slave collar started to rapidly flash. 

“Olivia! No!”

“Stop!”

Too late. The collar finished the priming sequence and created a small popping noise followed by a small plume of smoke. The collar fell to the ground as North dropped on his knees, his paws on his neck. If ghouls could cry he would be weeping his brains out.

“I… I’m… alive?”

“This was all a ruse, see?” I picked up the smoking collar off the ground and handed it to him, “fake.”

“But… why?”

“Payback. First you steal those coins from me, then you make me feel like shit. Every time I think of you, I just want to punch you. Now? We’re even.”

“Then… you don’t… need me?”

“No, I still do, but on different terms. Drake? Fly.”

Drake popped his winged arms out of the jacket and lifted to the air. He uncurled his clawed feet showing North what he really was. 

“A deathwing! You have a deathwing!”

“The collar may have been a ruse, but Drake is not.”

Drake landed beside me. “Drake. Hungry.”

“Aww, you poor thing. When was the last time you ate?” I scratched under his chin as he purred. I didn’t plan on Drake saying that, but the reaction on North’s face? Priceless.

“It… CAN TALK?”

“Yup. He’s my new friend, and he is the reason you will take us to The Dam. You see, he’s grown very protective of us, so if you try to hurt us, or if you betray us…” I took out some canned… meat? It said it was a military grade high protein meat substitute, but we needed something for Drake to eat after making him promise he wouldn’t eat other mammals. I opened it up gave it to him. He downed the whole thing, can and all. I was about to comment that I didn’t realize deathwings ate metal, until he coughed and spat out the can which was now crumpled into a small ball.

“Food. Bad. Taste. Bad. Want. Meat.”

“We really need to find something better for him,” I gave North a very, crooked smile, “know anyone?”

I felt a punch on my shoulder as I turned to see Holly near tears. “You insane rabbit! Why didn’t you tell us?”

“That the bomb was fake? I didn’t want to risk giving it away, although truth be told, it was ripping me apart in the inside seeing you all like that. I was starting to convince _myself_ that it wasn’t a ruse anymore.”

Mark’s shocked face turned to relief but it was Nate who surprised _me_ when he ran over and hugged me, hard. “I knew you were better than that.”

“Sorry for scaring you.” I wasn’t even thinking and instinctively kissed him. We both jumped back out of each other’s grips as we simultaneously looked at Mark and Holly. Holly had an evil grin on her face while Mark had his paw on his face, muttering something about him being a ‘doof’. 

“So… yeah, North? Once you get us there, you are free to go. Until then. Drake, do not let him out of your sight, got it?”

“Drake. Help.”

“Good. It’s settled then. Lead the way North.”

***

The good thing about being in the middle of nowhere is that we did not have to worry about much. Sure it was probably over a hundred degrees out, and we _did_ get attacked by these giant scarabs, but we managed to make it to the wall intact, and with a very satisfied Drake. Apparently giant mutated bugs were a delicacy to him. Nate and Markus were kind enough to carve off a few bits of it and pack it away for later. They really had warmed up to him. I wonder if they don’t see him as a deathwing anymore?

Once we got to the wall and had traveled a bit, North started to, very hesitantly, look around. I made sure that Drake was always close to him in case he tried anything funny, so that gave me a little freedom to look around. From the base of the wall it was massive in scale. There were cracks here and there, but nothing that seemed to diminish it’s structural condition. Good thing too. If this wall really did hold back that much water, if it broke it was wipe out the entire area in seconds. 

Holly, Mark, and Nate had returned to their normal selves, but I still feel bad for what I put them through. The only one who didn’t make comments about what had happened was Onion, but then again he _did_ know the collar had no explosives. Usually he objects these kind of plans, but either he knew it was going to work, or he gave up trying to tell me otherwise. 

“Over here!”

North was standing next to a giant door. I noticed fallen rail tracks similar to the ones that lead to Hope scattered all over. North was standing next to the door staring at a small symbol painted in white. Drake was only a few feet from him, and I am sure that was making North very nervous.

“This the entrance to The Dam?”

“Yes, but… yes it is.”

“But? What do you mean but? I don’t like buts.”

“Nate likes your’s ‘livi!”

“Buh… shut up Holly!” Yup, she was defiantly over earlier now. I didn’t have to look at Nate to tell that his face must have resembled mine.

“You see, The Dam moves. A lot. When you have so many notorious mammals in one place, people are bound to come looking, and the owner’s need to keep their patron’s safe. This mark? The circle with the double cross? This tells the patrons where it is at.”

“So, it’s here?”

“Yes. And no. This is _one_ entrance, but it’s sealed. The Dam must be moving right now. This symbol says it is going to Junction Two.”

“Well, what’s the problem North?”

“Junction Two. That’s… in Red-Neck territory.”

“Wait, you mean they serve _them_ too?”

“They serve anyone as long as you are willing to pay. Plus they have a strict rule against fighting, and even the worst of the worst will never break that rule.”

“Why is that?”

“You will see, that is, if you are not too scared. There is no shame in calling it quits, carrots.”

He was starting to act cocky again, and that was making me regret taking the collar off. “Yes there is. Now take us to Junction Two.”

“And now it all makes sense ‘livi. If he called _me_ carrots, I’d likely punch him square in the muzzle.”

“Trust me, it’s hard not to.”

We continued along the wall, North stopping at each door to check for markings. He said it moved a lot, so perhaps it would move closer to us? The way things have been, I highly doubted it, but I could hope. I really hope Hope is doing ok. If I returned and saw they had been attacked while I was away, I don’t know what I would do. I had to keep these poisonous thoughts out of my head. 

It took another twenty minutes before we arrived at Junction Two. North said he would go first and make sure it was actually there. I didn’t trust him but I had no idea what the symbols meant. I agreed to let him go first. Drake went to follow but before North even got close to the door he turned and ran back to us.

“Hide!”

I didn’t even have to question him. If he was telling us to hide, it must have been bad. We all took cover among the railroad debris that lead up to this door, all of but Drake. He was too big to properly hide anywhere. 

“Drake! Hide!”

He looked at me and then around him before spreading his wings and taking to the sky. I saw that he had flown straight up and had perched on a large outcropping on the wall. Between the dark jacket, his dark fur and skin, and the darkened wall, he nearly blended in. Thankfully the sun wasn’t facing us, so we had a nice shade that was being produced by the towering wall.

“You hear something?”

The voice came from where North had been going. Two giraffes emerged. Now, I have seen a few of their species before since leaving the Burrow, and even more in my books, but these two? They looked nothing like them. They were both wearing red and yellow jackets with matching pants. On their backs I could see a large tank with a hose that lead up along their neck. It was their heads that caused me to shudder. There was something attached to the bottom of their jaws. I pulled out my scope to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. Nope. I wasn’t. The hoses attached to some sort of device that wasn’t being worn under the jaw, it was _part_ of the jaw! I saw bits of flesh and charred fur melding with the metallic components of what ever that device was. 

“That’s a Red-Neck?”

“Yeah. Those bastards are evil. Even a Steel Guardian would think twice before messing with one of them. And you wanted to go ‘pay them a visit’.”

“You… what?” Holly’s remark must have caught North off guard. “If your _that_ crazy, then… all those stories… they are true, aren’t they?”

“Every single one. Bad things tend to follow me. I’ll say this North, you have the right to be scared of me. Most the time, I’m scared of me as well.” Once the Red-Necks were clear I signaled everyone to get ready. “You kept your end of the deal. You are free to go.”

“Deal? That was no deal, more like coercion.”

“You can always stick with me, things tend to get… interesting when it involves me.”

“No thank you, your on your own from here carrots. Your looking for someone named Blanche. She may not look like much, but she’s as fierce as they come. At least, she used to be.”

Used to be? Wait, was he not telling me something? I wanted to stop him, but for some reason I couldn’t find myself able to. I watched as North headed off in the direction that we came from. I didn’t think he’s stick around, and part of me was hoping he didn’t, but… it would have been nice to have more connections in the wasteland.

“Oh, carrots? Catch.”

North tossed something to me before he continuing on his way. For a ghoul he had a pretty good arm, then again the bag he tossed me felt relatively heavy. Wait, this looks…

“You sure it’s a good idea to let him go? What if this lead is just another dead end?”

“Well then, we try something else, but something tells me this isn’t just another one of his hustles.” I opened the bag as I was talking, and pulled something very familiar out. 

“Why do you say that ‘livi?”

I held up the first one I pulled out, the coin had the word _Cunning_ on one side, with the picture of a fox on the other. “Just a hunch.”

I put the coins into my bag as we moved out. Once Drake had seen North leave he landed right beside me. “Follow?”

“No Drake, you don’t have to keep an eye on him anymore.”

The entrance that the two giraffes came out of was large, tall enough for even the largest mammal. There was a faint light inside as I checked my Pip-Boar. No signs of any threats. Good. Hopefully this would be an easy job. Get in, get the information we needed, and get out. Nothing is ever that simple, not with me at least.

“Hey Drake, can you and Onion stay out here? Just in case things don’t go as planned, I’d like to know we have backup.”

“Drake. Stay.”

“Do you really think things will go sour?” Mark had a very worried tone to him.

“Better safe then sorry.”

The walls of this place must have been pretty thick because we traveled at least a hundred feet or so before finally ending up at a very large train car. I remember these things from my books, they traveled the rails carrying mammals between destinations. My entire time traveling the rails to Hope, I never saw one. The car was pretty large. It was tall enough for a giraffe, but it also had tiny doors at the bottom, probably for rodents. I thought it was kind of odd that large and small species shared the same car, but then again, all the stations I came across was just as equally divided. 

There was a large rhino outside the door dressed in a torn black shirt with what a white tiger skull painted on it. His pants were also just as ragged as his shirt. In his paws he carried a very large gun. I didn’t recognize it but Holly did. 

“That’s a combat shotgun, a real nasty looking one too. I love it!”

“You mind focusing fluff?” Mark seemed to both tease and reprimand Holly.

I moved forward towards the door when the rhino blocked my way. “Invite only, and I don’t think you are on the list.”

“But, you haven’t even looked.”

He pointed his gun right at me. “Leave. Now.”

I was nearly about to activate B.A.T.S. and show this guy a thing or two, I’ve taken down bigger, but was distracted by by a loud static pop from a speaker I didn’t notice before.

“Let them in Boris.”

He put away his gun and moved to open the door. It must have been a very solid door because even the large mammal had to put his weight into opening it. The four of us headed into the place, and I noticed three things right away. First, there was a similarly dressed shotgun wielding rhino on the other side; second, this place was much larger than it looked from the outside, and there were mammals of all shapes and sizes just drinking, laughing, and otherwise conversing like civilized mammals. Three? There were very large guns mounted on the walls, and all of them had just trained on us. Fuck.

“Welcome to The Dam!” the voice was emanating from speakers scattered around the room, “listen up folks! We have a special ‘guest’ with us today! The ‘Hero’ of Hope! Now, as I know _many_ of you know this rabbit, I would like to remind you, and inform her, of our one and only rule. No violence of any kind! So please, ‘Hero’, come and enjoy a drink on the house!”

He sounded… happy. The looks that we were now getting after the announcement? Not so much. 

“That’s that cunt who took the boss’s robot!”

“That fucker was the one who took out Baily and her team!”

“You sure we can’t kill her Sam?”

At least five more mammals added their opinion on me, some using swears I didn’t even know existed, but not a single mammal followed up on their threats. I had seen that every time a ‘patron’ had made a comment, a turret pointed in their direction. 

“Wow, you really are a popular one, aren't you ‘livi?”

“What can you say Holly, I get around.”

We walked up to the bar and a bison greeted us, in what seemed to be the typical rude fashion I have come to know and love. “What you have, boss says you can each get _one_ drink on the house.”

Nate was the first to order, probably because he was the only one who actually drank. “Bourbon please.”

“You really drinking at a time like this Nate?”

“Can’t turn down a free drink, it be rude.”

“You got any Rad! Cola?” 

“Wait, you actually drink that stuff Mark? Isn’t it radioactive?”

“Yeah, but, I have a soft spot for it. Better than that crap Nate drinks.”

“What about you ladies?”

“I’ll take a carrot juice.” The bartender stared at me like I just ordered a glass of blood. “What? Last time I drank something it didn’t agree with me.”

“Yeah, but you ended up with a fox in your bed! I’ll take a…”

“Holly!”

I heard Nate spit out his drink as Mark just started to laugh. This would have been a nice night if we weren’t preoccupied with our mission. I casually glanced around the room as I took a sip of my juice, and while I saw plenty of stares in my direction, not one of them matched the description of a Legionary. 

I returned my view to the bartender and locked eyes with his. “Actually, I am here on business. I am looking for someone named Blanche.”

“Hah! That run-down sorry excuse for a mercenary? She’s been here for days trying to drown herself in booze. What you want that tail-less runt for?”

“That’s none of your business, actually. Just point me in her direction.” I threw back the cold carrot juice, trying to act tough, but only succeeded in getting a brain freeze.

“Over there, next to that jukebox.”

“Oh, you have music!” Mark’s face became wide. Huh, I didn’t know he liked music, then again he is always whistling something, just never knew what it was.

“The damn thing’s been busted as long as I’ve worked here. Sam keeps wanting to pitch the hunk of useless scrap, but Mal won’t let _anything_ get thrown out, no matter how useless it is.”

Nate downed the rest of his bourbon and I saw his ears become perky. “Busted?”

“You guys wait here, I don’t wanna risk scaring, or provoking, her.”

Mark and Holly agreed but and kept on drinking, but Nate was not in his chair. I looked around and saw him over near the jukebox. I moved over to him and grabbed him by the ear. 

“What are you doing?”

“It’s broken. I can’t leave it broken. Plus music always lightens the mood, or at least that’s what Mark says.”

“Fine, but don’t go making a mess of anything. Your paws are still recovering.”

Apparently he didn’t need his paws because he already had a screwdriver in his mouth and I think he mumbled an ‘okay’. I guess when you have the itch. Of course I don’t think I have _ever_ tried to fix something with my mouth before. Except hunger. You can easily fix hunger that way. 

Next to the jukebox was a pool table, but from the looks of it, it looked more like target practice for a felines claws. On top of the table, dancing around with a sword in one paw and glass of some kind of liquid in the other was the tiniest mouse I had ever seen. Her fur was such a bright white, that if she was in pre-war Tundratown, she probably would have been mistaken for a snowflake. It didn’t help that she was dressed in a loose fitting white shirt and wore some loose fitting white pants. The only thing that wasn’t white was the black belt around her waist that housed two more swords like the one she was swinging around. Usually mice like her have a long agile tail, but like the bartender said, it was gone, a small stump sticking out of her pants.

“Umm, excuse me, are you Blanche?”

“Who’s asking!” Her voice squeaked like the rodents in my Burrow, but she had a forcefulness about it. It was the loudest tiny squeak I have ever heard. She was also drunk. Very drunk. 

“My name is Olivia Springs and…”

“I don’t care if you are the queen of the moon, go away.”

“But I…”

“Go away!”

“No!” I slammed my paw onto the table and the force knocked her down, causing her sword to fly over to the edge. I could feel everyone staring at me as silence filled the room. I ignored all of them. “I came here for something, and I am NOT leaving until I get it!”

Blanche pushed herself up and just stared at me. The ferocity she showed was replaced by pity, her pity. “Look at me. Look at me! I can’t even stay standing. I used to be something, I used to be someone!”

Now I felt bad. She sounded like she was on the verge of crying. The room was still, as if all focus was on me, the ‘Hero’ who was yelling at a small, crippled, drunk, mouse. I was about to turn around and yell at them all to mind their own business when the jukebox kicked in playing some upbeat song. The most surprising part? These mammals, these stone cold killers, started to sing.

“Hey! That kid fixed it! You see Sam? I told you it was worth keeping! Hey Simon, get that kid another drink, on the house!”

Nate looked very proud of himself as a bunch of the mammals cheered him for fixing it. He settled up at the bar again, probably getting another bourbon as he looked over at me, a large smile filled his face. I returned the smile before fixing my attention on the mouse again. 

“Look, I am sorry if I yelled at you, it’s just that, I need your help.”

“Why me? Who sent you?”

“An… acquaintance of mine, suggested that you might be able to help me. I am in trouble, and because of that, many more lives are in trouble as well. For some reason, someone hired the Legionaries to…”

Her face went from sad to stern. “No. I ain’t going back to them. They…” she rubbed the base of where her tail was.

“I don’t need you to take me, I just need you to tell me where they are.”

“Look girl. Those guys, they are mean. Not a ‘I will burn down your entire home’ mean like those Red-Neck ass-twats, but a ‘I will eat your mother alive if they pay me enough’ mean. I tried to join them once, and look what happened. Who has ever heard of a tailless mouse! I can’t even keep my balance, yet alone fight anymore! I am washed up.”

“How can you say that if you haven’t…”

“Go find someone else and leave me to drown my sorrows in a drink.”

“I can pay you.”

“I don’t want your caps! Now leave me alone!”

There was a feeling in my gut that she was the one. She said she tried to become a Legionary, so she _had_ to know where they were. But if she wasn’t willing to take money for her information, what else can I give her? I’ve only known her for a few minutes, but already I can tell that her emotions were stemming from her tail, or lack there of. What if I could…

“Tell you what Blanche. Give me twenty minutes. If I can’t convince you by the time is up, I will leave and never return, deal?”

“Not like you can do anything to change my mind, but I’ll bite. Might be worth a laugh. Deal.”

I think I had enough spare parts in my bag to do this. I had to try. I found an empty table and took out all the scraps I had. Wires, bits of electronics, some of those antennas that I took from that eye-bot what felt like ages go. I felt like I was missing something. The others must have saw me because they had joined me at the table.

“What you doing ‘livi?”

“Blanche, that mercenary North told me about, she refuses to help. She won’t even take money in exchange.”

“Kind of a lousy mercenary to refuse money.”

“I don’t think that’s it. She’s missing her tail, and from the looks of it, she feels useless without it.”

“That’s stupid, I’ve seen plenty of mammals function properly without a tail before. Hell, Nate’s nearly burned his off a few times. Ain’t that right bro?” 

“Just the fur! Not like I chopped it off or anything.”

“Still, I feel that if I can help her, we can make major headway in this.”

“What you gonna do, regrow it for her ‘livi?”

“In a way, yes. Nate, you have any parts on you?”

“Does he have any parts. The Wizkit’s a walking workshop!” Holly slapped Nate’s back nearly causing him to drop his drink.

“What ever you need, it’s yours.”

***

I spent most of the twenty minutes working. Thankfully Nate had parts to spare. Hell, I think he had more parts on him than my workshop at Hope! No wonder he needs so many pockets. Between my scraps and his, I was able to create the perfect ‘gift’ for Blanche. One that I was hoping could win her over to my side. I didn’t need her to take me anywhere, all I needed was information on where to go. It’s a win win, she gets a new tail, I get to find this fucker that is after me. I took it over to Blanche who had resumed clumsily dancing around while drinking more. 

“Your two minutes late. Sorry. Go away.”

“What? No I am not!”

“My watch says otherwise.”

“Your not even wearing a watch!”

“It’s small, like your brain. Go away.”

That little… no, it’s got to be the alcohol talking, not her. I tossed my creation at her and it landed at he feet. She stopped dancing and looked at it. With her tiny paws she picked it up and started to… caress it?

“Is this a… tail?”

“Yup, I just made it.”

“You just _made_ it? Now?”

“Here, try it on, it might sting a little, but…” I showed her how it had a small loop that could fasten around her waist. She took it and was just about to drop her pants. I quickly placed my paw between her and the rest of the bar. I don’t know if getting undressed in public was a thing around here, but she should show a _little_ decency!

“Ow!”

“Told you. I’m not a surgeon, so there was no way to have me attach it in that manner, but then I remembered that a mammal’s body, specifically the nervous system and the brain, are very similar to a computer. I have this robot I built that I use this self healing nano-filament wire to fix his harder to reach places. I can program it using my Pip-Boar to seek out a specific area in him so that it pretty much fixes itself without me needing to strip him down.”

“Ow! You said it will sting a little!”

“I meant, a little while. Thanks to my friends input, I was able to keep the tail small by having it draw power from your very nervous system, just like your old tail would have. You might have a headache for a few hours, that’s due to the nano-filament finding a new home in your brain.”

“My brain! What the fuck did you do to me ass-twat! Tell me now before I…”

She stopped as soon as she realized that her new tail had just picked up one of her swords. She stared at it as if she just ran into a friend who had long since passed away. She swung it back and forth a few times before pulling out her other two swords, one in each paw. She started to swing them around in such a graceful way that it looked as if she was putting on a show for us. I could tell that her tail wasn’t moving as fluidly as it should, but I don’t think she cared. Then she looked at me and jumped…

She landed right on my shoulder and started to hug me, or as well as someone her size could. 

“Thank you! I never thought I would have a tail again, I feel complete again!”

“It will need a few adjustments, but consider that your payment. Now, will you help us?”

“Blanche Tailoway, at your service.” She bowed very gracefully. “Now, let’s go find you some Legionaries.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Three-D… whoops, wrong story. This is your friendly _zebra_ reporter C. Stripes coming at you live from the Savanna Caller building! Now I'm sure many of you have been asking yourself: ‘Hey Stripes, you say you're a reporter, but who do you even report to?’ Well, today’s After Show will be covering that very question! As many of you may or may not know, within the wasteland there's a popular radio station called the Savanna Caller. Now, while it mainly broadcasts music, from time to time we have very helpful and even informational tid-bits. Got the idea from this other radio station, what was it called again? Universal News Radio or something like that. I think it’s host is a tree headed dog or something.”

**[Max]**

“You're getting off track. Again. HOW.”

**[Stripes]**

“Oh, yeah sorry. That happens from time to time.”

**[Max]**

“I’ve noticed. How many times do we have to go over this before it finally sinks in? ”

**[Stripes]**

“Now, what was I talking about? Oh yeah. The Savanna Caller. You see, about, I don’t know, forty years ago? There wasn’t a single thing to listen to except static and the occasional distress signal. I think there was this other thing, something about some society hidden under ground in some kind of nocturnal district? Okay! Okay! Sheesh. You see that folks? Well, I guess you can't, well I assure you I saw my life flash before my eyes just now. Thank you for that Max.”

**[Max]**

“Just get on with it.”

**[Stripes]**

“So anyways, forty years ago there was this one little publication, I think it was called the Survival Guide? Forget the name of the woman who made it. Think she was a brown rat with a mole? Or was that a brown mole with a rat? Let’s just say there's a surprising number of mammals who lack the ability to read such publications, with no centralized education to provide these basic amenities, so it didn’t go over too well. That’s when a bear named Koko stumbled upon the ruins of the main Zootopia News Network broadcasting facilities and took it upon herself to create this great station that welcomes any mammal to tune into. This is where I should put my obligatory ‘please send them any music you find’ message that I promised to add. You see, it’s mammals like you that help bring the sound to the wastes.”

**[Max]**

“You know that I burned that recording of yours, right? No one wants to hear your glass shattering singing over the radio. I’m surprised they even put up with you giving them these so called news reports of yours.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well that explains why I haven’t heard my rendition of ‘Try Everything’ on the air. I figured it got lost in transition. I’ll have to hoof deliver another one when I go pick up next week's pay.”

**[Max]**

“Wait. You get _paid_? Where the hell is my cut?!”

**[Stripes]**

“You never asked. Plus where do you think I get all this energy after you cut me off?”

**[Max]**

“I thought you were finally surviving on sun and air alone. Apparently I haven't been paying close enough attention though so now I think I'm gonna have to beat it out of you...Probably live over the air waves...I know a couple mammals out there who'd just _love_ to hear that.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, I think that’s my cue to end this show, but before I leave, I’d like to send a shout out to all the folks over at the Zootopia News Network. The digital news site, you know the one with the dot-com? They've been kind enough to not only feature this world around us, they've been getting a great artist to follow me around painting my portraits.”

**[Max]**

“Dear God, please tell me you were wearing clothing around them, I swear this beating'll be worse if you weren't…”

**[Stripes]**

“What kind of mammal do you take me for Max? I'm a distinguished gentle zebra. I would never stoop that low. These are tasteful pictures, or will be at least. Tune in during a future interview once I finally catch up with said artists, he had a quirky name, was it Quirky? I know he’s a middle child… Anyways, that’s it for today’s episode, tune in next time for a special interview with none other than the Mayor of Hope, Jessabell Swift! Take care everyone!”

**[Max]**

"Don't you even _think_ about ending this transmission so soon Stripes! I've been promising a reco-"

**-Emergency automated response system activated...Please stand by for further instructions....-**


	33. Say Hello To My Little Friend

I have to admit, the thought of working alongside a rodent was slightly unnerving. Now I know that not all rodents are like the ones in the Burrow. There was Mr. Big who sacrificed himself to save Onion and I, and there was that treasurer back in Hope who genuinely wished me the best. Although come to think of it, I haven't seen too many rodents in the wasteland. It was probably too dangerous for someone their size. Either that or most of them didn’t _want_ to be found. If cannibalism really is a thing out here, then rodents would probably have it the hardest. To some, they were probably just a snack.

Blanche was different somehow. Sure, I'd just met her, but already I knew she wasn’t the same as those in seventy-six. The rodent residents often looked quite solemn, they never opened up to anyone, at least not a rabbit, and they always seemed to look down on the rabbits. As if they were some kind of lower class. Blanche however, despite my initial impression, was very outgoing, talkative, and, most importantly, she looked happy. 

“…and then I tell them: ‘No, I will NOT leave well enough alone. I rushed in there, tore at _all_ their jugulars, and dropped them before they even knew what happened. What? Those ass-twats had it coming.”

She was also _very_ open.

“You took down four Quills just like that? But you're so… tiny.”

Apparently she was also quick to anger. Not two seconds after Mark called her ‘tiny’ she was at his throat holding two swords at his neck, and using her tail to hover the third right below his jaw. She was fast. Very fast. I knew she wouldn’t hurt Mark. It wasn’t because we would gang up on her if she did, or the fact that I bet B.A.T.S. could help negate her speed. No, I knew she wouldn’t hurt Mark because the second she jumped up with her swords, two of the mounted guns were trained right on her. 

Despite the fact that Mark was Holly’s boyfriend, it wasn’t her that reacted to the sudden aggression first, but Nate. He was rather quiet, and I admit he also seemed a little nervous while Blanche was telling her stories, but when she suddenly jumped at his brother? He looked almost… terrified. It wasn’t like when we were in that Burrow, no, he wasn’t paralyzed but I could tell that his fear was building. I needed to stop this before things got out of paw. 

“Put the swords away Blanche, he didn’t mean it. Did you Mark?” 

“N… no.”

 

Blanche relaxed a bit and jumped back down to the table as if nothing had ever happened. Rather than trying to comfort her fox, Holly instead placed a paw on Nate’s shoulders, as if trying to calm him down. I still didn’t know if he wasn't very good around strangers, especially overly violent ones, but Holly seemed to help him. I really need to talk with them about that. The last thing we need is Nate freezing up when we need him the most. 

Blanche grabbed her mug and started to drink some more, all the while constantly moving around. 

“Should you really be drinking all that alcohol?” I wasn't used to drinking and I still didn’t know much about it, but that _had_ to be an unhealthy amount. 

“I’m happy. I drink when I’m happy.”

“But you didn’t seem very happy earlier and you were drinking.”

“I was sad. I drink when I'm sad.”

“You just said you drink when you're happy!”

“Sad, happy, angry. I just like to drink.” She threw back another of whatever she was drinking. “Another, barkeep!” despite her size, she had a very loud, yet squeaky, voice.

“You're cut off Blanche!”

“But that was only seven this time!”

“Yeah, seven _large_ mugs! You should be dead!”

“Wait, seven of _these_?!” Nate held up his bourbon glass which was a decent size compared to a fox.

“No, seven of _those_.” She pointed over towards the pool table and that's when I noticed them. Underneath were seven mugs, large enough for an elephant!

“You drank all THAT? Even _I_ couldn’t!” I wasn’t sure if Nate was shocked, or horrified. Thankfully he seemed to not be as terrified as earlier, though he still seemed a bit nervous. 

“I may be small, but I have a liver the size of the moon. Heck, I ain’t even buzzed yet.”

“’Livi, what've you gotten us into?”

“Lots of trouble I hope! Been a while since I killed anyone.” 

The worst part of it all? I think Blanche was serious about the killing. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, she's an ex-mercenary after all. I doubt they would let anyone in if they weren't at least slightly murderous. I really hope I didn’t just make a big, horrible, mistake. I really, REALLY hope.

“Let’s get back to why we're even here. Blanche, you said you can help find the Legionaries? Do you know where they are now?”

“Afraid not. You see, they're not like raiders who wander place to place looking for trouble. They only ever get paid doing a job, so when there are no jobs, they're either hanging at their headquarters, or hitting up some ‘entertainment’.”

“Well what about their headquarters? Couldn’t we just sneak in and find their contract or something?”

“You like living Olivia?”

“Yeah.”

“Then DON’T go visiting them. I’d rather look down the mouth of a deathwing than try to ‘sneak’ into Legionary HQ.”

I forgot she hasn’t met our whole team. That will be… interesting. She must have noticed the looks on everyone's faces, because hers just became a visage of confusion.

“Did I miss something here?”

Holly tried her best to retain a chuckle as she spoke. “Nope. Go on.”

“…anyways, that place is crawling with defenses. It used to be some kinda prison before the war, so it was already hard to enter in the first place. Then the Legionaries moved in and fortified the whole thing. Plasma turrets, mounted grenade launchers armed with both shock and incendiary grenades. Hell, even the fence is electrified. Don’t even get me started on the anti-everything weapons. Wanna go by boat? The water is mined. Wanna go by land? Minefield all over. Wanna go in by air? Guardians tried once, but failed when the anti-aircraft guns took them down within seconds. I don’t even wanna begin with what's _under_ the place.”

“Hey fluff, quit the drooling over there.”

“I can’t help it Mark! All those toys… and I can’t even play with them.”

Did Holly just pout? She did! Blanche is talking about the million and one ways we can die trying to get inside, and all Holly can think about are ‘toys’? I really know how to pick them. Still, if it wasn’t for them I doubt I would be sitting here. 

“So, any suggestions Blanche?”

“Only one. We wait.”

“We don’t have the time to wait! The longer these fuckers are after me, the more danger I put others in!”

“I promised I’d help, I didn’t say you’d like it. Still…”

This is not what I was expecting. I was hoping that Blanche would say ‘I know where it is, it'll be easy’. Then again, when has anything ever been easy for me? It didn’t sound like she was out of options however. “Still?”

“There is one way that we can get in. You're not gonna like it. Hell, I already don’t like it and I'm the one who came up with it!”

“There's nothing that you say, short of blowing up the whole world, that will stop me from completing my mission. What is it?”

“You'll need a Corpse Engine.”

Wait… what? She doesn’t mean. She _can’t_ mean! “Why the hell do we need one of them?”

“You see, besides their HQ, every outpost, and they have a few of them, is armed to the teeth in defenses. Not even the smallest bunker can get infiltrated, even by someone of my stature. However, there is one flaw that they probably didn’t think of. In order to prevent their own soldiers from getting blown up, shot, or turned extra crispy, a rather unique entry key is used. The way I was told, they have special sensors that can detect a registered ‘bio-imprint’ that allows safe passage. Even if they stepped on a mine, as long as they were registered, it would be no better than a dud. Anyone unregistered however…” she put her fists together and then separated them while opening her paws and shouting: “Boom!” as loud as possible. 

“Let me guess, you can’t just use _any_ body for this, can you?” Mark’s words sounded discouraging. 

“Nope. What we need is the means to make a Corpse Engine, and a newly deadened Legionary.”

This plan is turning out to be much more complicated than I intended. Still, it was a plan and more than we had coming into this place. The other’s seemed just as convinced as I was. From the moment she mentioned ‘Corpse Engine’, their reactions changed between shock, trepidation, horror, and just plain confusion.

“Well that doesn’t make a lick of sense. You're saying in order to get into a Legionary base to find the Legionaries, we need to find a Legionary to get into a Legionaries’ base?” Holly’s logic might have seemed sound, but her words just bounced in my head without meaning.

“Now that you say it that way, horrible plan. Sorry I ever mentioned it.”

“Hold up. Despite how convoluted this plan sounds, it’s the only one we have. And unless we can think of another one, it’s our best option.”

“Well, before we cement this idea, let's get out of here. Some fresh air might help to better think before we act irrationally.”

“Good idea Mark. Let’s get going.”

We all got up and grabbed our stuff. Blanche jumped onto my shoulder, probably in an attempt not to get stepped on, and we were on our way. That is, before we got stopped by the shotgun wielding rhino at the door. I heard a voice boom from behind us.

“Hey! You ain’t going anywhere 'til you pay up!”

What was he talking about? “I thought the drinks were on the house?”

“Not you! That runt of a rat with you!”

I swear it felt like she just lit on fire right on my shoulder. “WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?”

“What? Runt… or rat?”

“THAT’S IT!”

She jumped off my shoulder like it was some kind of trampoline and flew through the air towards the bartender, all three swords facing forward. Damn was she fast! The turrets instantly locked onto her, but she must not have noticed. I tried to react, to grab her or get her attention, but her reaction time was so much faster than that of my own. One of the turrets fired, but either it was a warning shot, or she was faster than the bullet because it simply hit the counter. If I didn’t do something soon, she was going to get us all killed. 

I started to lunge forward when a flash of metal passed near me. A bullet? But why was it…

“Ok, time out!”

Where did he come from? In between Blanche and the bartender was a… mink, I think, dressed head to tail in some kind of metal armor. Not like the Guardians wear, or even some of the raiders. This was clean, shiny, and made up of small layered plates that moved with his long body. It flowed so well, you would have thought it was a second skin.

“You,” he pointed a claw at Blanche, “no fighting. You,” he pointed at the bartender, “stop mocking our customers. But he has a point. You gotta pay Blanche.” He pulled out a small pad of paper from… he had no pockets, where the fuck did he get it from? “Let’s see, combining the past three day’s tab, plus the fact that you slept here two of those, despite the fact I have repeatedly told you that we are not a booze and breakfast, the total comes up to… four hundred-eighty-five caps.”

“Four-eighty-five! Each glass only costs fifteen caps!” 

“Yeah, seven today, eight yesterday, and ten the other day, that is three hundred and seventy five caps. Plus the fee for cleaning up after your drunken self, plus ‘renters’ fee for not wanting to leave. I did however deduct a few caps for _finally_ leaving, but still that comes to four hundred and eighty five caps. Pay up.”

“And what if I don’t, huh? You gonna break your own ‘no fighting’ rule?”

“No. That’s what I pay Simon for.”

The sound of a shotgun cycling a round made us all turn and see that the bartender had a shotgun pointed right at Blanche. From that distance she would have been turned to paste. I had to do something. I was saving this for an emergency, and right now, that is exactly what this is. 

“I thought he was the barkeep?”

“Yeah, he _keeps_ the _bar_ free from miscreants like her.”

Before anyone else could say anything, I pushed my way into the fray and slapped a large bag on the table. “Five hundred caps.”

“Olivia! That’s nearly all your money!” Mark seemed more shocked at the fact that I was giving my earnings away than of what was actually happening.

“It’s my money, and if it will prevent anyone from getting hurt, well then it will be worth it.”

The mink walked over to the bag, opened it and started to rummage around. “Yeah, that will do. Simon.” 

Simon put away his gun and went back to whatever it was he was doing before. Everyone, save for Mark, was looking relived. I told him that friends are more important than money, but he made some quip under his breath about how money makes the world go around or something. I stopped paying attention to him when Blanche jumped back onto my shoulder.

“You didn’t have to do that. I had him right where I wanted him.”

“I guess we weren’t watching the same fight then. Anyways, it’s just money.”

I felt the eyes of _everyone_ on me. A quick glance around the room confirmed that they had all stopped what they were doing and were just staring at me like I just told them the world was about to end any second now. Was everyone really that greedy?

“Ok, getting a little freaked out now. Come on everyone, let’s go.”

The rhino moved out of the way as he opened the door to the outside. We were able to leave without any more incidents, but I could still feel their eyes on me. It was good to finally leave that place. All those, raiders in one place? The fur on the back of my neck was still standing. It was time to continue our journey, and from here out, it seems things were going to get a lot more interesting.

***

As we left the bar, I noticed out of the corner of my eye the rhino just staring at us. I didn’t know if it was just precautionary, or if he had heard all the commotion from inside. I hope that I never need to visit that… place again. Sure, no one tried to lay a paw on me or my friends, but being surrounded by all those… raiders? If I was in one of my ‘moods’, I may have not taken their attitude when first arriving very well. Still, no one tried anything, and we made it out alive. No thanks to Blanche. I really hope that her sudden attitude changes will no affect us in anyway. 

Nate had seemed to slip into one of his ‘moods’ again after the most recent incident with Blanche. He was keeping his eyes everywhere except where Blanche was sitting on my shoulder. I moved a little closer to him, to show that it was okay. I casually placed my paw on his arm, and he looked at me and started to smile. That was until Blanche had to give her two caps. 

“You better not be getting all gushy around me. Holding paws, nuzzling, kissing. Makes me wanna puke.”

Nate slowly moved away from me as I looked at Blanche and just stared at her. 

“What?”

“Hey Onion, where’s Drake at?” Onion and Drake had remained behind for backup, but I had a feeling if Drake had joined us inside, things might have done a little… differently. I would certainly wouldn’t be five hundred caps lighter. I had seen Onion pacing back and forth at the tunnel entrance so I decided to change the mood around here. Plus, there didn’t seem to be any sign of Drake. 

“You’re back Miss! I heard some commotion inside and feared the worst. Mister Drake said he wanted to ‘hang’, and I was just about to go get him when I finally saw you leave that place. Did you get what you needed Miss?”

“Yup. Blanche, this is Onion, my robotic companion.”

“Greetings Miss Blanche.”

“I don’t like robots.” Blanche said that in a very callous way. Was there anything she liked? Oh yeah. Alcohol and killing. 

“He’s not so bad once you get to know him, even if he is sometimes annoying.”

“Miss! I object! I simply watch out for you and state the obvious when you are in one of your all too frequent ‘states’.”

“I still don’t like ‘em. I don’t like anything without a jugular. How can I slit throats without one?”

“‘Livi, you sure about this? I don’t wanna not wake up one day regretting this.”

“Don’t worry Holly, she will behave, isn’t that right Blanche?”

“As long as you give me something to drink and something to kill, I will be happy.”

“Let’s just say that’s a start. Now, we have one more somewhere…” we stepped out of the tunnel and I glanced around trying to find Drake, but I couldn’t see him. Now where did he wonder off too… “Drake! Where you at?”

He must have been resting somewhere out of sight because seconds later I heard the familiar flapping of his wings as he set down a few feet in front of us. I had a feeling she would be caught off guard, but I didn’t expect to suddenly feel her tiny nails digging into my shoulder, _through_ my clothing. 

“It’s… it’s… a DEATHWING!” 

I was afraid that she would jump at Drake with her swords just as she did moments earlier, but was actually rather surprised when she didn’t. I felt her entire body shaking as she dug her nails deeper into my shoulder. The warmth I started to feel indicated that she finally broke skin. 

“He’s a friend Blanche, he’s not here to eat us.”

“F… friend? What kind of ass-twats makes friends with a deathwing?!”

“Our ‘livi, that’s who. Trust me, I had the same reaction when I first saw him. Mind you that I had just been taken hostage by a bunch earlier before that.”

“Deathwings DON’T take hostages! They kill! They maim! They EAT!”

“Calm down Blanche, it’s a long story that, one that ended with us meeting Drake here. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Unless it’s a giant mutated one that is trying to kill us, then he would kill that. Speaking of which, you hungry?”

“Drake. Hungry.”

“IT CAN TALK!!”

“Yup. Hey Mark, toss me some of that scarab meat.” 

Mark tossed me a chunk of one of the insects that he had encountered on our way here. It was a good think Nate decided that they should keep some. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of _my_ own hunger, yet alone another’s. I casually walked over to Drake, knowing full well that Blanche was still on my shoulder, quivering with fear, and handed him the meat. He skewered it with his long wing talon and ate it with one bite. Just to show Blanche how much of a danger he was to us, I reached up to scratch him under the chin. I was beginning to think he liked it because now he lowers his head a bit into it. At the sound of his purring I felt Blanche’s death grip on my shoulder diminish. 

“See? He’s just a big old softy.”

“I… I. I have no words.”

“Just say hi. Drake, this is Blanche, she’s with us now.”

“Mouse. Tiny.”

The last time someone called her tiny, it caused her to become enraged, this time? 

“H… hi?”

“What, not gonna go all berserk because he called you tiny?” I think Holly was getting a kick out of this. It might just be the fact that now that she knows Drake more, her own reactions to first meeting him was just as unnecessary as Blanche’s.

“No fucking way you ass-twat! He’d swallow me whole!”

“Hey, no name calling. We're all friends here. Oh and Blanche? Mind removing your claws from my shoulder? It’s starting to hurt.”

She looked down and saw the red that had been bleeding into my clothing. “Sorry. It will clean out.” She moved closer to my ear and whispered, “Do _not_ tell anyone of this, or I will slice your throat in your sleep, got it? I have a reputation to maintain.”

“So don’t tell anyone that you probably just pissed your pants in utter panic? Got it.”

I purposely said it just loud enough for the other’s to hear, and that caused everyone to chuckle. I think I even heard a snicker from Drake, but that could have been a burp. Either way it got Blanche’s attention.

“And you, if you eat me I swear, I will give you the _worst_ case of indigestion you have ever felt.”

“Mouse. Funny. Like. Mouse.”

Blanche jumped to the ground and paced around muttering something about needing a drink while Mark tended to the bleeding that Blanche caused. It wasn’t bad, but it sure did sting when he applied some sort of cream to it. Him massaging it into my muscles started to feel good. I have not had too many times to relax that didn’t involve someone being injured, so I am sure the stress was building in them. 

I had been watching Nate on and off this whole time, trying to see if his mood had improved. For a while it seemed to be very melancholy, but after Blanche’s reaction to Drake, he seemed to lighten up a bit more. He still seemed a bit nervous when ever Blanche got closer to him, but that look of fear he had earlier was gone. Guess knowing someone isn’t a complete psychopath helps. I wonder if he ever thought that way about me sometimes?

“Looks like ‘livi is enjoying my boyfriends paws a little too much. I bet Nate is just wishing that was him in Marki’s place, aren’t you?”

My mind started to drift, imagining these paws were… 

“Eep!” I had started to dart forward, as if trying to get away from these thoughts, and the paws causing them, when I felt a sharp pain on my shoulder. I looked at it and noticed a bit of fur missing. I glanced at Mark and saw that he must have been trying to wrap it in a bandage, but when I moved forward, it stayed behind, along with a chunk of my fur attached to the adhesive part. I saw that Nate was acting his bashful self while Holly was laughing. 

“Is it always like that with her?” Blanche had moved next to Holly, but still on the ground.

“Yep. I think it’s adorable.”

“I am _NOT_ adorable. Tell her Drake!”

“Olivia. Cub. Cute.”

“Not you too! Gah!”

I felt my face burning, and taking a shy glance at Nate, I could tell his bashfulness had turned into downright embarrassment. Why did Holly have to say those things, why? I need to focus. I pulled my shirt over my shoulder, which thankfully had already stopped bleeding, and threw my jacket on. Trying my best to wipe whatever look on my face was off, I addressed my friends.

“Right, now back to business. We have a semblance of a plan in place, but we need to find somewhere to start. Any ideas?”

Blanche moved and jumped onto my good shoulder. “Well, you need a body, while hunting down and killing a Legionary will be difficult, I think the harder part is trying to make it into a Corpse Engine. I’ve only heard about them, never actually seen one.” 

“Well, I have, and minus a few details, they are certainly hard to differentiate from a living mammal.”

“Wait, you’ve actually met one, and lived? Why am I suddenly regretting saying I’d help you.”

“Why are people always surprised? Sure he looked dangerous, and yeah, he did somehow get a swarm of ghouls to attack a bunch of guys trying to kill us, but he seemed nice enough once I got to know him.”

“Okay, you didn’t tell us _that_ part ‘livi! How the hell did he managed to get a swarm of ghouls to obey him? Wait… no, it couldn’t… was he, glowing?”

“Yeah, he had this greed glow to him. Met another one who was not as nice early. Managed to get a slave collar on his neck and blew his head off, but this Mr. Big fellow? He was nice.”

“A _glowing_ ghoul, _inside_ a Corpse Engine? That’s all kinds of fucked up.”

“You make it seem like it’s not a common occurrence Holly.”

“It ISN’T!”

“Maybe not for you. I _did_ happen to find the only talking deathwing in the world, so anything is possible around me.”

“You know what? I’ll take my chances back in the bar. At least they have booze.”

“Nope. Your coming with us Blanche. You already promised.”

“Fucking sense of moral code. Maybe that’s why I could never fit in with the mercs. Those ass-twats at least had the common sense to not take on a contract from someone insane as you. Ah, fuck it, been awhile since I seen any good action. I have the feeling that if I stick with you enough, I will have my fill and then some.”

“Well everything aside, is it possible that we could return to that place and at least get a sense of how these things are made before we start bringing corpses home?” Mark chimed in as a distraction and it helped to bring things back to the matter at paw.

“We could, but…”

“Don’t tell me you blew that place up or something!” 

“No, it’s just that… Mr. Big, the one who I said saved me? He… sacrificed himself to do so, and I don’t know how I would react if I saw his corpse just, laying there.”

“Don’t worry ‘livi. As long as the place is secure, we can make sure to give him a proper burial. If he saved your life, then he deserves at least that.”

“Thanks. It’s a long trip, and I wouldn’t want to have Drake carry us one by one, so we should start right away. I’d also like to check up on Hope to make sure they are okay, at least in passing.”

“We can swing by the bunker and resupply as well. Maybe even rest depending on how late it is.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Mind if we listen to some music on the way? I have been missing it, and fluff here is the only source of it.” Mark punched Nate’s arm as he referred to him.

“You mean _my_ Pip-Boar is the source.”

“If Olivia asked…” 

“I was gonna do it anyways.” I could hear Nate mumbling as he activated something on his Pip-Boar. There was a short burst of static before the sound of music started to play. It was a rather slow song, but had a rather uplifting beat. I honestly was not one for music, not that I didn’t hate it, it just tended to distract me from my work. It’s hard to think when a stupid song gets stuck in your head. 

“You have music on your Pip-Boar? Where did you get it?”

“Oh, this is just the Savanna Caller.”

“Uhh, the what?”

“Forgot you didn’t even know about the radio on your Pip-Boar. It’s a… well the only radio station around here. They say it reaches throughout all the major districts. No one knows who started the Caller, or who even the hosts are, but they are constantly looking for new music and even pay good caps for something they don’t have. There is also the occasional news here and there. Most just tune in for the music.”

“We really need to sit down and have you show me everything.”

“Ohh, you hear that Nate? She wants to see _everything_.”

“Buh… That’s not what I meant! What I meant was…”

My thought got interrupted when the music suddenly turned to static before being replaced with something that must not be normal, because everyone’s attention was now on Nate’s Pip-Boar.

“ __…I repeat, we need back-up on Darkwater. The Tide Breakers have been located, and we have confirmed that they have the hostage with them. We are broadcasting on all channels. Hostage has been confirmed to be…”

The message cut off as the music came back on. Who were the Tide Breakers, and what was that about a hostage?

“That’s Stalker Logan’s voice!” Mark’s reaction was unexpected.

“Who? You know that person?”

“Yeah, he’s a Stalker in Lazlo’s Guardians. Sounds like they need help.”

“Wait, Lazlo, as in Chief Lazlo of the Steel Guardians? How do you know them?”

“Long story, but it sounds like they need help.” 

Normally it was me dragging everyone to help another, and while I did want to do whatever I could to help who ever I could, this was the first time since Holly was taken that they seemed willing to jump into the fray. I wonder if I was rubbing off on them.

“The message said Darkwater, that’s… up there, ain't it?”

“Yeah, it’s not easy to get there unless you are near a proper access, and the nearest one is at least a few hours walk from here. Nate, can you get in touch with Lazlo?”

“On it.”

Mark and Nate had a very serious tone in their voices, and Holly was starting to look ready to attack at any given moment. They must have some kind of connection with the Guardians for them to be acting like this. Even if I didn’t want to help, which I could never do, they were all eager to lend their aid. 

“Nothing. I think something is blocking the signal. That could explain why the message cut off.”

“Looks like Plan A is on hold. Drake, can you give me a lift to the top?”

“Drake. Fly.”

I had forgotten that Blanche was still on my shoulder when Drake jumped into the air and grabbed me. A small ‘eek’ from her reminded me.

“You will be fine Blanche. He hasn’t dropped us. Yet.”

“If he does, I will slice your throat before we even make it to the ground.”

I wasn’t sure if she was joking or if she really meant it, but I didn’t think she would. Despite her gruff demeanor, I think she was more talk than bite. I just hope all of her ‘stories’ were at least partially true. If she buckled under pressure like when meeting Drake, we may have problems. Then again, it _was_ a deathwing, and even partially hidden under his jacket, he is still rather intimidating. I believed Blanche had some fight in her, especially after seeing her move at The Dam. I just hope it doesn’t always involve alcohol and anger issues.

We finally reached the top of the wall. It was thick enough to land on and get a good look. I took out my scope and checked out the area. Like the others said, it was a vast lake of water. It seemed to go on forever, but the water was broken up by what looked like the tops of buildings that were too tall to get completely flooded. I saw floating shacks here and there, along with other debris. That’s when I saw them. 

In the distance, there was one of the Guardians’ aircraft hovering, occasionally strafing to dodge weapon fire. I traced the weapons and saw their attackers. It was a massive ship with large black sails on it like the boats used before the invention of motorized vessels. Two smaller ones suddenly appeared from behind a structure as I saw a tail of smoke leave them, going straight towards the Guardians aircraft. It was a missile. The impact did not destroy it but it caused it to make a rather forced landing on the roof of a building close to it. They were in big trouble. 

“Drake, go get the others.”

“Drake. Fly.”

As he left I started to formulate a plan. The water was dark and murky, and from what little I know of it, highly radioactive. We had to find some way to close the distance between us without soaking up too much radiation. Drake had it easy, he could fly. We needed a solution, and fast. The Guardians were in danger and there was a hostage. The hostage alone made me want to help, but the Guardians, they saved me from near death. 

It’s time to return the favor.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with another installment of Stripes in the Morning! Today’s special guest is none other than the Mayor of Hope, Jessabell Swift! Now, before we start today’s interview, I need to have a little public service announcement about today’s chapter and moving forward. Switching up editors so you may find the grammatical flow slightly different, so if anyone notices that, you now know why. The past chapters will be revised a bit with the new flow if needed, but fear not, this has absolutely zero, and I mean ZERO impact on the story as a whole! Now that I have that out of the way. Mayor Swift, how are you doing this fine day?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“It’s raining, and there is an annoying zebra in my town, how does it look to you?”

**[Stripes]**

“Rain? Didn’t notice. Now Mayor Swift, due to the unforeseen events with Olivia Spring’s sudden need to leave the town, how have things been fairing?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“Trade is at an all time new high thanks to her actions, but as you can see, the town has seen better days. One of our regulars has a son that has been helping here and there, but unfortunately I think the only reason he offered was so that he can _insist_ on getting discounts from us, and raising the prices for him. Guess you _aren’t_ the most annoying mammal in town at this moment.”

**[Stripes]**

“A mammal taking advantage of others for their own gain? What has this world come to? Sadly, that is not uncommon in these parts. I wonder if this world needs more heroes like Olivia Springs? Maybe some tiny horned magical equine with a Pip-Boar plastered to her flank who has a knack for getting in trouble? Naw, sounds a bit too far-fetched. Anywho, getting a bit off track. So Mayor Swift, I'm sure that some of our readers have been wanting to know how things are going concerning the town’s opinion on the Valiant brothers, may I inquire as to the status on that?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“How did you… I’m not even gonna ask, but since you mentioned it, things have been a bit… difficult. The town is divided. They all want Olivia back, but some of them think that she might be ‘corrupted’ by the foxes. I keep telling them that the whole thing with the Berserk-kings and the robot incident was all pure coincidence, and that they are not bad luck, but some mammals are so bound to their past that they are unwillingly blind to the truth. Every few days I manage to win over a new citizen, but it’s going to take a miracle to convince everyone that none of them are any danger to this town.”

**[Stripes]**

“Fortunately for you, miracles are plentiful in this world, but they have the tendency to occur when you least suspect it. And no folks, that isn’t any foreshadowing to future events… or is it?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“You are one odd zebra.”

**[Stripes]**

“I’ll take that as a compliment. I think that wraps up today’s show. Tune in next time for our very first interview with the tiniest, most foul mouth rodent that I have ever meet, Blanche Tailoway! Until then folks, I will be doing what I do best and seeking out the truth, no matter where it takes us, and no matter how hard it hurts. Good bye everyone!”

**[Max]**

"Ho… HOLD on… Hold… Oh I just barely made it… Wait. Awwww! Damn it Stripes I told you not to start without me! C'mon! How am I supposed to keep you on the straight and narrow _and_ add the proper amount of snark in reply to your incessant invasions of other mammal's privacy if you keep dodging me?! HEY! Get back here you slippery striped bastard!!"


	34. Pirates on Darkwater

While I was figuring out ways to get closer to what was going on, specifically to where the Guardian’s ship had made their, hopefully, emergency landing, Drake had gone and brought up the others. The wall was thick enough for us all to comfortably stand without risking falling in, but the water’s felt dangerously close to me. Every time a little wind kicked up and tossed a small wave towards us, my Pip-Boar beeped warning me that I was taking on rads. The sooner we get this done, the better. I keep thinking back to that test and hope I don’t grow an extra limb. 

“So, what’s the plan ‘livi?”

“Not sure yet Holly. Trying to find out how we can get over to where the Guardians crashed. Once we figure out the situation, we can do what we can to assist them in rescuing whoever this hostage is.”

“Uh… Olivia?”

“Not now Nate. Drake _could_ fly us over there, but I doubt we'd be able to make it without them seeing us.”

“I… I think…”

At times I wish there was a way for Drake to call his ‘kin’ to help, but he'd already told me that it wasn't possible unless they were close enough. And I highly doubt there are more of them that enjoy being out during the day. Come to think of it, I wasn’t really sure _how_ he felt about the daylight. I may have to ask him about that after this, I’d hate to be causing him any discomfort from it. 

There wasn't much around us, mostly water and I knew swimming was out of the question. The nearest landmass, a small collection of wood that had been haphazardly thrown together, was still way too far to make it without getting dipped in the rad soup. There were a few buildings near us, but they looked like they were either flooded or mostly submerged, so I doubt we would find anything useful. I did, however, notice a small antenna array nearby. 

“Hey Nate?” I waited a few seconds but he didn’t respond. “Nate…” I was cut off by a loud noise that was suddenly made apparent, and it was getting closer. I quickly turned towards the noise and my jaw nearly dropped when I saw Nate approaching on the water in some sort of… I think it was a pre-war boat?

“Land-ho! I’ve always wanted to say that.”

“Where did you get that?”

“There was a disabled boat over there. I was able to fix it up in a jiffy.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that!?”

“I tried. You just weren’t listening.”

“I… good work Nate.” 

The boat was a decent size. Since there were no lakes or oceans in the Burrow, I never really paid much attention to things like this so I had no idea if it was a good find or not. There was a large enclosure up top that could fit two, maybe three of us, and enough room for a couple out on the open area, but while I didn’t know boats, I knew structural damage, and it had obviously seen better days. I was sure we would fit but Drake?

“Well, it should hold most of us but… Drake? I'm not sure if it'll fit you.”

“Drake. Fly. Hide.”

“Fly, hide? Do you mean fly stealthily?”

“Yes. Fly. Hide.”

“Works for me. Any objections? No? Good. All aboard the Nate Express!”

Despite earlier circumstances, Nate seemed rather pleased with himself for his accomplishment. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact that he was able to help us, or if he was simply happy to have fixed something. I know all too well what it's like to not be able to tinker with something. Unfortunately, my only chance at doing that regularly flew right out the window when the Legionaries visited Hope. After this, we need to get back to locating them. Though I'm not looking forward to Blanche’s plan.

“Ok Nate, take us to where the Guardians’ ship crashed.”

“That’s Captain Nate to you! Tally-ho!”

Did he just say ‘tally-ho’? Sometimes… at least he’s happy. I'm still unsure about my feelings involving him, but I like seeing him when he's happy, I’m sure they all do. Not that I don’t like him when he’s unhappy, but when he’s like that I just want to… I really need to work out my feelings regarding him soon before they become a greater distraction. I just don’t even know where to start.

“Is ‘livi daydreaming about her fluffy fox?”

“Gah! Don’t scare me like that! And it’s not what you think!” even though she knew it was exactly what she thought, or at least, close to it. I'm sure she's greatly exaggerating things in that head of hers. 

Holly leaned closer and started to whisper, “I know he likes you, both Mark and I can tell. He’s… changed since meeting you. In a good way too, but I can tell that neither of you have any idea what you're doing. Just remember, if you need a girl’s advice, my door is always open. Well almost always, when it’s closed, well… hopefully the two of you will find out one day.” She gave me a wink before heading back to Mark’s side. 

That rabbit… here I am trying to work things out and she has to go and make things so much more complicated. I knew what she was talking about and I never even thought about… and now I am. Fuck you Holly! I think Nate must have seen me staring at him for… oh hell, I don’t even know. I quickly changed my view, taking out the scope and pretending to look out at the water so he didn’t see me blushing. I was starting to know that feeling all too well. Yeah, when we have some quiet time we really need to… what is that? Oh fuck.

“Everyone down!”

Whatever guns those ships have fired _really_ big bullets. The projectile flew past us and thankfully missed, but I had a feeling that there were more where that came from. I traced its line of fire to a smaller boat that was heading right towards us. Either that was a warning shot, or these guys have horrible aim. Either way, it’s game time.

“Shiver me timbers! Batten down the hatches! There be some buccaneers upon us!”

“Oh shut up Nate and try to avoid their fire!”

“This isn’t as maneuverable as you’d think!”

Just like Blanche he knew how to ruin the moment too. Even if he didn’t know there was a moment. Speaking of Blanche? She wasn’t on my shoulder and I don’t remember seeing her since we got on. Where could that mouse be?

“Blanche! Where are you?”

“Over… here.”

Why did she sound… oh, don’t tell me. I walked over to where some damaged crates were in the rear of the boat just as another projectile zoomed past us and hit the nearby water. I saw the unmistakable robotic tail sticking out of one of them. I bent down and there she was, the pure white fur on her face showing a slight hint of green. 

“You’re getting sea sick, aren’t you?”

“Tell anyone, and I…”

“Slice my throat, I know. Got it. You gonna be ok?”

“Once I get off this fucking thing yeah.”

“I’ll just tell them you're not a ranged fighter. You owe me one.”

“Yeah, whatever ass-twat now just…” She threw up into one of the damaged crates. I should be more worried about her but I was just feeling, amused at the situation. 

“Incoming!”

I felt the boat shake as one of the projectiles must have glanced the boat. They were getting more accurate so that could only mean…

“You're trespassing on Tide Breaker territory! Stop your boat and prepare to be boarded!”

It must have been warning shots. They were probably trying to force us to come to a stop while they got closer for them to demand it. I had a feeling that they didn't know who they were dealing with. I also don’t think they saw the giant deathwing flying over them as they neared us. I looked up at Drake and pointed right at the enemy vessel.

“What the fuck… it’s a deathwing!”

“You sure? I thought they only…”

Drake landed on the boat with such strength that it knocked one of them right into the water as the entire ship shook. The other one, a cheetah, tried to shoot Drake with a rifle but missed when Drake flew back into the air and right over to the cheetah and picked him up by the shoulders. I tried to shout at Drake to bring him here so we could question him, but I don’t think he heard as he flew over the side of the wall. I think he was… yep. He dropped him off the side of the wall. That cheetah was definitely dead. I should have been mad at Drake for doing that, but honestly? I had the sneaking suspicion that they wouldn’t have gone out without a fight. 

“Drake. Help.”

I didn’t notice him hovering over me, but I _did_ notice the blood dripping from the talons on his feet. And his mouth. Did he?”

“Drake. Hungry. Drake. Feed.”

“You… thanks, but didn’t I say _not_ to eat other mammals?”

“Drake. No. Eat. Friends. Drake. Eat. Bad.”

“We need to work on that. From now on, don’t eat _any_ mammals unless I say it’s ok.”

“Drake. Bad.” He actually sounded sad. 

“No Drake, you’re not bad, I just need to be a bit more specific with what I tell you. As long as you promise not to eat anyone else, I'll forgive you.”

“Drake. Promise. Drake. Good.”

“Yes, you're good.” I should have had more negative feelings towards what he did, but despite the fact he can talk, I need to remember that before that damn boar did… whatever he did to Drake, he was merely a savage beast that would have probably have eaten us without a second thought. At least I can do good by him, and maybe, he can do good by us.

“We should take their ship.” I saw Mark and Nate looking out at the enemies boat.

“Why?”

“Well, for one thing, it has weapons, this boat was probably once a fishing or recreational boat, not meant for combat. That one however, looks to have a reinforced hull and weapons. Even Drake landing on it didn’t damage the hull too much.”

“Plus,” Mark continued where his brother left off, “if we go cruising around in this thing, we'll be a target for any other ships they might have. If we ride their own?”

“We can slip in undetected! Brilliant Mark.”

“That’s my Marki, where he lacks smarts, he makes up for with tactics.”

“Well _Flopsy_ , I don’t see you coming up with any brilliant ideas.”

“That's ‘cause it’s your department, _brushbutt_.”

“Ok people, concentrate! Let’s all get onto that boat. It’s a bit bigger so you wanna join us Drake?”

“Drake. Fly. Drake. Watch.”

“Alright. Let’s get moving then.”

This boat was definitely much roomier than the other one. It’s overall design was similar, a single cabin with plenty of floor space, but the large gun mounted on the top, along with a much deeper hull made for better protection. Plus it was nowhere as loud as the other one. Holly instantly jumped onto the large gun, while Nate took the controls. I saw Mark keeping a watch while Onion was just floating around. That left the newest member of our group. 

“You doing any better Blanche?” She was next to a bunch of ammo crates. 

“What do you think ass-twat!”

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure you're going to be ok.”

“Well I… thanks. I'll be ok, just please don’t let me be on this boat any longer than I have to.”

“Trust me, I wanna end this as soon as possible. Like I said, the longer it takes to find those Legionaries, the more danger other’s are in because of me. You know the Legionaries, would they attack a town just to get to a target?”

“If you pay them enough, they'll tear a baby from their own mama’s belly, so yes, they would.”

“Why did you even want to join them?”

“Caps mostly. They'll _always_ fulfill a contract no matter how and that has earned them the right to be the most expensive mercenaries in the Zootopian Wasteland.”

“Caps? Is that the only reason, to be rich? What if you lost more than your tail? You can’t spend money if you're dead.”

“There was… another reason.” She seemed very calm, speaking as if she only wanted someone to listen to what she had to say, but just like her other emotions, this one didn’t last long. “One that I don’t wanna talk about now ass-twat. Now leave me alone until we reach land!”

I didn’t just surround myself with mammals, I surrounded myself with mammals that had… emotional issues. Nate kept freezing up at the sight, or even mention of anything Burrow related, Holly seemed to be overly creative with her teasing, Mark was… well he was the most calm and collected of the bunch, but he talked a lot, and my mother once told me that mammals who talk a lot often are hiding something. Then there was Blanche. Calm one second, ready to get herself killed the next. At least Drake seemed to be an easy one to figure out. Then again for all I know he has deep emotional issues too, but doesn’t know how to express them. I wonder if the wasteland still has psychiatrists? 

“Avast ye! There be our scuttled mates!”

He must have read a bunch of pirate books or something, he was having way too much fun with this. “Okay _Captain_ , let’s move around to the back of this structure. I don’t want to risk being attacked while trying to leave the boat.”

In front of us were three structures that at first looked like giant icebergs, but as we got closer I realized that they were made of steel and concrete, shaped to look like an icecap. Two of them topped at a large curve, but the other one was much flatter, and right near the water’s surface. As we turned past the second larger structure we saw the smoke, and then the wreckage of the Guardian’s aircraft that had been shot down. 

“Hurry, we need to see if they're alright!”

Holly, Mark, and Nate all rushed off the boat the moment they were able to. I followed, along with Onion. Blanche was nowhere to be seen, so I figured she must have still been trying to recover. As we approached the wreckage, I saw three Guardians. There were two wolves and a tiger. None of them were wearing the large exo-armor that I've seen before, but rather smaller uniforms covered in metal plates that seemed to move along with their body.

“Logan! It’s been a while.”

“Mark, is that… what the fuck are you doing here?”

“Saving your ass, that’s what.” 

“Holly? Nate? Well the whole gang is here and… you must be Olivia Springs.”

“What… how did you know?”

“Chief Lazlo mentioned that you were traveling with these three, I just didn't expect to see you _here_ , especially under the circumstances.”

“Circumstances? What circumstances?”

“You didn’t hear?” Logan pulled out a small device and a message started to play.

“ _This is a message to the_ Hero _of Hope. You are to turn yourself over to us in exchange for the prisoner. Any attempts at rescuing her will result in her execution along with the rest of your pitiful town._ ” 

“Me? They want me? Why is everyone after me!? Who the fuck did I piss off?”

“The Tide Breakers don’t normally take hostages, at least ones who are nowhere near Darkwater. Chief thinks they wanna sell you to the Legionaries.”

“Lazlo knows about that? How the fuck did he find out?”

“We kinda told him ‘livi. We had no course of action at the time, and thought that some extra eyes and ears would help. The Guardians have tangled with them a few times, so we asked them if they could let us know if anything came up.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that Holly?”

“You were already worried and dead set on doing this alone so we figured the more people we get to help, the sooner this could be over with.”

“I appreciate the concern, I really do, but next time, don’t keep things like that from me, especially if it’s _my_ life on the line.”

“You said it yourself, there are more lives on the line than just your own, but I won’t keep anything from you again. I promise.”

“Back to the situation at paw. Who’s the hostage?”

“It’s… Mayor Swift.”

“WHAT?!” 

We all reacted the same way. I don’t think anyone expected that. “How? How the fuck did they take her from all the way over in Hope?”

“We don’t know yet, but shortly after she was taken, Chief Lazlo got a distress signal from Hope informing him of what happened. He tried to get a hold of you Miss Springs, but he was unable to get through to warn you.”

“It probably happened in The Dam. Those ass-twats could never get a working radio in there, let alone some kind of signal.”

“Blanche! You… you good?”

“Yeah, yeah. Now, what was this about Jezzie?”

“You know her Blanche?” 

“Yeah, we go way back, at least before I ventured off to make a name for myself doing merc work. My uncle is the cook over at Olive’s Garden, but we're not really on speaking terms. I think he dislikes my choice of occupation. Beats slaving away in a kitchen all day.”

“Your uncle? Ok ‘livi, next time we need to find someone in order to find someone else, just start asking around Hope instead of trying to hunt down some damn ghoul. That would have saved us a lot of trouble.”

“Yeah, yeah. Next time I'll be sure to ask for anyone who is related to a mercenary. So, you three ok?”

“We’re good, a little banged up but still combat ready. Our Tac however...Wasn't so lucky.”

“Tac?”

“Tactical Lifter, or Tac-Lifter for short.”

“You have any idea where they're keeping the mayor?”

“We guess on their main ship, that large icebreaker. It’s heavily armed though, took down our Tac with a single shot. There’s also an unknown number of armed mammals on it as well as the smaller ships that flank either side. Without a Tac, we have no air support.”

“Actually… Drake!”

“What the… it’s a fucking deathwing!”

Why is it always that same reaction? All three Guardians were now on their feet, guns raised as Drake landed next to me. 

“Put the guns down, he’s with me!”

“He’s with…”

“Yeah. Say hi Drake.”

“Drake. Help.”

“It can…”

“Yes, _he_ can talk. Also, he won't hurt you unless you shoot him. Please don’t shoot him.”

“I… this is highly irregular.”

“That’s ‘livi for you. I'm sure if she found a way to tame a firebug she’d keep it as a pet.” 

“I would not. That’s what I have Onion for.”

“I object Miss!”

“Ok, back to the matter at paw. What were your plans for rescuing the mayor?”

“We…” all three of them were still staring at Drake, but I think after seeing that he wasn't an immediate threat, they put their guns down, but not out of reach I noticed. “… we were just the scouting party. Once we had a better assessment of the situation, we were going to call in for backup.”

“Is the backup nearby?”

“Not sure. We had an interruption in communication. Something is blocking it.”

“Yeah, I had the same issue with my Pip-Boar. It was actually your distress signal that we picked up.” 

“Hey Nate, you think you could find the source of the interference?”

“I can try Olivia. What you going to do?”

“I'm going to try to find a way onto that ship.”

Typically in situations like this, my friends always seem to try to stop me from doing something dangerous or stupid. And while half the time my choices _are_ dangerous and stupid, they're also usually the best choices. That said, I was very surprised when rather, than trying to stop me, they instead tried to help.

“I got the perfect thing for that. Here.”

Nate tossed me a small device. I had no idea what it was but it had a _SwineCo_ logo imprinted on it just like my Pip-Boar. “What’s this?”

“It’s called a Stealth-Boar. This one attaches to an expansion port on your Pip-Boar and can grant you limited invisibility.”

“You can turn _invisible_!? Why am I just _now_ finding out about this!”

I can’t believe there was technology that could turn someone invisible! That could have helped me out in so many different situations, ones that I probably would have been able to escape from unscathed. I wonder if I've seen them already but didn't know… oh that fucker! _That’s_ how North stole my bag! He must have had a Stealth-Boar! Although, I don’t recall him having a Pip-Boar. Nate has been the only one that I've seen with one.

“Yeah, really useful, but those smaller ones only give you a brief window of invisibility, about thirty seconds between charges.”

“This will definitely help, but if it's that small of a window I'll need to time things, and getting there won’t be easy. Taking the boat would be the best idea, but how will I be able to get from the boat to the larger one without being seen?”

“Drake. Fly.”

“Yeah, that _could_ work, but you're so big I doubt they'd miss you, especially after already being attacked from the air.”

“Actually, he won’t.”

“Come again Nate?”

He pulled out a large brick of some kind, “This is a standalone model of the Stealth-Boar. It can last a few minutes longer than the smaller one, but it's so clunky and heavy and its charge is depleted in one use. So it can’t be used again unless its power source is replaced. We typically use it for emergencies, but if we can attach it to Drake…”

“He can fly me up to the ship undetected! I love it!”

“There's only one problem, I doubt he could activate it with those ‘paws’ of his. You have to initiate the toggle, modify the frequency to match your surroundings, and then activate it. Due to its nature, it makes pre-adjustments useless.”

“For once _I_ have a solution Nate.” I dug around in my bag and pulled out a remote. “I used these a lot during my times in… in the past, and I was able to make one of them after getting to Hope, but I haven't had the time to make more. It’s basically a wireless device that can connect my Pip-Boar to any computer system via a wireless connection, even if the computer has no wireless capability.”

“That… why have I never thought of that?”

“’Livi just out tech’d the Wizkit? You two really are made for each other!”

“Holly! … anyways, it should work for the large Stealth-Boar. I can simply manipulate it with my Pip-Boar so that all Drake needs to concentrate on is flying. Is that okay with you Drake?”

“Drake. Help.”

“Well, it’s settled. Let’s make the proper adjustments and we'll be off. Nate, since I don’t know how to operate that boat, I need you to drive us there and rush right back, we may need that for backup.”

“I… yes. For you.”

I could see his face and ears turning redder than normal. That damn Holly and her teasing. I really need to find some way to ‘pay’ her back. I affixed the remote to the Stealth-Boar and got it’s connections all sorted. With just a few button presses, I can activate it and stealth Drake as he flies us up to the boat. Then I just need to find the mayor, rescue her, and figure out how the hell to get her off. 

“You don’t have any other Stealth-Boars, do you?”

“Not on us, we left the rest back in the bunker.”

I guess I'll have to play it by ear once I free her. “Onion, I need you to stay back here. I'll message you when I rescue the mayor and when I need help.”

“Yes Miss. Do be careful.”

“Aren’t I always? Now, we ready? Let’s go Nate.”

Nate, Drake, and I got onto the boat. I asked Drake if he didn’t mind laying down below, to keep him out of sight. He said he didn’t mind, but I had no idea if that was true, but he did what I said. I really hope he didn’t think of me as simply another ‘owner’. There are so many things that need to be addressed with my friends, but as long as it doesn’t affect our working together, it can wait until we have more time. Provided that ever happens.

We set off towards the large icebreaker that Logan said was the Tide Breaker's headquarters. It was at least three times higher from the water’s surface compared to the smaller boats around it. We just had to sneak in undetected. I'm definitely glad that Mark had suggested we take this boat. We would probably not have made it this far in that other one. 

“So, Nate, I've been meaning to ask, but…” Part of me thought it was the right time, and part of me knew it wasn’t, but it had been bugging me forever. Fortunately, or unfortunately since I still was undecided, I was interrupted by a radio transmission coming from the boat.

“ _Approaching Tide-Chaser, this is the Tide-Breaker, who authorized your return?_ ” 

“Uh… what do we do Olivia? If they find out we're not one of theirs, they'll surely kill us.”

He was right. We didn't know their codes or even the names of the mammals who were on this ship. One slip up and we were good as dead. There was _one_ thing they wanted however. I ran into the cabin and grabbed the mic. 

“This is Tide-Chaser, we've captured the rabbit, and are seeking permission to bring her aboard.” I used the gruffest, most masculine voice I could muster, although I doubt it would work.

“ _You got that fucking Olivia Springs? Good work mate! The boss_ knew _holding this hostage would draw that cunt out. Bring it over to the port side and we'll lower the lift._ ”

Or maybe it will. Wow, these guys sure are gullible. “Ok Nate, we need to move this ship closer. Whatever you do, do _not_ go to where they said, they'll probably have others waiting. Here is good, oh wait! There’s another boat here!”

We pulled around a small obstacle that was floating in the water to what had appeared to be an unobserved side of the large vessel, just to find a boat much smaller than this one floating right next to it. I pulled out my scope and took a look. I was expecting to see someone on it, but it was vacant. That gave me an idea.

“Nate, pull up next to that boat, Drake, get ready!”

“What are you going to…”

“Trust me.”

When Nate finally pulled alongside the smaller boat, I jumped off into it. Nate tried to object but I threw a smile at him that seemed to calm him down. I moved over to the controls. I had watched Nate… operating the boat while riding here, and saw it was a rather simple setup. I turned the ignition switch and the boat’s engine revved up. Looking around I saw a metal box that was large enough for what I needed to do. 

“Ok Nate, as soon as this boat moves, I'm going to jump back onto yours!”

“But Olivia…”

“I said trust me!”

“But the tie!”

Tie? What was he talking about? I shook it out of my head and propped forward the accelerator with the object. I felt it start to move forward as I ran and jumped back onto Nate’s boat. This would act as a distraction for Nate to escape once it darted the opposite direction. Or at least it should, why isn’t it moving?

“Olivia! It’s tied to the ship!”

Then I saw it, some kind of rope attaching the smaller boat to the larger one. Fuck, why didn’t he tell me about that? Oh, wait, he did. I really need to start listening more. I pulled out my gun. Since it was silenced it wouldn’t attract any attention. I fired once but it only grazed the rope. It took two more shots to finally weaken it enough to snap under the tension, and the mammal-less boat took off. I quickly grabbed the radio.

“Tide-Chaser to Tide-Breaker! That fucking rabbit knocked one my boys out and stole a fucking boat! We need all available craft after her!”

“ _What? Oh the boss ain’t gonna be happy. You heard him, after that boat!_ ”

So very gullible. When surrounded by these raiders, I feel like the smartest mammal out here. “Ok, as soon as we take off, book it back to the others and await my signal.”

“You don’t have to do it alone. I… can wait here?”

“I'll be fine.”

“But… I…”

He didn’t want me to leave. He seemed eager enough to drive me here, but now he didn’t want to leave me to whatever awaited us up there. I would love to have the back-up, but the more that board, the greater the risk of detection. I had to convince him to go, despite the odds. I walked over to him and grabbed both his shoulders with my paws and leaned in. Holly'll have a field day with this, but I had a feeling it would work. Nate seemed to be caught by surprise, uncertain on what to do. I leaned in until we could feel the warmth of each other’s face. I really wanted to, I really did but…

“You be a good boy and head back, and maybe we can continue from here.” I whispered the words. I don’t know why being so close to him made me feel this way. It was a surprisingly good feeling, one that I really didn't want to end, but I had a job to do, and I couldn’t do it with me constantly thinking if he was still safe or not. The last thing I needed was him taking the mayor’s place. 

“I… I…”

We pulled away from each other as Drake came up top. He looked between us as we were pulling away. 

“Olivia. Like. Cub.”

Not him too! “We… are you ready Drake?”

“Drake. Fly.”

“Good.” I went and affixed the Stealth-Boar to him. Thankfully it had some sort of strap on it, but I had to adjust it so that it wouldn’t interfere with Drake’s flying. Once I was sure it would not fall off, we were all set. 

“Ok Drake. Nate is going to head out of here as soon as we take off. After you drop me off, head back and meet up with them, ok?”

“Drake. Protect.”

“I know you wanna make sure I'm safe, but I need to keep the mammals up there distracted. I only have thirty seconds to figure out where the mayor is being kept, and it'll be harder if they suspect anything.”

“Drake. Fly. Olivia. Safe?”

“Yes Drake, I'll be fine. Trust me.”

“Oh… O… Olivia? I should mention… your Stealth-Boar is reusable, but you have to wait a minute between uses.”

“That’s good to know. Thanks Nate.” I felt myself smile at him and he smiled back before suddenly changing his focus to the controls of the boat. 

“Let’s go Drake.”

He grabbed me by one of his claws as we both took to the sky. Thankfully Drake seemed to have full control over his claws. I could feel the pressure keeping me to him, but at no point did it ever feel like he was going to break skin, although he _was_ grabbing me by the shoulder Blanche dug her claws into, so it was feeling very sore. I pushed the pain out of my mind as I activated both our Stealth-Boars. I had figured that I would use a few seconds in bursts to maintain the longest coverage, but since Nate said that mine was reusable, I decided to play it safer. 

It was a very weird feeling. The invisibility wasn't total. I could see the shimmering image of Drake above me, along with the same shimmer when I looked down at my arms and body. It was a very faint shimmer however, so as long as someone didn’t focus too long on us, they'd probably just think it was nothing. 

We flew up and over the side of the ship. It looked much larger than I thought, and there were mammals scurrying everywhere. I saw at least three large guns that looked more like cannons. That must have been what took down the Guardians aircraft. Unlike the other boats where the cabin was situated towards the front, the large cabin here was more centered. On top of that was a small mounted machine gun and I saw a moose operating it. He had swung the gun right at us and I was prepared to drop, but he must not have seen us because he continued his movement until he was facing away. That was close.

Near the rear of the ship there wasn't near as much activity. I saw a few mammals here and there, but otherwise it was the perfect place. 

“Drake? Down there.” Thankfully he figured out where I wanted him to go because I realized that he probably didn’t see me point.

“Olivia. Stay. Safe.”

“I will.” He dropped me close enough that I was able to land without making too much noise. I saw a bear turning the corner but he didn’t stop to look back. Good. 

I assumed Drake took off because I couldn’t see any signs of a shimmering nearby. Including my own. Fuck! When did it wear off? I looked around and thankfully no one had saw me. I found a small alcove that I shoved myself into. I needed to wait until it was ready again before I could continue. I checked my scanner and I saw dots everywhere. Lazlo had my friend-or-foe mode activated, but I think it only detected active aggression because all the dots were white. Somewhere among these dots had to have been the mayor. 

When my indicator showed that the Stealth-Boar was ready again, I peeked out of the alcove and made sure the coast was clear. I would only activate it when I needed to. When I saw that no one was there, I left my hiding spot and picked the nearest corner to me. I glanced past it and saw at least five mammals ahead of me. I tried to think of where the mayor could be, and then I saw a door. I'd bet anything she's down below. I activated my Stealth-Boar and quickly moved to the door. It wasn't locked thankfully, so I slowly opened it enough for me to slip inside. 

The inside was dimly lit, but I was able to make it out. There were paintings on the wall depicting a great sea battle. It looked like someone had painted over the sails of the ‘winning’ side with the same wave image that these ships had. There were crates scattered all over. I had no idea what this room was, but my Stealth-Boar was starting to wear off. I heard the clipping of someone’s hooves heading this way. Fuck. I looked around and the only hiding place was inside a large empty crate. I rushed over there and threw myself in. I felt my whole body bend in ways I didn’t know it could, but I was hidden.

“I can’t believe we almost had that fucking rabbit! The boss'll be royally pissed at us if we don’t get her back!”

“I know Frank. Hopefully our boys can retrieve her.”

“You’ve been spending way too much time with that mayor chick. Weren’t you just supposed to bring her meals, not sit around staring at her?”

“I can’t help it! She's just so… beautiful! If things were different, I would've rushed down to Hope and courted her with all my might!”

“Hah! Good luck with that. Though you got a point, she is very attractive, for a landlubber. If I could, I wouldn’t waste my breath with courtship. I’d take her by the fur and tear her in half… if you know what I mean.”

“You're disgusting. It’s mammals like you that give raiders a bad name. Me? I'm a gentlemammal who believes in treating a lady right.”

“I don’t know how you survived this long buddy. You should have…”

Their voices trailed off. I didn't like the way they were talking about the mayor. If I was in any other position, I would have shoved my gun right down his throat and made him take back what he said. 

“Those ass-twats gone?”

“Yeah… BLANCHE?!”

“What? You think I’d miss rescuing Jezzie, especially if it meant slicing a few jugulars along the way?”

“How did you even… you know what? Never mind, it’s too late to argue semantics. Just keep quiet until we find the mayor. Ok?”

She must have hidden in one of my pockets at some point. I'll have to have a word with her about sneaking around like that. Still, she might prove useful. I didn’t want the others coming with me because they'd stand out, but Blanche? As long as she keeps hidden, things should be fine. 

From how those two bastards were talking, we must've been close to where the mayor was kept. I checked my scanner and still saw a bunch of dots scattered around, but there were three of them very close by. I checked for any signs of life then started moving towards the dots. Leaving the room I saw that this place was a maze. There were doors scattered through the corridors, but most of them were locked. I looked for signs but they weren't helping. _Bridge_ , _Mess Hall_ , _Quarters_. I doubted any of those would be a place to keep a hostage. Then I saw it. _Brig_. I may not have a very good idea what the different naval terms were, but I knew what a brig was. A prison.

“That’s where they must be keeping her.”

“Well let’s go rescue Jezzie!”

I didn’t have to use the Stealth-Boar up until now since there was no one to see me, but that had to change. Around the next corner there was a door marked _Brig_ above it with two mammals on either side. One was a wolf while the other was a badger. Both of them had rifles. I activated the Stealth-Boar, if I could just manage to distract…

“You let Jezzie go you ass-twats!”

Blanche jumped from her hiding place and darted towards the two mammals. That little… fuck. I went to turn off my invisibility and grab my gun but then I heard two loud noises. I looked up and _both_ of the mammals were lying on the ground, a pool of blood forming around each of their heads. How the fuck?

“Olivia! Get your ass over here! I’m too small to open this fucking door.”

“How did you… When did… oh fuck it.”

I went over to the door and found it locked. I didn’t have time to pick it so I went over to the two lying on the floor. These two had died faster than I was able to react. I didn’t even hear them speak or fire their weapons. I'm so glad she didn’t join the Legionaries. If it was her who came after me?

I found a key ring on the wolf and thankfully one of them was able to unlock the door. The door clicked loudly as it swung open. It was dark inside, but not dark enough to prevent me from making out some shapes. As I entered the room, my eyes started to adjust more and I saw that it was a very basic room. There was a toilet, a bed, and that was it. There, sitting on the bed was Jessabell Swift, mayor of Hope, and someone I considered my friend. I didn’t know what to expect. In my head I imagined her crying, or yelling to be let out, but what I was met by was neither of those. There she sat, looking right at me, her face stern. 

“Mayor Swift, we’re here to rescue you. Are you alright?”

She didn’t say anything as she got up and slowly walked over to me and grabbed me in her arms, hugging me. “Thank you, but you shouldn’t have come. They want you.”

Her tone made it sound like she was simply addressing someone in a much better situation. She was a very strong willed mammal. Stronger than I think I could ever be. 

“I know, but I'll never let them take me, or anyone else again.” I pulled up the radio on my Pip-Boar. “Onion, I have Mayor Swift, she’s safe.” I looked back towards her, her face a confusing mix of relief and sternness. She was glad to see me, but I think she was also showing concern over it as well. If the Tide Breakers really did want to sell me to the Legionaries, then I just gave myself right to them.

I wasn’t leaving without a fight.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes coming at you live from Darkwater!”

**[Max]**

“Why the hell did you drag me out to this radioactive cesspool Stripes?”

**[Stripes]**

“For today’s After Show, of course. We're here with the smallest, yet deadliest ball of fluff that exists in all of the wastes. Blanche Tailoway! How are you doing Miss Tailoway?”

**[Blanche]**

“What do you ass-twats want?”

**[Stripes]**

“For an exclusive interview, of course. May we have a few moments of your time?”

**[Blanche]**

“No.”

**[Stripes]**

“Please? Only be a moment of your precious time.”

**[Blanche]**

“What part of _no_ don’t you understand? N. O. It means fuck off.”

**[Stripes]**

“Actually that spells F. O. What would it take for just a tiny bit of your time?”

**[Blanche]**

“How about you do yourself a favor and go wander into a deathwing nest or something.”

**[Max]**

“Well this isn’t getting anywhere. How about a drink?”

**[Blanche]**

“Now _that_ is my kind of offer. What ya got?”

**[Max]**

“Some highly sought after Oxbow Hard Cider.”

**[Stripes]**

“Hey! That’s my private reserve! You can’t just go around giving my stuff away like that!”

**[Max]**

“The way I see it, you buy most of your booze with the money that _you_ make from the show, money that _I_ have yet to see a cap from. Guess it’s time for you to pay up.”

**[Stripes]**

“Buh…”

**[Blanche]**

“Not normally a cider gal, but free booze is always the best kind. I’ll bite, what you wanna ask me pony?”

**[Stripes]**

“I'm not a pony! I'm a fully grown adult zebra thank you very much!”

**[Blanche]**

“Well you whine like a child.”

**[Max]**

“I like her.”

**[Stripes]**

“You're not helping Max. Okay, we need to get this show on the road so here we go. Ahem. So Blanche, I’ve heard that you have a bit of a nickname among even the other mercenaries in the wastes. Ghost was it?”

**[Blanche]**

“Yeah, that’s _one_ name I’m called.”

**[Stripes]**

“I’d like to know how you got that name, if you don’t mind me asking.”

**[Blanche]**

“I’ll show you.”

**[Stripes]**

“How did you… since the audience can’t see what just happened, I'll try to explain it. One moment Blanche was here…”

**[Max]**

“Pointing doesn’t help, you striped pain in my tail.”

**[Stripes]**

“Ahem. One second she was on this table, the next second she's back on the table holding a lock of my mane. You know how long it takes me to maintain these luscious locks?”

**[Max]**

“Uhh, that’s… not your… mane…”

**[Stripes]**

“Why are you chuckling? If that isn’t my mane then what… Is that? Gah! My tail fluff!”

**[Max]**

“Kinda looks like you got a rat tail now, or maybe just a worm trying to crawl out your ass.”

**[Stripes]**

“Alright! This interview is over! I can’t take this today. First he give away my best cider, then she cuts off my tail fur. What next? I need a drink. Barkeep? A large frothy glass of cider please. Well this is Stripes signing off and… oh, hello, you need something? What’s your name?”

**[Gary]**

“Gary.”

**[Stripes]**

“Nice to meet you Gary. Names Stripes, of Stripes In the Morning. You’ve probably heard of me.”

**[Gary]**

“Gary?”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, I got your name already. Is there something you want? You keep staring at me.”

**[Gary]**

“Gary? Gaary.”

**[Stripes]**

“I think you need to cut this lemming off. Sounds like he’s had one too many already.”

**[Gary]**

‘Gary. Gaarrry. Gary?”

**[Stripes]**

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna be going now. Keep the change. Thanks. Oh, hello, you… twins?”

**[Gary 2]**

“Gaarrry.”

**[Stripes]**

“Oh don’t you start too.”

**[Gary]**

“Gary? Gary.”

**[Gary 2]**

“Gaarrry.”

**[Stripes]**

“Theres three of you now. Great. Max? I think we need to be…”

**[Gary 2]**

“Gary.”

**[Gary 2]**

“Gaarry?”

**[Stripes]**

“MAX! Well, it was nice… um, talking to you? It seems that… there’s eight of you now. Yeah. Oh, I’m still live? Crap. Well, sorry about that folks. This is Stripes signing off. Tune in next time for…”

**[Gary 2]**

“Gary? Gaary. Gary, Gary Gary!”

**[Stripes]**

“Definitely not you. See you next time folks!”

**[Gary]**

“Gary!”

**[Stripes]**

“Get off me you little…”

_Static_


	35. In the Paws of Pirates

Nothing pisses me off more than a mammal taking advantage of another, _especially_ when it’s one of my friends. While the mayor didn’t look like she'd been abused by the paws of her captors, I could still tell that it had not been a pleasant experience. Her face remained stern, her posture strong, but her eyes, they were the ones that gave it away. I've known fear, and it was always the eyes that portrayed it the most.

“How did they capture you?” I didn't want to move from here until I got word back from my friends. What was taking them so long? 

“I… it was stupid of me. A few hours after you left, I got word that you had returned, and were badly injured. I tried to send Williams to get you and bring you to Doctor Boll, but that’s when we heard gun fire. We thought Hope was under attack. Everything happened so fast. I… foolishly went to find you, to try to help bring you back to the town and then I was captured. They…”

Emotion was starting to break through her rigid visage as I saw a tear fall from one of her eyes. “It’s ok mayor. We're here for you, and I'll do whatever it takes to bring you back safe.”

“It’s Hope that I am worried about, what if they hurt someone?”

“Then I'll make sure they never hurt anyone else.”

“Those ass-twats will never see it coming! Hey Jezzie. Long time.”

“Blanche? How did…” the mayor wiped her eyes as she gave me a small smirk, “you really know how to pick them, don’t you Olivia?”

“Trust me, this isn’t even the half of it. Now, why the hell hasn’t anyone responded to my…” then I remembered. “Fuck! I forgot there's some kind of signal blocker. Unless we can find it, or another way to signal for them, we're on our own. You don’t by chance know how many are on this ship, do you mayor?”

“I was blindfolded the entire time, up until they locked me in here.”

“Well, time to guess.” I activated the sensor and checked how many dots there were. Minus the three of us, I counted at least twenty. That was a bit larger than I thought. I used the Stealth-Boar to get onto the ship, but I couldn’t use it on me _and_ the mayor, so we had to take it slow, something I doubt Blanche was capable of. I do admit, I would love to just kill everyone on here for what they did, but the mayor’s safety was first and foremost. 

“Looks like there are at least twenty, maybe more.”

“I can take them all with my tail tied to my back!”

“Yeah, no. We need to use tact and discretion, we need to… where the hell did she go?”

I looked around and Blanche was gone. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye just as I saw her turn down the hall we came from. Fuck! She's gonna get us all killed. I primed my gun. “Keep close mayor and do everything I say, got it?”

“Yes Miss Springs.” She should have sounded happy being rescued, but her voice was still very solemn. She was probably concerned about Hope. 

“And please, call me Olivia. You may technically be my boss back in Hope, but out here we're friends.”

“Okay. How, may I ask, did you run into Blanche?”

“Long story, one that I'll be glad to tell you once we're out of here. Now keep your head down, eyes open, and mouth closed. I have the feeling that Blanche is going to make our escape that much more difficult.”

We left the cell and moved past the bodies. I had the urge to pick up the smaller rifle, but it took me forever just to learn how to use this pistol, I didn’t have the time to learn that. One of these days I should get Holly to teach me more about the different weapons out here. From the sound of it, she’s quite the gun lover. 

There was still no sign of Blanche, but she had to be around here someplace. We entered the room with the paintings and saw our first sign of her. The body of a bear was laying on the ground, blood pooling around its head. She was able to take on a bear by herself! I looked at the mayor but she didn’t seem to have the same reaction that I was having. Either she was still thinking about her town, or she knew of Blanche’s abilities. Either way it wasn't very comforting. At least she's on our side.

I heard commotion outside the door and I peeked out. Mammals were running everywhere, shouting about a ghost. I saw at least two more bodies on the deck, all with the same injury. Maybe she could take them all by herself. I heard a very loud, but squeaky swearing. It sounded like she was in trouble. 

“Wait here mayor. Try to find someplace to hide, I'll be back for you. I promise.”

“Please be safe Olivia.”

I didn’t say anything, I just gave her a big, forced smile. Even if Blanche took out a few more that I didn’t know about. That left at least a dozen or more Tide Breakers to have to worry about and that was just the ones _on_ the boat. When the other boats get back from chasing an un-mammaled boat, I'm sure those numbers will double. I activated my Stealth-Boar and ran out to where I heard Blanche. 

A large rhino had a foot resting on some sort of cage, and inside it I saw Blanche. She may have been small, but the bars on that cage were smaller. I saw her trying to squeeze between two bars but she wasn’t able to. No one had spotted the ghostly shimmer yet, so I needed to play my cards just right. 

“Little mouse want out? I don’t know where you came from, or how you managed to kill three of us in such a short time, but you're mine now. Maybe I'll use your hide as a condom while I fuck that gazelle to death. That’s why you're here, isn’t it? To rescue her.”

“DON’T YOU FUCKING CALL ME LITTLE YOU FUCKING ASS-TWAT! I WILL CHOP OFF THAT DICK OF YOUR’S AND KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!”

“I'd like to see you try.”

Oh, that fucker is going to die. During his little ‘speech’, I managed to get closer to him. The Stealth-Boar didn’t have much time left, and all I needed was one chance. I moved behind him. No one's seen me. Good. I held the handle of my pistol firmly as I jumped up onto the back of the rhino and held myself there.

“What the fuck! Who…”

I pressed the barrel of my gun against the back of his head and pulled the trigger. The bullet simply tore through the back of his head, silencing him forever. I saw the shimmering of the Stealth-Boar fade as the rhino started to fall forward. I jumped off and landed next to the cage containing Blanche. 

“Ok you fuckers! If you don’t let us leave peacefully, none of you are going to make it out alive!”

“That crazy rabbit killed the boss!”

That was their leader? He didn’t seem that tough to me. Then again I did get him by surprise but you know what they say, the bigger you are, the harder you fall, and he fell like a brick. After freeing Blanche I stepped onto the dead rhino and held my gun at everyone. I felt Blanche scurry up my body and come to a rest on my shoulder.

“Nice one. That ass-twat had it coming, but couldn’t you have saved him for me?”

“When were you gonna kill him? Before or after he skinned your hide?”

“What are you waiting for Jimmy?! Fucking blast her!”

I followed where that raider was looking right up to the machine gun that was mounted on the roof of the cabin. It was pointed right for us. This is _not_ going as planned. Didn’t I remember someone saying ‘cut off the head and the body dies’? I blew the head off of their boss, but the body sure as hell ain't dying. The gun started to spray bullets at us. The rhino was large enough that I jumped behind it and used him as a shield. I felt the impacts of each bullet starting to tear through the corpse. This was not gonna last long. 

“I need thirty more seconds and I can stealth us out of here. You think this will hold?”

“No it won’t fucking hold another thirty seconds ass-twat! We need to kill them before they kill us!”

Was her solution to simply kill everyone? I'm definitely regretting bringing her along. I may like the thrill of a fight, and sure, I have killed out of anger, and rage, and simple necessity, but if I can find a way out without killing anyone, I'll always try to take that exit. That fucking rhino did have it coming though. 

“That gun can’t point straight down, so if we can make it to the cabin, we'll be safe from it.”

“What about all the other ass-twats, ass-twat?”

“Stop fucking calling me an ass-twat you… you… ass-twat!”

I didn’t have time to think of a swear at the moment. I wasn’t even gonna ask if she was ready, I simply took off as a few bullets started to make their way through the body, hitting the surface beneath us. Just as I figured, once we got to the wall of the cabin, the machine gun fire stopped. I had another few more seconds until the Stealth-Boar was able to be activated, but I already saw the other pirates charging after me, guns and swords raised. One of them tossed a very large axe at me but I was able to dodge it as it embedded itself into the wall. I tried to pull it out, thinking a melee weapon may be useful but it was really stuck in there. Damn that fucker was strong!

The sounds of rifles started to go off as they got closer, and the axe thrower was chucking more at me. “This is a fine mess you got me into Blanche!”

“You didn’t have to rescue me either ass-twat! You should have taken Jezzie and left!”

“I'm not gonna fucking abandon anyone, even if they are a reckless, dangerous fucker like yourself!”

I don’t know when it turned into a swear-off, but we were nearly as busy cussing at each other as we were dodging weapon fire. I felt one of the axes skim my back, cutting it enough to send a sharp pain up my spine. That’s it!

“Pip-Boar, kill!”

It had been a long time since I last used B.A.T.S. and as the serum entered my body, causing everything to slow, I realized that I had missed this sensation, a lot. I wasted no time as I drew my gun and fired at the axe thrower, not even checking my chance to hit. With increased accuracy and heightened senses, my bullet hit him right in between his eyes. He dropped dead in an instant. Not wanting to let the rest of it go to waste, I managed to take down two more of my attackers just as fast. Then I noticed something. Blanche had left my shoulder, and while everything seemed slower, she was still moving fast. I saw her run up to a tiger and quickly moved up his leg and onto his chest, before finally reaching his neck. He was busy trying to shoot at me, that I don’t even know if he knew she was there. She took not one, not two, but all _three_ of her swords and sliced open his neck before jumping off and moving to the next target. She was vicious. 

I managed to take out one more of the pirates by the time the chemical wore off, but there were still too many. They must have signaled for help somehow because I saw a bunch of mammals coming over the side of the ship. We had to do something. I needed to signal to the others and let them know what’s going on. If only I could find the source of this signal blocker I could destroy or deactivate it and get in touch with them. That’s when it hit me. 

I should say, almost hit me. The body of a coyote landed next to me, just barely hitting me. I looked up to see where he came from and I saw Mayor Swift hanging out a window. How did she…

“I got the jammer taken care of!”

She… did? I tuned my radio to Onion’s frequency. “Hello? Anyone reading this?”

“Miss! You're ok! We couldn’t get in touch and were getting worried.”

“There was a jammer blocking my messages but it’s off now. We got the mayor but we're in trouble!”

I heard silence for a moment before Onion came back on. “Miss, the others are on their way!”

Finally, things were starting to look up. Gun fire in my direction ended up cutting my personal victory party short as I remembered that there were still mammals trying to kill us. I had no idea where Blanche ran off to, and I couldn’t stray too far from here without that machine gun trying to kill me, so I had to think. I decided the best thing to do was to get a better idea of the current situation by activating my Stealth-Boar and heading out towards the mammals shooting at me. 

“Where did she go?!”

“That cunt must have a Stealth-Boar! Shoot anything that looks suspicious!”

Guess the jig is up. Still, they can’t shoot what they can’t see. There were at least eight mammals that I could see, and I saw Blanche over near the edge of the boat. She wasn't moving as fast, she was probably exhausting herself, but I have a feeling that she's not the type to admit that. She kept trying to jump up onto her assailants, but they simply swatted her away. I had to help her. 

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

Once the serum was in full effect, I took aim at the closet one of the three. A hole formed in the back of his head as he fell to the ground. The other two started to react to the sudden demise of their companion but I was faster. I made a shot but it missed as he started to bend downward to pick up something. He was dangerously close to the edge so I decided to use that. I took a shot at his leg and it caused him to buckle. He tried to stabilize himself, but he reached for air and fell over the side of the boat. I went to shoot the last one but my gun only clicked. Fuck I was out of ammo! 

I went to change the magazine as the serum wore off and but the wolf started to charge me. He was pissed and was gaining ground faster than I could ready my weapon. He was almost upon me when a shadow passed by, plucking the wolf from the ship. Drake had arrived! 

“’Livi!” 

I looked behind me as I saw Holly, armed to the teeth, taking shots at anything that moved. She was mostly paying attention to me while it looked like she was firing blindly, but all of her bullets made contact with a pirate. She ran over to me and dropped her guns and gave me a quick hug before picking them up again. 

“Holly! Where are the others?”

“Drake dropped me off but the others will be here shortly. Where’s the mayor?”

“I’m here, and I got company!”

Mayor Swift came running out of a door being chased by two badgers. They were both armed with very large knives, but the mayor was able to keep ahead of them, but only slightly. I tried to take aim at the two pursuers, but the mayor was running to erratically that she kept blocking my view. They were also starting to catch up to her. 

“Drake!”

He flew over me as I pointed towards the mayor. I wanted him to grab her so that I could get a clean shot at the badgers, but I guess calling his name wasn’t really laying out a plan because instead he simply grabbed both of the badgers and dropped them into the water below. That works too. Drake landed right next to me and Holly. The mayor didn’t react the way I thought she would, but I could still see the fear, or at least concern, in her eyes.

“Is that… did you… let me guess, the ‘other half of it’?”

“You guessed it. Drake, Mayor Swift. Now let’s finish this rescue operation.”

I heard loud roaring noises coming from the side of the boat. I ran over to the edge while grabbing the now heavily panting Blanche and put her on my shoulder as I looked out. There were at least two dozen Tide-Crashers heading straight for us. How the hell many boats did they have? Machine gun fire reminded me that there was still a mounted gun above us. I went to fire back at it, but instead Holly just casually tossed a grenade over her shoulder.

“What the…” A loud explosion silenced the gunner along with the gun. 

“Did you just…”

“Yup.” She said it so casually too. 

“That’s a lot of Tide Breakers. Even more than I think we could handle. They really need to make a smaller missile launcher. Those things are just so damn heavy to lug around everywhere.”

“If we survive this, how about I build you your own personal rocket launching robot?”

“Really? That would be so cool!”

I was about to remark on that comment when suddenly one of the incoming ships exploded, followed by another. The loud sounds of engines roared overhead as I saw three Guardian aircraft begin strafing the boats, firing missiles and machine guns. Half of the boats tried to escape while the other half tried to fire back, but without the support of this ship, they were as good as dead. 

A fourth aircraft floated down in front of us. Stalker Logan was in the side opening. “Need a lift?”

Logan helped the mayor and Holly into the ship, but as I grabbed his paw to climb into it, I felt a sharp pain hit my leg. Holly quickly turned towards the source of the pain and fired some shots. Logan tried to catch me but missed and I plummeted into the waters below. The second I hit the water, my Pip-Boar’s radiation detector went nuts. I did my best to keep my head above water, not wanting to risk swallowing the tainted water, but the pain in my leg was making it hard. A shadow fell upon me as Drake grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me from the water. He set me back onto the boat while Logan and Holly grabbed me and moved me into the aircraft. 

“You ok ‘livi?”

“I feel… my leg hurts. I think I'm also going to be sick.” 

“It’s just a little radiation poisoning it'll…”

I threw up out of the craft. I really was starting to feel ill. All those rads in such a short time was a major shock to my system. Not being able to eat much was also not helping as I started to dry heave. 

“We need to get her back to HQ immediately!”

“Drake… you… coming?”

“Drake. Fly. No. Fly.”

“He… wants… too…” I could barely speak. Every time I opened my mouth, a lot more than words wanted to come out. 

“Don’t worry, we radioed HQ when the comm-array came back online and briefed Lazlo of the situation. We told them if a single deathwing was following us, not to attack. He was very confused but when I told him who was with it, he said he would make sure to inform the outer defenses.”

“Thank… you.”

“Don’t speak ‘livi. Logan, take us there now.”

“Nate…”

“Him, Mark and, Onion are on another Tac. They were coming to meet you when the operator spotted the boats. They'll meet us there. Hang in there ‘livi.”

I didn’t think there was anything left in my system to be ejected, but the sudden jolt of the aircraft moving showed me otherwise as I vomited out the craft again. My stomach was burning and now my head was starting to hurt. This was going to be a long ride.

***

I had stopped wanting to throw up by the time we got to the Guardian base, but my head was in full-on migraine mode. Every single light I saw was causing it to throb with pain, and every time I tried to move, the entire world started to spin. I hope I wasn’t dying. I had so much do to, but then again, if I died, there would be no reason for the Legionaries to hurt anyone. But if I died...what would happen to… Nate?

“Get her into the decontamination room immediately! We need to purge her system before they impact her internal organs!”

I had to close my eyes to block out the pain the lights were causing. I couldn’t move, I could barely think, I felt horrible, and to think all it took was a few seconds in irradiated water. I'm never going back to that place again. Fuck Darkwater. Fuck radiation. 

I felt something get slipped over my face as I tried to open my eyes. The light was much dimmer, but it still hurt my head. I saw a bunch of mammals surrounding me, all dressed in white gowns as I watched them strip off my clothing and jab me with needles. I was breathing very heavily from whatever was on my face, but I was still breathing. I was also getting tired. So. Very. Tired. I closed my eyes.

***

“‘Livi? You awake ‘livi?”

“H… Holly?”

I tried to open my eyes, but they felt so very heavy. I tried to lift my arms but felt them being weighed down as well. My breathing was still hard as if my chest was made of stone. I was still alive. I think. I tried my eyes again and managed to get them open. I couldn't see much, my vision was very out of focus. I tried to see where the voice came from, but all I could see were outlines. 

“Holly… where are you?”

“I’m right here ‘livi. So are Nate and Mark.”

“Is everyone… okay?”

“Yeah, we all made it back alive. Mayor Swift is resting, and Blanche is with her. Drake is in the Guardian’s garage, for some reason they didn't want to give him free run of the place, but Drake was just happy to find a place to ‘hang’. Onion is around here someplace. I think he might have shorted himself out worrying about you. We were all worried, but the doctors say you'll be fine.”

I felt a paw touch mine. At first I thought it might have been Holly’s since she was the only one speaking, but it felt, familiar. It felt, nice. “N… Nate?”

“I’m here Olivia.”

“He wouldn’t leave your side ‘livi. Although I did have to force him when they were dressing you. Ain’t that right puff-tail?”

“I… I didn’t look, I promise.”

My vision was finally coming back as the faces of my friends became clearer. Holly and Mark were standing near one side of the bed I was in, while Nate was standing the closest, his paw holding mine. I felt myself smile. I'm glad they were alright. 

“Hey Nate. Remember that promise?”

“I… uh…”

I saw that my arm was partially immobilized due to a bunch of small tubes jutting from it, but I had just enough freedom to reach up and grab Nate by his shirt, pulling him down so that his face was right in front of mine. “Thank you for watching over me.” I then kissed him. I don’t know if it was whatever drugs were running through my system keeping the pain at bay, or if I finally found the courage to do it, but it felt like the kiss lasted forever, and I didn’t want it to stop. 

“Miss Springs, a word if you… oh, I can come back later if you want.”

Nate jumped backwards, my paw still grabbing his shirt. It caused the tubes to be wrenched from my arms, and despite any pain-relievers in my body, it didn’t help stop this new pain. 

“Fuck!”

“You alright ‘livi? Nate, why did you go and hurt her?”

“I… it was an accident!”

The doctor quickly ran over and injected me with something that started to dull the pain. Nate looked horrified at what he did, but I did my best to smile in order to reassure him it was ok. Rather than trying to stick the tubes back into my arm, the doctor instead just put some kind of cream on the wounds and bandaged it up. After about fifteen minutes of patching me up, I was starting to feel better.

“Okay Miss Springs, I have some… news to share with you. It would be best if I told this to you in, private.”

He was looking over at Holly, Nate, and Mark when he said that. “No. Anything you have to say, you can say it in front of them.”

“Well, if the patient doesn’t care about her own confidentiality, who am I to argue. Now, your entire body was exposed to massive amounts of radiation, and this can pose potential hazards. Ghoulification, mutations, death, but thankfully you're not only alive, but not a ghoul either. That leaves us with the other side effect of radiation.”

“Don’t tell me I am going to grow an extra limb!”

“Relax, it’s not that type of mutation. Plus, that's very rare, and usually the patient dies before it gets too bad.” I gave him a look that caused him to change subjects, “… we had to run a deep genetic scan to make sure that the radiation didn't negatively affect your genetic structure. The most common cases of radiation poisoning is a weakened immune system, lethargy in muscle mass, and brain damage. Rest assured that none of those are the case for you.”

“Then why all the secrecy about it?”

“You, are a special case. We had to run the tests three times to confirm our findings. While there seems to be no harmful repercussions of this discovery, quite the opposite, there seem to be benefits occurring due to this finding, your genetic structure has been modified to include…”

“Damn it, I’m a mechanic not a doctor! Get to the point!”

“Miss Olivia Springs, it appears that you are part… fox.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**'Max Attempting to Cover for a Drunken Zebra'…**

**[Max]**

"Good evening ladies and Gentlemammals… So you might notice this voice isn't your regular host, well… You'd be right. It seems our normal commentator of the strange and sufferingly annoying decided to hunt down a supposed lost treasure trove of Alcoholic BunnyBurrow Cider, and found it! Where upon he promptly drunk himself into what could only be described as an alcoholic coma. I'm sure his liver isn't gonna be thanking him anytime soon. Anyhow folks, it seems that the higher powers have left me in charge of this little jaunt about the Wasteland and I for once prepared in advance! Hell, I even REQUESTED an interview before paw… Apparently most mammals take exception to a Zebra randomly appearing in their personal lives! Go figure… Though I have to admit with our guest tonight I was rather surprised when he accepted our request and even invited us down to his compound! So without any further ado, allow me to introduce none other than the famed Chief of the Wasteland's most famous defenders, the Steel Guardian's very own Chief Maximilian Lazlo. Sir, it's both an honor and a pleasure to meet you, though I understand it's come under some rather… Trying circumstances at the moment? I understand it's being taken as Guardian Business and I don't wish to pry too heavily, but there were a large number of your aerial transports spotted heading toward Darkwater not too long ago, if you deem it appropriate would you care to elaborate as to what happened?"

**[Lazlo]**

“A small group of raiders called the Pirates of Darkwater had taken a person of importance and we were simply launching a rescue party. To ensure their safety, I will not reveal who it was, but rest assured we were able to rescue said mammal quickly and without any issues.” 

**[Max]**

"It would seem that you and your Guardians have been hard pressed lately. Not to mention that ever since the now famous 'Hero of Hope' has come onto the scene of the Wasteland, a lot of stirring up has been happening, especially involving the Legionary Mercenary group. I know that you don't wish to expound upon any current operations, but would you be willing to tell us if the Guardians are looking into this matter? It seems these mercenaries have been riling everyone up and turning every stone imaginable in search of our Hero, they've even ended up accosting me on a number of occasions."

**[Lazlo]**

“Right now they're a top priority. The Guardians don’t care for mercs, but we typically stay out of each other's way for the most part. With the few exceptions of someone too big for their britches trying to hire them to assault my soldiers, we very rarely have to deal with them. Since this bounty was placed on Miss Springs, they have been causing trouble left and right. Between that, some major repairs being needed on Darkwater’s perimeter, and a few other need-to-know events, we have been stretched rather thin. With that said, I would like to tell everyone out there that the Guardians are always looking for more members to fill the ranks. If any of you are interested, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our recruitment agents. We typically have at least one at most major settlements, if not close by.”

**[Max]**

"Would you mind telling us a bit about yourself and your Guardians sir? Let the Wasteland know who the few defenders of their lives are? Give them a little insight into why you all still insist upon trying to fight the wrongs of this world, despite how overwhelming they've been for us. So few actually get to know you and your Guardians and would love to learn more about you, to know that the mammals out there fighting, are trying to fight for a better tomorrow."

**[Lazlo]**

“I'll be happy to tell you anything that is deemed fit for public knowledge. The Steel Guardians are an old group, created at the height of the war when mammals of all species were afraid for their own safety. It was formed when our founder, Chief Bogo, created a joint task force of the Zootopia Police Department’s finest mammals. Ever since, we have kept that tradition alive, using our technology to not only protect the citizens of the wasteland, but to help build a better future. We do not take our jobs lightly. Every member is paw picked according to stringent guidelines, and those we believe have the potential to develop into great a mammal are provided with all the training and teaching they need to unlock their potential. Many a mammal who have joined our ranks did so in order to avoid a life best fit for a raider.”

**[Max]**

"I also understand you've had a long standing relationship with the Valiant Family, would you care to elaborate any on that? I've heard tell that you see at least one of them as your own kit, though I'd understand if that's going a bit too far with that question."

**[Lazlo]**

“Ah, you know them I take it? They get around but until recently, I never really figured them to be the friend making type. Guess a certain rabbit has helped change their minds. I for one am glad for that. Sticking with family is a very respectable act, but out here in the wasteland, you need all the help you can get in order to survive. I saw potential in them, and had wanted to make them, or at least one of them, a Guardian, but just like Miss Springs, they declined my offer. I respect their decision. While we make sure that all Guardians are well taken care of in regards to food, shelter, medicine, and equipment, this is not an easy job, and many of our soldiers have had to give up much of their lives in order to protect this land. Leaving friends and family behind can be difficult, but knowing they are under the protection of the Guardians can help alleviate some of that. Plus we are not heartless when it comes to family. Every Guardian is guaranteed at least one week minimum of leave time, with the ability to extend that by performing duties above and beyond the call of duty. Remember folks, being a Guardian isn’t a job, it’s a way of life.”

**[Max]**

"Ah..haha...I er, wouldn't say I know them on a personal level sir, more that my less than erstwhile companion seems to feel the absolute need to annoy any-mammal making a name for themselves with an utter disregard for that mammal's privacy. He persists despite my repeated threats and actions involving the denial of coffee and alcohol rations. Alright sir, I don't wish to take up too much of… Oh… Oh they didn't, how… That God damn Zebra. I apologize sir, the last question I have on here is rather… Ridiculous if you don't mind me saying and it seems somehow our producers were able to slip a question from our… Rather invasive normal host into my notes… With a warning that if I fail to ask this, I shall summarily be flogged until Morale improves, then fed to the nearest Deathwing colony. I do apologize for this Chief Lazlo, but apparently a number of our ahem… _Listeners_ would really love to know… Is there something romantic going on between you and Mayor Swift? Oh you have GOT to be kidding me… 

**[Lazlo]**

“Ahem… while the mayor is rather attractive… as you can see I am well past my prime. I may still be fit for duty as the leader of the Steel Guardians, but I fear my time alone has made me rather unfit for a relationship. Plus… I’m not her type… if you know what I mean. You… aren’t gonna air that last part, are you?”

**[Max]**

“I promise you sir, I'll see what I can do, but as soon as the recordings are out of my paws our producers seem to throw all logic out the door along with the kitchen sink. I'll be sure the express my deepest sympathies and apologies to Miss Swift should they end up leaving it in. Alright, that's all the time we have for this little broadcast ladies and mammals! I again wish to express my deepest thanks and apologies for this interview Chief Lazlo, it's been an honor once again. Folks, it's been a pleasure hosting for you all and should Stripes wake up in time for the next broadcast I'll be sure to do my best to antagonize the living stuffing out of him for that last question… If he doesn't happen to wake up in time however, heh, well let's just say this fox still has the recording of me beating his arse half way across the southern Wastelands. I'm sure more than a few of you will just _love_ to hear it! And as always, we love to hear from our fans so be sure to send us a holo-recording of any mammals you might want to hear more from! As a final note to all of our listeners out there in the Wasteland Chief Lazlo and the Guardians are always looking for new recruits who want to make the world a better place for all of us! Until next time, this is your temporary host Max Redbridge signing off!”


	36. It's in Our DNA

“I guess Nate _did_ put a little fox in you after all ‘livi!”

“Shut the fuck up Holly!” I looked at the doctor who had given me the news, I was feeling very confounded over the whole situation, “what the hell do you mean I am ‘part fox’?”

“Well, it's rather complicated you see.”

“Humor me doc.”

“Well, some pre-war medical records were found that showed how many geneticists, scientists who work at understanding and manipulating the mammal genome, had begun to wonder if it was possible for two completely different species to create a viable offspring. During those events in mammal history, the feelings toward interspecies relationships were very shaky at best. Research went into modifying mammalian DNA to allow two incompatible species to procreate without any genetic defects. After the war broke out most of those documents were lost or destroyed, we didn’t even know if there was success in the field.”

“Well _obviously_ it worked.”

“So wait… just to make sure I'm understanding this correctly, are you saying that somewhere down the line… a fox, and a rabbit, had children? Your joking, aren't you?” Mark didn’t sound very sure of his own words.

“Essentially, that would be correct. If the files weren't lost we would've been able to pinpoint your ancestry, but unfortunately…”

“I couldn’t care less about my fucking ancestors. What I _do_ want to know is if this will have any negative impact on me. Am I one day going to wake up and find out that I'm no longer a bunny, or even a fox, but some mutated freak?”

“No, nothing like that. At least I don’t think so…”

“You don’t _think_ so!?” I shouldn’t have been feeling this way, but this entire situation was very… overwhelming to me.

“No, but there may be other side effects to this, such as traits that might normally be found in foxes, low-light vision, increased tactile and sinus senses. Though at the same time it _is_ possible, but highly unlikely, that you'll lose certain traits, such as your naturally improved hearing.”

I felt my ears with my paws, making sure they were sill long. I looked over my body the best I could. Fur was still auburn and white, my paws all looked normal. I felt fine. I felt like me, but I also felt… different. I had no idea if it was due to the changes happening to me, or simply because I knew about the changes. Either way, I didn’t feel like myself right now.

I looked at my friends who were still in the room, but they weren't as close as before. My outburst at the doctor must have scared them. Fuck. I tried to get up but the medical equipment was not making it easy. 

“Get this stuff out of me.”

“But you really should…”

“Now.”

He started to pull out the tubes from my body, and I felt a sharp pain as each one made a rather unsettling popping noise. My entire body felt stiff, but I was glad to be alive. As the doctor was patching me up I turned to the trio. Holly and Mark seemed worried, but it was Nate I was concerned about, and just as I thought, he didn’t just look worried, he looked… scared. 

“I’m… sorry.”

“For what ‘livi?”

“For snapping like that, for making you worry, for always trying to do things alone. I've come to learn how bad foxes seem to get it out here, and while I still can’t comprehend the idiosyncrasies around the hatred towards a single species. I know it was stupid of me to react so negatively about this. It has nothing to do with it being fox DNA, rather it's simply having something… foreign in me that is making me feel, well, not like myself.”

It was Holly who moved towards me first. “Don’t beat yourself up over it ‘livi. I'll admit we were all caught a little… off guard by your sudden reaction, but we know you, and know that you're better than that. And no matter what happens, we'll always be here for you. You just need to stop thinking about how to protect others, and start thinking about how others can help protect you.” She came closer and whispered very quietly, “Although, it’s Nate I'm worrying about right now. He… well, the stigma on foxes hits him the hardest, and while I don’t think it changes how he feels about you, your outburst has left him feeling… well, I'm sure you can tell.”

I was still looking at Nate, although I wasn’t sure how long I had been doing it. He still had that look to him that just made me want to hold and comfort him. Was his past so bad that even an outburst like mine affected him so horribly? Mark was next to him, probably trying to help him through whatever he was feeling. Each time Nate glanced over at me I tried to smile, but I didn’t know if it worked. 

“Hey doc, how much longer do I need you to keep checking up on me?”

“Well, the radiation purge has been finished, and while there still might be trace amounts left, it's nothing critical. Your leg still needs time to heal though. I'd advise on resting before you do anything to undo all my work.”

“Trust me, I don’t plan on going anywhere, at least not until morning. Could you give me some privacy please?”

“Yes, of course. If you need anything, push that button over there and one of us will come.”

“Thank you doctor.”

“Well, looks like ‘livi needs some rest. Let’s leave her alone boys and make sure everyone else is doing good.”

“Nate, could you… stay?”

“Um… I…”

“We'll be fine bro. You better go to her, you know how it is when I don’t listen to Holly.”

“Take that back brushbutt!”

Holly and Mark left calling each other ‘names’ that I was sure was just some affectionate banter between them. Nate was still standing nervously near the door. I felt, responsible for putting him into this situation. I let my emotions get the better of me without even thinking of anyone else. 

“Nate? Could you come here?”

“I…”

He just stood there, nervously fidgeting with his paws. Was he afraid that I would do, or say something bad? Did he think I was disgusted to have fox DNA inside me? I got up, and while my muscles were still very sore and barely responsive, I still forced myself to walk, or rather hobble, over to Nate. I had to keep most of my weight on my left leg, since the wound in the right was still not healed fully. 

I finally approached him but he seemed to back up a step as I got closer. The door was closed behind him, so there was no place he could go. I didn’t want him to leave anyways, we had… a lot to talk about, but I wouldn't force it. I couldn’t. He had to be willing to tell me, to tell me how his life in the Burrow left such a horrible impression on him. To tell me how even now, he still shows fear from someone close to him, despite all we've been through. To tell me how he really feels…

“Nate…”

I leaned in and kissed him. He was apprehensive at first, but I felt that start to melt away as I held him there. His body stopped trembling, and I felt his paws, and his tail, slowly wrap around me. We just stayed there, wrapped in each other’s arms, for what felt like forever. I only pulled back when I felt the need to breathe. 

“Olivia…”

“Shh. Come here.”

I lead him over to one of the larger medical beds. They were not the most comfortable things in here, but I didn’t want this moment to fade trying to find something better. I hopped up onto it and held my paw in a sign that I wanted him to join me. I still didn’t know if this was the right time, or even the right place, but I knew that I needed it, and most importantly, I think he did too.

“Nate, we've only known each other for a short while, but it feels like we've known each other for a long time. I… I never really had friends before, yet alone feelings like… whatever these are, but In that short time I've come to consider Mark, Holly, and… you, my closest friends out here.”

“What… what about… Onion?”

“He'll always be my first friend, but he’s a robot, he’s programmed to care about me. You… you three aren't like that. I've been dragging you on one suicide mission after another, and I have a feeling we've only seen the tip of the iceberg so to speak. I want to know that despite everything, that you, you personally, still want to be by my side for whatever the wasteland will throw at us, even after everything I've done or… said that might have made you think otherwise.”

“I… do. I… care for you… but…”

“But what?”

“But… w-what if this… was my fault?”

“How could _any_ of this be your fault?”

“B-back in… I was blamed for… e-everything, just because I was…”

“A fox? Like I told you before, I could care less _what_ species you are. It’s not the fox that I like, it’s you, and you alone.” I gave him a much gentler, shorter kiss to show him I was telling the truth.

“I can tell, both from your reactions and Holly’s and Mark’s that something bad happened in your Burrow,” he seemed to tense up at the name, but I put my paw on his arm to try to comfort him, “and I want to know what. I'm not demanding you to tell me, I'm not even asking you to tell me now, I just… one of these days, when you're ready, I'll be here to listen.”

“I…” 

I was slightly surprised that it was _Nate_ who initiated the kiss this time. I felt my cheek getting wet, but while I wanted to, I wasn’t the one crying. I gently moved his face away from mine and wiped away his tears. I gave him a light kiss before jumping off of the bed we were sitting on. 

“Where… where are you…”

I pulled back the curtain that divided the beds from the rest of the room and jumped back onto, what was for now, my bed. “The doctor said I needed some rest, so it’s time for some rest.”

Nate looked as if he wanted to leave, but I grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him on top of me. I forgot how heavy he was. We were in such a position that our eyes connected to each other’s. I wasn’t sure who was trying to initiate it this time, but I put my paw between our lips.

“No funny business mister. I may have some fox DNA in me, but that’s the _only_ fox I want in me.” I smiled at him as I removed my paw from his muzzle, “at least for now.”

Neither of us said anything as we kissed and cuddled in the bed. I was still sore, but I felt happy. Happy to be alive, happy to have friends, and mostly importantly, happy to know that there are others out there who truly cared about me. As I started to fall asleep, I didn’t want this feeling to ever end.

***

I don’t know how long I was awake, and part of me expected to be alone in the bed, but when I woke up to the feeling of warmth around me, I was glad that he didn’t leave. He was still fast asleep and after all we've been through, I didn’t want to disturb him by getting up, so I just stayed close and held him.

“We need to get Defender Skipps and Defender Clawzowitz out of their armor ASAP!”

What's going on? It was quiet and all of a sudden there was a loud commotion in the room. I tried to wake up Nate, but he was fast asleep. I slowly moved his arm and tail off of me and jumped down to open the curtain enough to see what the commotion was. There were two large Guardians in full armor being transferred onto a large machine. There were mammals dressed in full body gowns as they used the machine to pry the armored suits off of the mammals. 

“What's going on? What happened to them?”

“You're still in here? A patrol just got attacked shortly after leaving the base.” The doctor turned back to the others. “Hurry up! If we can’t cauterize the wounds properly they'll be dead within the hour!”

Who was stupid enough to attack… oh fuck. I started shaking Nate, trying to wake him.

“Wh… what…”

“Wake up Nate!”

“What time is it?”

“That doesn’t matter, we need to find the others, now!”

Between him being half asleep and the rude awakening I had just given him, he seemed very out of it. I grabbed him by the paw and pulled him off the bed. He fell but managed to right himself enough to follow me as we went to go find the others. He was still half asleep as we ran down the corridors trying to find out where the others were. 

The entire place was on high alert. Guardians of all shapes and sizes were rushing all over as yellow lights flashed along the walls. I happened to spot Stalker Logan down the hall as he was giving orders to a small squad. 

“Logan! What the hell is going on?”

“Our outer perimeter was ambushed and they're picking us off one by one!”

“Who?!”

“The Legionaries.”

Why did I have to be right? As soon as I heard the commotion I knew, I just _knew_ it was them. They must have tracked me back here. I thought that out of everyplace, that the Guardian headquarters would have been safe. Who the fuck wanted me this bad? The only one remotely close that I can think of would be that fucking boar. Besides the fact that I don’t even know if he's alive and from what Mayor Swift said, they arrived at Hope long before we made it to Baird’s place. So I highly doubted it was him. The only other possibilities were one of the numerous raider gangs that I pissed off, but why hire these guys when they can simply send their own? 

“Logan, where are my friends?”

“Holly and Mark went to look for you two, I'm not sure about the others. Chief Lazlo is in the command room, I would get with him.”

“Thanks, good luck.”

“We don’t need luck.” He turned towards the other Guardians. “Who are we?!” 

They all answered in one voice, “Lazlo’s Guardians!”

I’ve been to the command center once before, but this place was so big that it was hard to find anything. He said that Mark and Holly went looking for us, but I don’t remember seeing them. Nate was the only one with a Pip-Boar, so we couldn’t call them. Let’s just hope Onion is with them.

“Onion, come in!”

“Miss! We went to the medical facility but neither you or Mister Valiant were there!”

“We left as soon as we heard the commotion to find you guys. Are any of the others with you?”

“Yes Miss. The other Mister Valiant and Miss Kerrigan are with me. Miss Swift and Miss Tailoway are with the Chief and Mister Drake is, well I don’t know where he is.”

“Tell them to meet us at the command center, we're heading there now.”

“Will do Miss.”

Most of this place is underground so save for some kind of nuclear attack, we should be safe in here, but if these Legionaries are this desperate to get a hold of me, I doubt any of us will be safe for much longer. We still haven’t found a way to make a Corpse Engine yet, so our current plan is at a standstill, even if we _do_ have potential ‘subject’ for it. The thought of the plan makes me shiver. I still wasn’t entirely sure this was a good plan, but it was the only one.

“Nate, you know where the command center is?”

“Yeah it’s…” he looked down the different corridors we had stopped at before pointing down one. “Down there, I think.”

“Good enough for me. Let’s go.”

“Olivia, about… earlier?”

“Now's not the time to discuss it,” I turned and smiled at him, “but I liked it. Now get going!”

I saw a small smile form on his face as we bolted down towards the command center. Nate took the lead since he seemed to know where we were going. This place was definitely a lot larger than I realized. We had to have taken a dozen different corridors before finally arriving outside a set of doors marked: _Command Center_. Upon entering I saw that everyone, except Drake, was present.

“Okay, what the fuck is going on, and where's Drake?”

“Drake's still in the hangar. The others were, well too nervous of him to let him simply wander the place. As for the situation? Legionaries are hitting our smaller outposts and targeting our outer defenses. We've never had them attack us before, at least not this directly. It started about forty minutes ago.” 

Chief Lazlo was behind a large screen that was showcasing footage from the exterior. He spoke so calmly as if this was merely routine, but his words made it show that this was far from routine. I moved over to see the monitors and saw Guardian forces engaging similarly armed forces wearing black and gold uniforms. They may not have those massive armored suits, but they were still holding their ground against the Guardians. 

“They're after me, no doubt.”

“And they won’t get you. The command center is at the deepest part of the base, it would take a series of tactical nukes to blow us open, but I don’t even think that firepower exists outside of the cache deep within Guardian Outpost Alpha-One. It would be safer if you, all of you, stayed here while we take care of things surface-side, although, Miss Springs, we do have a dress code around here.”

I was about to ask him what he meant when I suddenly realized I was still in my medical gown. I was in such a hurry that I didn’t even think about changing. Thankfully Holly seemed to have been prepared. She came over and tossed me my bag, along with my clothes and coat, which looked like they had been cleaned. I moved over to a corner where I could get properly dressed. My Pip-Boar and gear had also made it into my bag, so I was all set to go. 

“Chief Lazlo, I can’t just sit here while your Guardians are getting killed because of _me_.”

“‘Livi, we all know you mean well, but those Legionaries, they mean business. If none of Lazlo’s Guardians can take them, then what hope do we have?”

“The one thing I have learned during my time in the wasteland is that the moment you lose all hope, is the moment you've truly lost. If we have even the smallest sliver of hope to cling onto, we need to take that chance. If we don’t, then we're no better than those fuckers out there.”

“What'd you have in mind?”

“You're right Holly, a head on attack won't be good, all we need to do is draw them away in order for Lazlo to build their defenses back up, and I have an idea.”

“This isn’t one of your insane ideas, is it? Tell me it’s not. It is, isn’t it?”

“ _All_ my ideas are insane, what'd you expect? Now, here's what we need to do.”

***

They didn’t seem to like my plan, but no one ever did. Thankfully they didn’t try to talk me out of it, probably because any of the other ‘plans’ involved us facing the Legionaries head-on. They already knew me well enough to know that I wouldn’t take no for an answer, especially when other’s lives are on the line because of me. 

Once everyone had their part of the plan, I set out to find Drake. He was the essential part of it. Out of all of them, Nate was the one who didn't want me to go. I wanted to tell him that we would always be side by side, but I knew that would never be the case, but I did promise him that I was going to be fine, and for once, I believed it myself.

Just like Chief Lazlo said, Drake was in the hanger, but he wasn’t hanging, rather he was pacing. The second he saw me he flew over and landed right in front of me.

“Drake. Sorry. Want. Help. No. Let.”

“It’s okay Drake. The others, well, I think the rest of the world won’t be so easily accepting of you as we are. Now, you ready to fly?”

“Drake. Help. Drake. Fly.”

“Good. Now in a few moments, they will open the hanger and we need to fly out as fast as possible. They won’t leave it open more than a few seconds, you good?”

He didn’t speak, rather spread his wings and let out some kind of noise that almost sounded like a cross between laughter and screaming. All I knew was that the sound hurt my ears and I really hope he never did that again. I heard the noise of a loud motor kicking in as the roof started to open. I then realized that I was asleep much longer than I intended. When we arrived here it was sometime in the afternoon, now it was night. This is going to make my plan a lot harder. Thankfully deathwings hunted at night.

“Ok Drake, fly!”

He grabbed me by the shoulders and lifted me up into the air. Before we had even cleared the hangar, the ceiling started to close again. I saw that it had been disguised under a large paved area. No wonder why I didn’t see it before. Flashes of light caught my attention as I could make out the opposing forces in the distance. I realized that it must not have been as late at night as I thought. I could see rather clearly, but the moon was…

I remembered the doctor mentioning something about my newly ‘awoken’ genomes may give me new fox-like traits. Did that mean… I took a look away from where the flashing lights were, back towards the base. I could make out the details of the gas station, the road, abandoned cars and trucks. The moon was nearly above us but I was seeing like it was dawn, I had built in night vision!

“Drake, bring us as close to the fight as you can without landing. The second they make us their target, fly as high and fast as you can in that direction, got it?”

“Drake. Follow.”

Now for phase one of my hastily put together plan. Let’s just hope that the others are able to make it in time. Due to the cover of night, and Drake’s rather silent flying, we made it to where the nearest combatants were as I felt us start to decline in elevation. As we got closer, I also hoped that Lazlo got his orders out to them. The last thing I needed was _both_ of the groups attacking me. 

When we got close enough, I turned my Pip-Boar’s light on maximum and shone it right at the Legionaries. Lazlo’s orders must have made it because the second the light turned on, all the Guardians ceased their fire and took cover. I pulled out my gun and sent a few warning shots at them, and by warning I mean I put a bullet into one of them. That got their attention fast as they all turned their guns on us.

“It’s the rabbit! Don’t shoot, we need her alive!”

They needed me… alive? No wonder they never tried to attack Hope while I was there. Who the fuck was so desperate that they wanted me alive! I knew nothing about mercenary work, but I'm sure it is easier to kill someone than take them hostage. This made me want to get to the bottom of this even more, but I had pressing matters. 

I had thought that one of them fired a missile at me, but I knew it wasn’t the case when the entire night sky lit up like someone just turned on the sun. I must have been visible for miles up here. I looked back and saw that not only the group I just passed had started to follow, but two more groups had joined them. Little did they know they were falling into my trap.

“Drake, faster!”

I felt him pick up speed as we moved far away from the base. More of the sky was illuminated from whatever they were firing, creating a visual path for them to follow me. We had flown far enough away that I could no longer see our origin, and that meant it was time for phase two. 

“Drake! Stop and turn around, keep this height and make a few passed over them!”

“Rabbit. Crazy.”

“You should have learned that by now! Trust me!”

He must have had faith in me because he stopped abruptly and turned towards the pursuers. A couple of them fired as we flew overhead but Drake was too fast for them. Either that or they were afraid of accidentally hitting me. I still had no idea why they wanted me alive, but it was working in our favor. They should be here any…

The familiar sound of a grenade launcher tore through the air. Seconds later, the crowd of now at least a dozen Legionaries were scattered by a well placed grenade. One of the Guardian’s Tac-Lifter’s appeared over the horizon and darted towards us. Between my newly acquired night vision, and the remnants of the illuminated sky, I saw Mayor Swift leaning out of the aircraft, a grenade launcher in paw. That was twice the mayor saved my ass.

Phase three relied on Stalker Logan and his squad, and he was right on time. The Legionary forces below were scattered, but they were not down yet. They opened fire upon the Tac-Lifter that contained Mayor Swift, but before they could bring out the big guns, they were met by Logan’s team who rushed and engaged the rear of the Legionary group. Chaos broke out as they were torn between the aircraft, the engaging forces, and trying to take down Drake who was busy dodging their volleys. 

“Drake, fly me behind the Guardians and drop me off.”

He lifted further into the air, trying to avoid incoming fire and carried me behind Logan’s force. Just as Drake and I landed, I saw two more Tac-Lifters enter the fray, along with at least a dozen Exo-Armor wearing Guardians, lead by Chief Lazlo. Lazlo stopped by me as the rest of his forces engaged the enemy. 

“Glad to see you're okay Olivia! We can take it from here. Your insane stunt worked out better than any of us thought.”

“Between you and me Chief? It worked out better than _I_ thought too. It turns out fate worked in my favor too. I overheard one of them say they wanted me, alive.”

“Alive? That makes things much, much worse I am afraid. The Legionaries will do anything for caps, but that doesn’t always come cheap. Taking a target alive, getting them to attack a major Guardian outpost? Whoever hired them must have more caps than anyone in the wasteland, and if they're willing to throw away that much just to get one rabbit, then that person is also the most _dangerous_ mammal in the wasteland. What did you do to piss them off?”

“I don’t know! I can’t imagine anyone who would go through those lengths just to capture me.”

A Tac-Lifter landed and the rest of my friends came to join my side. Nate was the first one to reach me as I instinctively grabbed and kissed him. 

“Did you get it?”

“I… yes, but…”

“But? But what?”

“Well… I was able to intercept the… signal, but while trying to triangulate the signal’s origin, another one popped up. I wasn’t able to get them both before they vanished.” I went to say something, but his ears perked and a smile formed on his face. “However… both signals were in the same direction, so I was able to get a proximity location. It’s still about a mile in diameter, but if I can intercept another one, I can further triangulate it.”

“It’s a start.” I noticed that Blanche had propped herself among Onion’s antenna array. “If things go according to plan, we may not need your Corpse Engine after all Blanche. But if things go south, at least we have a backup plan.”

“No fur off my back. Not like you had anyone to operate it.”

“I figured since you brought it up, that _you_ would be the operator.”

“No fucking way ass-twat! I ain’t getting in one of those things, even if you gave me a million caps!”

“That… would have been nice to know earlier.”

“Well you never asked.”

All I could do was sigh. I really knew how to pick them, didn’t I? Maybe I'll end up befriending a Legionary who will just tell us everything we need to know, avoiding the whole need to seek out the answers by force. The way things have been going, I don’t think it would surprise me one bit. 

We said goodbye to Chief Lazlo and thanked him for all his help. I wanted to say goodbye to Mayor Swift, but he told me that they were taking her back to Hope right after this. Her citizens were probably worried sick over her safety. She spent long enough away from them. I overheard Lazlo tell Nate that that thing he wanted will be delivered to their bunker in a few days. 

“What was that about?”

“Oh, the Wizkit has been looking for some stuff for a special ‘project’ of his, and the Chief happened to have something. Guess he felt indebted to us for rescuing the mayor _and_ his troops from Darkwater, and now saving their hides from those Legionaries as well. The Chief may be a tottering old coot, but he’s one of the kindest souls we met out here, next to you that is.”

“They're few and far between, aren’t they Holly?”

“This world has the tendency to take the most kind hearted of mammal and turn them inside out, corrupting every last being of their soul until there's nothing but a husk left. The Chief, Mayor Swift, you. You all find your own ways to hang onto the smallest piece of good in you, and that's what makes you better than anyone else out here. That's what makes you stand out like a beacon in the night. You might be the most insane mammal I've ever known Olivia Springs, but deep inside, you are also the kindest. I think Nate knows that too.”

I looked at Nate. He was happy, happier than I think I had ever seen him. Even when he didn’t want me to go as a distraction, I could tell that despite his concern for my safety, that he had changed. He looked, sounded, _felt_ happier, even after everything we've been through, after everything I've said, or done. 

“So… I heard that you and Nate…”

“Way to ruin the moment Holly!”

I knew she was just teasing me, that was, in her own way, how she showed she cared. They all cared. I'm glad I left Burrow Seventy-Six. In there, I don’t think I would've ever had a life this good. In there, I don’t think I would've ever been this happy. 

I’ve changed too, and if I can change, if Nate can change. This world can change, and I want to be there helping it in whatever way I can.

The smallest sliver of hope. That’s all I needed.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is your host with the most, the veritable visionary of verbal communication, everyone’s favorite zebra, C. Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Good news folks, today will be an educational show!”

**[Max]**

“Um, how is that good news? No one's tuning in for a lecture.”

**[Stripes]**

“Now, now Max, I have good reasoning behind today’s show, but first, let me ask you a rather personal question.”

**[Max]**

“And if I refuse?”

**[Stripes]**

“Let’s just say I finally learned where you store your _good_ coffee.”

**[Max]**

“How did you… never mind, fine. Ask away.”

**[Stripes]**

“I had a feeling that would work. Now, if you could have any girl, or _(coughing)_ guy, I won’t judge, what species would it be?”

**[Max]**

“Really? Well _she_ would happen to be an Amazonian River Otter thank you very much.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, color me surprised. With all this fox/rabbit loving going on, I figured it'd be some kind a bunny. So, Amazonian, huh? You like the big, strong type don’t ya?”

**[Max]**

“Yeah, I answered your question, and that’s all your getting out of me and I swear if you even think of bringing this up again...Let's just say I know where you're keeping that Bunnyburrow Cider. So Stripes, since it seems you can't help but to butt in on another mammal's preferences, what would _your_ dream mammal be?”

**[Stripes]**

“That’s an easy one. A giraffe. There's something about those long legs, that long neck, and that tongue, oh, what a lovely tongue they have.”

**[Max]**

“I’m gonna cut you off right there. This may be a mature rated story, but I don’t think _anyone_ wants to picture where you're going with that.”

**[Stripes]**

“Spoil sport. Anyways, the reason I was asking this is as everyone just found out, Olivia Springs has some foxy DNA in her system. Well, that's is where our history lesson begins! We shall go back in time to before the war, where I'll be like Mr. Peabody with my faithful assistant Sherman!”

**[Max]**

“Um, if anyone is going to be Mr. Peabody, it’s me. I may be your assistant, but I’ve saved your striped ass more times than I can count on all four paws.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well this is _my_ show, so I can be anyone I wanna be, and I choose Mr. Peabody, now where are my glasses, I need to set the mood…”

**[Max]**

“You don’t even _wear_ glasses!”

**[Stripes]**

“It’s called a prop… hey give that back! Oh, be careful with that or else you'll… whelp, that’s coming out of your pay.”

**[Max]**

“But you don’t even pay me! Gah! Just cut it out with this copyrighted bullshit before you get us slapped with a cease and desist and get on with the damn show!”

**[Stripes]**

“Fine, fine, doubt anyone who cares enough to do that is tuning in… oh yeah, forgot we actually have people who _are_ tuning in, so without further ado, let the show begin! So, as I said, we'll be doing a little tour of history. About, oh I’d say ten or so years before the war broke out, the singer Gazelle was helping to fund a small scientific project. You see, there were two major events that caused rifts between mammals. Firstly, and the more showcased one were the rifts between predators and prey species. This was a strong enough motivator for Gazelle to establish rallies, fundraisers, and charities, many of them funded from her own pockets. She may have been a multi-billion dollar international sensation, but while other celebrities were buying their third mansion and tenth car, she was using all that money to actually help make a difference. 

“Now, that out of the way, there was another issue, one that the media didn’t cover nearly as much, but was a concern to both predator AND prey. This was interspecies relationships. Sure, in the wasteland you see interspecies and same sex couplings everywhere, but in the wasteland, there are no rules, and if someone judges you? Well, there’s no one to stop you from putting a bullet between their eyes. I’ve seen mammals get killed for less. Back then? Oh, those were two hot buttons that most mammals were either too afraid, or too put off to talk about. That’s where Gazelle stepped in. No one knows if she had any interspecies affairs, but her decedent lives on today, so there’s that. Now, back to this little project she was helping to fund. 

“You can legalize interspecies marriages all you want, you can even change everyone’s opinions about it if you have the time and patience, but there's one thing you can’t change. Biology. Or so we thought. In a natural state, two distinctly different species can’t bare young. Sure some, like a zebra and a horse, could potentially do that, but they're still within the same equine species, but two completely different species? A fox and an otter? A zebra and a giraffe? A… fox and a rabbit? Not possible, not by a genetic standpoint at least. That’s what Gazelle had hoped to change. She didn’t want to simply allow any couples to have children regardless of species, she wanted them to have children, who in turn could have children of their own, to create an entire lineage of interspecies families. 

“Now, from what little information we have of this, with most of it lost during the war I'm afraid, it took a few years to figure it out, and a few more to actually get it to work. Early tests created mutated hybrids that were not able to live more than a few days. Now, before anyone starts to get outraged at these tests, I assure you that these were done with willing participants, or at least that’s what these Burrow-Tech documents tell me…”

**[Max]**

“Yeah, I don’t believe that for a second, especially considering their detestable track record and what's been discovered over the past few decades.”

**[Stripes]**

“Either way, they eventually figured out that a hybrid of DNA was too unstable and unpredictable to go with, so they simplified the process by allowing the dominant of the two genes to create a singular species. If, let’s just pick two random species that have no significance what so ever to the story, like a fox and a rabbit. If said fox and said rabbit were to have a child, it would either be a fox, or a rabbit, not a hybrid of both. Sure, the offspring would be have dormant DNA belonging to the other species nestled within their own, but unless some freak accident, like being bathed in massive amounts of radiation, occurred, they would remain dormant. Now, that doesn’t mean a couple could only ever have one species, twins of different species can be possible, but unfortunately only six known candidates were able to volunteer before the war broke out and once that happened, it was deemed by the military to be a waste of resources that could be better used protecting the Zootopian citizens. When Burrow-Tech was founded, they absorbed all the research and any information regarding the Inter-species Procreation Experiment was lost.”

**[Max]**

“So, there could potentially be other mammals with hybrid DNA out here?”

**[Stripes]**

“From what I've read, yes. It's possible, but unless we test every single citizen, we'll never know for sure. Well, that's all we have today folks! I hope today’s history lesson was both informative and enjoyable! Tune in next time for our special guest… hmm, I seemed to have misplaced my paperwork, hey Max, who do we have on the docket for Sunday?”

**[Max]**

"Really… ? AGAIN?! Do I have to staple those things to your tail or forehead for you to remember where they are at this point? Cause lemme tell ya, I got quite a few requests to play that recording of me kicking your tail out to the Eastern Barrens and back while you were in that self induced coma last week. And if you absolutely MUST know, I set you up with a little surprise… Had to trade a fair few caps from your savings but I think it'll be worth it in the end. Even went ahead and scheduled it so you don't somehow just pop in and freak the poor Ghoul out. Have fun with North West Buddy."

**[Stripes]**

“Ah, yes, that sounds about right. So tune in next time folks and remember, I will be working to find all the juicy little tidbits so you don’t have to! Good night everybody! Wait… What do you mean out of _my_ savings? Max… ?”

**[Max]**

"Oh don't worry so much, it was only like… twenty five hundred caps or so. NO biggie for such a _rich_ mammal as yourself. Oh and… I made a new friend, really helpful little fella, though I think you've already met him… Say hi buddy!"

**[Gary 23]**

"Gaaaary… "


	37. Corroded Steel

It had been about an hour since we left the Guardian’s base in order to follow the remnants of the Legionaries signal. Everyone was in a great mood. Mark had been singing a song that made me realize how good of a singer he actually was. I had suggested putting his own voice on the Savanna Caller but he shrunk back a little saying that it wasn’t _that_ good. Holly started to tease him about it, in her own usual way, while also checking over some of her weapons. No matter how much she joked around and teased all of us, she always seemed prepared for the worst. 

Blanche had ‘procured’ some alcohol from the Guardians and was dancing around and trying to sing along with whatever song Mark was currently singing, but her voice was definitely not one I would recommend to be played _anywhere_ , but we still let her carry on. I don’t think anyone wanted to get on her bad side, especially after I told them how she handled those raiders in Darkwater. I had a feeling that if it came from anyone else, they wouldn’t have believed it. 

Drake was switching between flying and walking depending on if he spotted anyone in the distance. I think he's started to realize that a deathwing, especially in the daylight, was enough to catch attention to us, especially since the Legionaries probably knew about him now. We wanted to get the drop on them so we were attempting to avoid any wastelanders who may give us away. Onion had been keeping towards the front, his scanners actively searching for anything that might have been hostile. I had synced the friend-or-foe program the Guardians enabled on my Pip-Boar to him so that if we located any Guardian forces, we could meet up with them. Chief Lazlo said that he was going to send patrols to make sure that the Legionaries don’t try to follow us or attempt any counterattack against the base.

As for Nate, after we had recouped from last night’s incident, Lazlo had offered to give us all our own bunkers for the night, and despite the incessant teasing from Holly, Nate and I decided to spend the night together. We both laid in bed just, talking. Even after everything we had been through, he still avoided talking about his Burrow. The few times I tried to turn the discussion in that direction, I felt his body start to tremble, and I quickly changed the subject. In all honesty, he wasn’t much of a talker, at least not until we started to talk about tech. Then I couldn’t get him to shut up, not that I wanted to. We had spent so much time just talking, that we didn’t get much sleep, but neither of us cared. Of course it didn’t help that Holly had _impeccable_ timing. She seemed to know _exactly_ when we kissed, because that was the exact moment she came in to ‘check’ on us. I think she finally got the hint after I fired my gun at her feet. She never came back, but in the morning Lazlo had a little ‘talk’ to me about discharging my firearm inside the base. 

“How far do you think the signal goes Nate?” He had kept beside me ever since we left, and while he had been keeping his eyes on his Pip-Boar, I kept feeling his tail trying to wrap around my waist.

“Can’t tell. It’s not close, and for all I know it could be originating from far past the Zootopian city limits. There's a lot of highly irradiated water between there and landfall. I can’t imagine the signal originating from that far.”

“Couldn’t we have, I don’t know, have Chief Lazlo let us borrow a Tac-Lifter ‘livi? That would have made this trip much faster.”

“We could have Holly, and I admit the thought had crossed my mind, but we need to try to catch them off guard. As far as they know, we're going in the opposite direction of them. A giant aircraft would have painted a large target on us and tell them: ‘hey, we're coming for you, better prepare all your anti-aircraft weapons before we get to you!’.”

“Plus those ass-twats have outposts everywhere. You think that once they get a job, they all pile out of their headquarters? No, they send it to whoever's closest to the job goal. Unless the person hiring them asked for a Legionary by name. Some of them try to stick out like that, it pays more.”

“Let me guess,” I turned to Blanche who had jumped onto my shoulder while she was talking, “you wanted to be one of the ones who ‘stuck’ out, didn’t you?”

“Your damn right! The more caps the better.”

“I’ve heard stories about the Legionaries, about how they're willing to kill children, or even tear an unborn child right from their mother’s womb if paid enough. Would you have been willing to do something like that, just for caps?”

Blanche took her time to respond. “The thing about the Legionaries is that while they're highly trained soldiers, just like the rest of the world, they have their fare share of crazies. Yes, those stories are true, and yes, there are some who get paid more just to do those types of jobs.”

“You didn’t answer my question. Would _you_?”

She spoke very quietly and answered with a sigh. “No.”

“Good. If you'd said yes, I would've fed you to Drake. That’s the last type of mammal I want with me.”

“Drake. No. Eat. Mouse. Drake. Like.”

“Aww, Drake likes Blanche. First Nate and ‘livi, now Drake and Blanche, I think we may need some kind of doe-bot for Onion just to make it complete!”

“Shut up Holly!” I had realized that both Blanche and I had said that simultaneously. We looked at each other and burst out laughing. 

“Miss?”

“Yes, you can have a doe-bot Onion, maybe Nate and I will make one for you.”

“No Miss, I'm picking something up on my scanners.”

We all stopped suddenly. I checked my own scanner and sure enough, there were three dots ahead of us. Because of the feature Chief Lazlo activated on my Pip-Boar, Guardians would be green dots, while unknowns would be white. These dots however, were red. Red usually meant danger, so I doubt this was good. We were in a larger section of the city, with buildings everywhere so while we had plenty of cover, it might be difficult to avoid them without adding time to our journey. We needed to get to where that signal originated as soon as possible.

“We have company up ahead, but there're too many obstructions to get a clear look.”

“I’ve been around to be able to recognize every ass-twat here. Drake, give me a lift!”

Blanche jumped off my shoulder and ran over to Drake and grabbed onto one of his claws as he took off. When she first met Drake, she was terrified of him, since when did she get so comfortable around him? I watched as Drake moved between buildings before finally disappearing past another one.

“Is it just me or did she seem much more comfortable around Drake just now?”

“You and Nate were too busy… having fun… to know that for some reason, her and Drake were in the hanger all night. Not sure why though.”

“Gah! Nate and I were just… you know what? I don’t care anymore. What we do is none of your business.” 

I felt Nate’s tail curl around my waist tighter. I had the urge to kiss him right there but was interrupted when Drake and Blanche returned. 

“This is bad. It’s those fucking Corrupted Guardian ass-twats.”

“Corrupted, Guardians?” I vaguely remember Chief Lazlo mentioning something about not every Guardian was friendly.

“Those guys are dangerous. We had a run in with them once, it almost ended badly for us.” Holly seemed nervous when she mentioned them.

“Yeah, it took nearly all our ammunition to take out _one_ of them. Nate, you need to report this to Lazlo and we need to get out of here before they spot us.” Mark seemed just as nervous as Holly was about them. Even Blanche didn’t seem to want to tangle with them the way she stuck close to Drake. 

“Nate, the signal points straight ahead here, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Then that’s where we're going.”

“Are you insane! Those ass-twats will tear us apart the second they see us!”

If Blanche was afraid of them, then they must be trouble. Still, I have been through much worse and come out alive, well mostly. 

“You guys stay here. I’m gonna go take a look.”

I tried to move forward but forgot that Nate still had his tail around me. I think before he was doing it subconsciously, but now, I knew he was doing it on purpose. He didn’t want me to do this, and from the looks on everyone else, neither did they.

“Nate, I'll be okay. I promise. I just wanted to see things for myself. I still have that Stealth-Boar, so I won’t be seen.”

“I… I’m coming with you.”

“Nate! I expect Olivia to do that, but you? That’s not like you!” Mark seemed very surprised by what Nate said. Honestly, so was I.

“You don’t have to Nate. I can see that you're scared, and I don’t want to put you in any position that would end up getting you hurt.”

“I… want to keep you… safe. Plus,” he took something out of one of his pockets, “I have a Stealth-Boar.”

I had the feeling that there was no way to convince him otherwise. After my discovery of me having fox DNA within me, and our talk in the medical facility, he hasn't left my side. I didn’t mind it, but a girl needs her personal space here and there. At least he was still too bashful to attempt to follow me into the bathroom or shower rooms. 

“I'm not going to change your mind, am I?” Nate simply shook his head. “Well then, stay behind me and keep quiet. Don’t worry, I'll bring him back alive.”

I took the lead and we made our way to where the three red dots were. I didn’t wanna go stealth until I knew we were close enough. Thirty seconds is not a lot of time to do much. Thankfully the entire time only the three red dots were present. I had started to wonder if I was bringing Nate straight into an ambush. A fallen overpass was the only thing left between us and them.

“If we can get up there, we should be able to get a good look at what we're dealing with.”

Nate simply nodded. When I told him to keep quiet I didn’t think he would take it that literal. Looking at him though, I could tell he was scared. Did he really care that much about me that he would rather put his own life in danger than let me go alone? Even Onion wasn’t that clingy. Still, it does make me happy that there is someone who cares that deeply about me. If only he would tell me more of his past. Maybe together we could work through it. 

I started to climb the rubble. There were enough paw holds here in order to make the climb relatively easy. I kept finding myself glancing back at Nate to make sure that he was okay. He kept a few feet behind me, but seemed to have matched my own pace. Once I got to the top I saw that the entire road structure was at a slant, giving us good cover from them in case they spot either of us. I folded my ears and took a peak over the edge. 

At first they looked like typical Guardian Exo-Armor, but after my eyes focused on them, I saw their armor was heavily modified. Large spikes and chains had been attached all over the suits. One of them, a bear I think, had the skulls of multiple mammals attached to the spikes. Two of them had large rifles that were unfamiliar to me, while the other one, a hippo I guessed from the shape of the helmet, had a very large missile launcher. I backed down to avoid a rather unfriendly meeting of the eyes with them.

“Three big ones down there. Two bears and a hippo I think, all decked out in full Exo-Armor. One has a missile launcher, but the other two, I don’t recognize the weapons.”

Nate took a quick look and suddenly dropped down. “Those are… plasma rifles!”

“Plasma rifles?”

“They… Th-they're bad news. They can… penetrate most armor and… a-a direct hit will dissolve your entire body into… goo.”

Goo? Oh that sounded bad. Yet, intriguing. I didn’t know there was such technology out there. It would definitely be best to avoid them, but with this debris everywhere, it would force us to take a much longer route. Unlike other parts of the city, many of these buildings had collapsed, creating large obstacles everywhere. This road was the only clear route through this part of town.

“We need to get back to the others, try to come up with a…” I was interrupted when something hit right next to me, leaving a small green glowing crater. I looked up and saw someone in one of the buildings. Fuck, a sniper! I checked my scanner and _now_ there was a fourth red dot. Where the hell was that fucker hiding?

I went to grab my gun but before I could take aim Nate jumped on top of me before screaming. 

“Nate what the hell did you…” I crawled out from under him and saw that part of his leg had been hit by another shot. It must have just missed him, but the smell of burning flesh told me that it didn’t miss him enough. The smell caused images to start go flow into my brain, but I did what I could to suppress them. Nate and I were in trouble. Another red dot appeared opposite of us. I just realized that if Nate hadn’t jumped on top of me, that shot would have hit me. We had to get out of here.

“Can you stand?”

“I… I think so.”

I activated my com-link to Onion. “Onion, we're in trouble! Nate's been shot, tell the others to get the fuck over here!” 

“Nate, activate your Stealth-Boar!”

We both activated our invisibility. Nate was able to walk, but he was slowed down by his limp. I helped him as we climbed down the side. The two snipers were still firing, but I could tell it was blindly, since none of the hits came close to us. At least they didn’t have any way of tracking us. It took nearly the whole duration to get Nate down to the surface with his injury, but we managed to find shelter behind a large slab of concrete. 

I helped Nate lay down as the shimmer wore off of us both. I went over to his injured leg and tore off the pant leg surrounding it. I had no medical training but I could tell that it was just a surface injury, that nothing major should have been affected. If something happened to Nate because of me…

“Nate! What happened!” Mark was in the lead, and I saw him with his medical kit already in paw.

“Get down!”

Mark and Holly managed to duck behind the side of a building just as a plasma bolt hit the ground where they were standing. I tried to see where the snipers were, but it was hard to tell from here, and even if I could, I'm sure they were well out of range of my pistol. A sudden explosion shook the ground around us. I glanced over the concrete to see that the hippo with the missile launcher had just blown a path through the fallen overpass. 

There was too much distance between us to have Mark properly tend to Nate’s wound without risking him getting shot, and the other three were starting to move on our position. My gun wouldn't do much against these threats, so I needed to find something bigger, and louder, and… my Stealth-Boar had finally cooled down, I had an idea.

“Nate, don’t move, please. I'll be right back.”

I didn’t even give him time to answer as I activated the Stealth-Boar and moved towards where Holly and Mark were keeping shelter. I saw that Onion was with them, but there was no sign of Drake and Blanche. 

“Where are the others?” I don’t think they saw me because they reacted rather frightfully when I started to speak.

“Fuck… you scared the hell out of us ‘livi! Drake and Blanche are trying to get behind them. What happened to Nate?”

“He got shot when he… jumped between a plasma blast and myself. It only grazed his leg, but he can barely move without help.”

“That’s not like him. I need to get over there and patch him up!” Mark sounded very anxious to help his brother. I didn’t blame him.

“Don’t you have an extra Stealth-Boar to sneak over there with?”

“In the bunker, we used the last stand alone one with Drake yesterday.”

“Fuck. Holly, you have any grenades on you?”

“Are you serious? Of course I do.”

“This is probably a stupid question, but can you blow up a grenade by shooting one?”

“Yes that is, and yes you can. You need a fairly high caliber bullet to do so, but luckily I'm always prepared.” 

Holly pulled out some grenades and I grabbed three from her. She hesitated when I wanted to take that many from her, but I just said: ‘trust me’. Why is it they always say okay, but never look like they mean it when I say that? She then pulled out a rifle with a very short barrel. She told me that this was a smaller more compact rifle, but to me it looked huge, especially compared to my own gun. It was also much heavier. 

“Okay, I'll be right back. As soon as I give the signal, rush over and get Nate to safety.”

“What’s the signal?”

I just smiled at them. “You’ll know.”

This was a dangerous and stupid plan, but those types of plans usually work best for me. It’s the simple ones that end up failing miserably. Once the Stealth-Boar was ready I activated it and ran back to where Nate was. I didn’t have much time left so I initiated the first step of my plan. Peaking over I saw that the hippo was in the middle of loading another round into his launcher. This had to work or else we were all dead. 

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

I had a vague idea where the two snipers were, so once the chemicals were fully saturated in my system, I jumped onto the concrete, still invisible. I tossed one grenade towards the hippo, and the other two in the general direction of where I thought the sniper’s were. I left the fist one alone, but then lifted and aimed the rifle at the other two. I took just long enough to make sure my bullets would make contact before firing. 

It might have already been daylight, but when both of the grenades exploded, it looked as if the sun had just came for a visit. The blindingly bright flash of light, along with the force of the shock wave the detonation created threw me off of the concert slab and onto the ground. The kickback from the rifle didn’t help much either. 

Holly and Mark were just staring at me as the invisibility wore off. I gave them a look to tell them that _that_ was the signal. They finally got it by the time the third grenade went off. Mark and Holly both rushed towards Nate. Just as I expected, the explosion had distracted the snipers long enough to make it safe for them to grab Nate and bring him further away from the fight. I ran over to join them just as the concrete slab exploded, causing me to collide with Holly. 

“What the fuck! I threw a grenade right at him!”

“Those Exo-Armors are designed to take a grenade point blank. I think the only thing you did was piss him off.” Holly was busy trying to hold down Nate while Mark injected something into him. 

Well fuck me. At least the distraction worked. My body was sore from falling, twice, but I was uninjured. Once I was sure that Nate was safe, I moved to where I could get a clear look at the incoming armored behemoths. The two bears were moving forward, guns aimed and at the ready, while the hippo was reloading. Thankfully it was a single shot launcher, so it gave me a few seconds between shots. The other two, however…

One of them must have spotted me because it started to fire its rifle. Both shots missed, but they were uncomfortably close. I tried to blindly shoot at one of them, but I was only greeted with the noise of my bullets bouncing off the armor. I needed to invest in a better gun, or at least an additional one. 

“Next time I'm at the bunker Holly, I'm ransacking your armory.”

“You better not!” I was just joking but Holly seemed serious about her exclamation.

“How do those plasma guns work?”

“Basically, a micro fission core creates bolts of plasma that are discharged through a superconducting barrel. Those things are dangerous and can turn you…”

“Into goo. I know. Let me borrow that gun _one_ more time.”

“What are you going to…”

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

I didn’t even wait to hear what Holly had to say. I figured if it worked with the grenade, that it would work with the gun as well. I also figured that if that plasma really was able to gooify anything, including armor, that this had a slim chance of working. If it didn’t? Well, time for plan B. Unfortunately there was no plan B yet, so this better fucking work.

I pointed the large rifle at the nearest bear. I could see a small glow coming from the barrel of his gun, so he must be priming another shot. Perfect. I took aim and fired. Now if I wasn’t currently in a chemical induced state that heightened all my senses, I probably would have missed. Thankfully that wasn’t the case as the bullet made contact with the plasma rifle’s barrel causing the entire gun to self-destruct. Green sludge like material covered the bear and I saw his armor starting to melt away as he fell to the ground. The other one received some splash damage, but it wasn’t enough to kill him. It was, however, enough to create a chink in his armor. I took aim just as I could feel the chemical wearing off and fired. It was only his leg, but it was enough to send him falling down, throwing his weapon in the process.

“What… how… what the fuck ‘livi!”

“What? You never killed someone with their own weapon before?”

“Not like that!”

I walked past Holly and just patted her on the shoulder. I went to the other side of the shelter to check on the hippo. It seems that while he didn’t get hit with any of that plasma, it did cause him to back away from his now dead friends. He was staring in my direction. I didn’t know if he saw me or not, but he was now aiming the missile launcher right at us. Fuck. 

I went to warn them that we needed to move, when I saw a shadow fly overhead. Please tell me that’s Drake. I looked back over and sure enough, Drake had just flown over to the hippo, causing him to move his launcher towards the new target. He went to fire but before the hippo could, Drake swooped down and grabbed him, lifting him up. I could tell that it was near, if not over Drakes carrying capacity, because he was struggling to get the armor clad hippo off the ground, but it succeeded in making him drop his weapon. 

Drake could no longer support the weight, and dropped the hippo. It was only a few feet, so I knew that wouldn’t have injured him much. I had to get to the launcher before he did. I activated the Stealth-Boar, not knowing if the snipers were still present, and rushed towards the launcher. 

The hippo, surprisingly, was much quicker and reached it first, but as he bent down to grab it, he suddenly stopped moving and collapsed next to his weapon. When I got over to him, shoved the heavy weapon away, but he wasn't moving. How the hell did he… That’s when I saw something white crawl _out_ of the Exo-Armor.

“Blanche?!”

“Who… where… Olivia is that you? You're invisible, aren’t you?”

“Yeah but more importantly, why did you just crawl out from _inside_ the armor?”

“All these fucking things have exhaust ports, and the bigger the suit the bigger the…” 

I didn’t realize that my Stealth-Boar had worn off until a green bolt of plasma hit the left side of my head. The vision in my left eye went black as I fell down, the feeling of burning in my cheek. I heard my name being called, but I couldn’t tell where it came from. I could, however, see where the shot came from. I tried to reach for the gun, any gun, but with half my vision gone, I wasn’t able to see where they landed. I saw movement near me as the missile launcher started to move.

Seconds later I heard an explosion. The window, along with the entire wall around where the sniper was exploded. I tried to get up and with my good eye I saw Holly was haphazardly holding the missile launcher. It was nearly as big as she was, and must have been heavier than that, but she still managed to get a shot off. 

Everything suddenly became quiet as I saw Mark rush over to me. I saw them speaking, but for some reason I couldn’t hear anything. 

I was surrounded by silence, and finally, darkness.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with today’s installment of Stripes in the Morning! On today’s show we have a special guest, but I can’t seem to remember it for some reason. Max? Where is that darn fox. I think I have some notes around here… ah, yes, here we go. Let’s see now. It looks like today’s special guest is… no, this can’t be right, but it says so right here. A… radroach? Hmm. Must be a… oh, hello there. Well folks, I know you can’t see this but it looks like a very large radroach just skittered up to me. Guess it is a roach after all. Kinda, odd, but I'm known for doing an odd show here and there. So, without further ado, let this… show begin. I think. Um, hello Mr. Roach?”

**[Radroach]**

_Clicking noises_

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, well um. I have no idea how this will work. You probably can’t talk, can you? I mean if there's a deathwing that can talk, isn’t there a remote chance that you could? Maybe? No?”

**[Max]**

“Stripes! What the heck are you doing with that giant walking disease factory?”

**[Stripes]**

“Max! There you are. I was just attempting to get today’s guest acclimated to the show.”

**[Max]**

“Guest? What the hell are you talking about? Our guest is right here.”

**[North]**

“He always like that?”

**[Max]**

“You don’t know the half of it...You're probably better off not knowing now that I think about it.”

**[Stripes]**

“But the papers you gave me said ‘radroach’!”

**[Max]**

“What papers? Let me see those. Hmm… Well, I was right. You _are_ an idiot, you know?”

**[Stripes]**

“I haven’t the foggiest idea what you're talking about.”

**[Max]**

“ _This_ is a pre-war flier for a Buga Burger’s combo meal! One bottle of Rad! Cola and a Roach Burger, a… _Rad! Roach_ meal.”

**[Stripes]**

“Let me see that. Oh, yeah I see it now, guess I missed the exclamation mark. Whoopsie.”

**[Max]**

“‘Whoopsie’? One of these day’s you striped bastard. One of these days.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well now that _that_ issue has been corrected, let the _real_ show begin! Today we have with us a very special guest indeed. Mr. North West! Good morning Mr. West, how are you doing today?”

**[North]**

“Morning? It’s nearly four in the afternoon.”

**[Max]**

“Don’t even try to think about it. It’s always morning for him.”

**[Stripes]**

“Indubitably. Now Mr. West, you're a trader by occupation, is that correct?”

**[North]**

“Yes, I deal in a bevy of commodities. Need a certain food? I can get it for you. Need a rare gun or collectible? If I can’t get it, for a small price I can tell you _exactly_ who can get it for you.”

**[Max]**

“This is an interview, not your personal advertisement broadcast.”

**[North]**

“Not gonna pass up this opportunity to promote myself. The more caps the better I always say.”

**[Stripes]**

“We’ll let it slide for now. We can always charge you for it later.”

**[North]**

“That wasn’t part of the deal!”

**[Max]**

“The _deal_ was you agree to do this interview and I don’t turn you over to the Quill you stole those caps from.”

**[North]**

“Yes, that deal. Okay, fire away zebra.”

**[Stripes]**

“Just gonna ignore what Max said… Alrighty then! So, North, you being a ghoul and all, can you tell us any about your past? I know some ghouls often can’t remember it well, do you remember yours?”

**[North]**

“Not really. Just remember waking up one day looking like this. I remember feeling… sick, and sad, but it was just probably the radiation pouring over me. Can’t even remember _where_ I was when I woke. I just started to… wander. Eventually I ran into some traders and talked them out of some pretty good stuff that I ended up reselling for a crap ton of caps. Figured I’d must have had a silver tongue in the past, and despite it looking like the inside of a corpse, it still works wonders in getting what I want. And what _you_ need. Tell you what, for just a penance of fifty caps, I can get you anything you want. How ‘bout it?”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, Max has been keeping…”

**[Max]**

“He doesn’t want anything. Trust me. Whatever he _thinks_ he wants, he doesn’t need.”

**[Stripes]**

“You can’t go around telling me what I can and can’t have!”

**[Max]**

"Oh? Wanna bet? I've already had your little BunnyBurrow cache confiscated and hidden away where you won't find it! AND the Producers gave me control over the finances...FINALLY, after they saw the last three expense reports I had to file due to your, extracurricular activities."

**[Stripes]**

“Ahem, yes. So, back to the interview. Mr. West, Care to tell me your thoughts on this ‘Hero of Hope’, Miss Olivia Springs?”

**[North]**

“Carrots? Yeah, she’s something all right. I’ve never seen a rabbit, hell any mammal with such a death wish trying to help everyone she sees. I tell you, if we still had an actual police force around, she’d make for one hell of a cop.”

**[Stripes]**

“Funny you should mention that. There are some that think that maybe, at one point, _you_ might have been a cop… what's your opinion on that?”

**[North]**

“Seeing as I can’t remember who the hell I used to be, that's always a possibility, but I highly doubt it. I’m a hustler, and some would even call me a con-mammal, although I usually find those terms a bit harsh. Experienced Trader sounds much friendlier don’t you think? Anyways, I highly doubt someone like me could have ever been a cop. Who’d even want to partner with a hustler?”

**[Stripes]**

“You’d be surprised. We got time for one more question. I'm sorry if it’s a personal one, but I have to ask, your clothing, it seems very faded and torn. I've seen ghouls who have near pristine clothing on, why haven’t you changed into something a bit less… destroyed?”

**[North]**

“Eh. I think these have a bit of a flair to it. It just feels… natural to me. Plus, who cares what I wear. There are two kinds of mammals out here. The ones who will shoot a ghoul just for being a ghoul, and the others that don’t give you the time of day unless you have the caps. I'm not here to impress, so why should I dress the part?”

**[Stripes]**

“Fair enough. Well folks, looks like that's all the time we have for today. Tune in next time when we delve deep into the background of… well, that would be a spoiler, so until then, I'll be doing my best to find everything that matters, no matter how much it hurts. Take care everyone!”


	38. Rest and Revelations

“Over here! This looks…”

H… Holly? I… What is going on? 

“Blanche, Drake, you go and…”

I feel… I’m moving, but I can’t… move. 

“Clear that off now! Get Nate…”

Nate? What happened… The shot. His leg. My… face. It burns. I remember falling. My eyes… I can’t see. Why can’t I see? 

“We need to stabilize her! Holly go get…”

Mark? They… they're safe. That’s all that matters. The pain. It feels… it hurts. Everything hurts. I can’t feel anything, yet I can feel everything. Every sore muscle, every burning pain, yet I can’t even feel my body, I can’t move my body. What… what happened?

“She’s going into shock! We need to…”

I remember… I remember Nate. He saved me, but got hurt doing so. Then, the hippo. He… he tried to… Drake saved me. Blanche saved me. Then, the pain. My face… it still hurts. 

“O… Olivia! It’s… it’s my fault! It’s all… my… fault.”

Nate? No, it’s not… it’s not your fault. You… saved me. You all… saved me. I want to tell them that, I want to, but… I can’t speak. I don’t even know if my eyes are open. It’s so… dark. I hate the darkness. Bad things happen, terrible things, but this time, this time I have friends, mammals who care about me. They won’t leave me to this darkness. Will they? 

“She's convulsing! I have to sedate her, hold her down!”

It’s quiet again.

***

I feel, better. My eyes feel heavy, but I managed to get them open. Light poured in forcing me to close them again. I tried to move an arm. It felt heavy too, but at least I can feel it. I was sore my whole body over, but I could at least feel my body. I was still whole, although my face, it felt… off. It didn’t hurt, but I knew it wasn’t okay.

“She’s coming to.” It was Mark’s voice that made me relived that I hadn’t gone deaf. 

“Shh, don’t wake Nate.” Holly seemed, rather quiet. 

“Are you sure this is the right time? I mean after everything that’s happened today, don’t you think she’s been through enough?”

“We have to Mark. You’ve seen how Nate has been around her, he’s… changed.”

“I know, but, the burden of it all Holly.”

“She has to know. I thought that maybe your brother was going through a phase but… this is real. If we keep waiting to tell her, it may end up being too late.”

“Tell me… what?”

“‘Livi, you… are you… how are you feeling?”

I tried to open my eyes again, but the light was too blinding. At least there wasn’t any more darkness. “I hurt. Everywhere.”

“I bet. You may not have broken any bones, but that plasma blast did a number on your nervous system… and your…”

“My face? How is it Mark? It feels… weird.”

“It’s well, how should I put it? Let’s just say that the fur on your left side won’t be growing back anytime soon. Once your eyes adjust again, well, it’s not like I could hide it from you if I wanted. You pulled through, but it was close. Too close. You're one hell of a lucky rabbit.”

Too close. Isn’t that the way it always was with me? “What were you two just talking about? You sounded a bit apprehensive about something.”

“It’s… well… it’s about Mark and I, and Nate.”

“Nate? Is he…”

“He’s fine. His leg injury was only superficial. He'll have a bit of a scar for a while, but he'll be okay. He was really worried about you, you know that? He… cares about you, more than we ever thought possible, especially after… Look...I, I think it’s time that Mark and I tell you about Burrow Ninety-Three. About how they… treated us, more importantly, how they treated Mark… and especially Nate. I’m just glad he’s asleep. It’s going to be painful enough recalling what happened to Nate without having to watch him...Watch him break again... Mark told me about how he reacted to the Burrow-Tec logo when you three were rescuing me, so you must know that something bad happened in our Burrow.”

“I… figured as much, but I can’t even begin to imagine what could've happened to him to have caused such a reaction.”

“Words can’t even begin to describe it. Just thinking about it…” Mark turned to Holly, “are you sure about this? About telling her everything, even about…” Mark then turned to Nate, who was sleeping on the ground close to us, tightly curled into a ball, “Mom?”

“Yes. We have to tell her everything, it’s the least we can do for everything she's done, everything she's been through for us… Especially for Nate.”

I tried opening my eyes again. They didn’t feel nearly as heavy. The light was still daunting to me, but I wanted to see them, to see him. I held my paw up to my face as I tried to block the light, letting my vision adjust. I saw the blurry image of a rabbit and a fox next to me. I let everything come into focus before setting my paw back down. Mark and Holly, their faces portrayed such a serious demeanor, serious yet… sad. Holly did most of the speaking. Her voice full of sorrow, yet at times, hateful. 

“On the surface, Burrow Ninety-Three resembled something that we heard Zootopia was all about, harmony between predator and prey. Below the surface, it couldn't have been any further from the truth. If you'd told _anyone_ there that preds and prey once lived happily together, they would've called you insane. Predators, they…” Holly looked between both Mark and Nate, “weren’t just looked down upon, they were hated, they were… none of the prey even saw them as mammals. For foxes, it was worse. So much worse.”

I saw Holly take Mark’s paw, and noticed small tears starting to fall from both of their eyes. 

“Everything started when Mark and Nate were, four or five. While I said that hate ruled the Burrow there were some, like their mother, who openly opposed it. She fought for equality in a Burrow that had bred prejudice since as long as anyone has known. The thing was, she was so adamant about changing the Burrow, that if she had just a little more time, she may have succeeded where others had failed.”

“Mark said that their mother died when they were young. If she was having such an impact on the Burrow… what happened to her?”

“It was…” Holly looked not at Mark, but towards Nate who was still curled up on the ground, “Nate doesn’t know this, he _can’t_ know this. To him, his mother simply disappeared one day. The fact is much, much worse. It was… the Overseer.”

I could tell that she just wanted to scream, but I think she was holding it back simply so that she didn’t wake Nate. The tears were starting to fall from both of them. I haven’t even heard anything yet, but just watching them like this made me sad, and angry. Not at them, but for them.

“One night, the Overseer… my… father…”

“Your father was the Overseer?” 

“He may have been my father, but he was a… he was a _monster_. He fueled the hatred of predators. It was by his paw that… their mother, who just wanted equality, was… what they did to her…”

Mark started to yell, but quieted down very quickly. “They raped her! They… raped her and then they… killed her. And I… I was watching. I saw the whole thing…”

“How… how could someone do that? How can anyone be so cruel, especially to do that in front of a child?”

“Mark, he… they didn’t know he was there. If they did, they probably would've killed him too. The next day, Mark told his brother that their mother left, that she was… disgusted to have brought two more foxes in the world. It was… she loved them. She would have never done that, but Mark couldn’t tell his brother the truth. The only one he ever told was… me.”

“Why tell me this then?”

“You… he cares for you, more than you can possibly imagine, but he’s also scared. Scared of losing us, scared of losing… you. You must have noticed that and the only way you can ever understand him, everything he’s been through, is to know _everything_. What you do with this, just promise, no matter what you do with this knowledge, never, _never_ tell him the truth about his mother. Please?”

“I… I promise.” I didn’t want to promise that. Knowing something like this and never being able to confront Nate about it? It would tear me apart, but the look on their faces, the fact that they didn’t even have to tell me that, I had to keep that promise, even if it kills me.

“Thank you. Unfortunately, it just gets worse.”

“How can _anything_ possibly be worse than… that?”

“In Ninety-Three it could always be worse. The day after their mother… died, the real horrors began. Mark had it easy compared to Nate. The Overseer only hurt him through his brother. Nate, however, he’s broken. Not physically, at least not anymore. Wounds can heal, bones can be set. Mentally? There are some things that not even the best medicine in the world can fix. The Overseer spread rumors about Nate. He not only allowed the other residents to abuse Nate, but he _encouraged_ it. He started to find reasons for Nate to attend weekly ‘readjustment’ sessions in his office. Drop a pencil? Misuse of Burrow property, _lose_ that pencil? Theft of Burrow property. It didn’t matter how little the ‘crime’ seemed, the punishment was always the same. 

“At first it was simply mental. Nate was told how he was worthless, how that his very existence was a stain on the Burrow. When he was ten, the beatings started. Before if he did something as menial as ‘drop’ a pencil, he was yelled at, but then? He was beaten, by his own teacher. Security started to physically abuse him, using their batons to try and break nearly every bone in his body, just to be healed up and beaten again. I… didn’t want to watch, I _couldn’t_ watch.”

“If you knew this was going on how could you… why didn’t you do something?” I had to remember that Nate was still asleep. I was more than angry, I was furious. I had to calm down, they were here now, and I couldn’t blame Holly. If she ever had any part of that, I don’t think that Mark would be holding her like that.

“I wanted to, I really did…” Holly was crying, genuine tears. “The only thing I could do was join security. There were… some who didn’t believe in my father’s teachings, some who wanted what their mother did, peace. As long as I was part of security, I could keep those mammals close to me, and try to make sure that my team were always the ones between the Overseer and Mark and Nate. For a while it worked. I made my father believe that I shared the same opinion on them as he did. It was the only way to protect them.

“Like I said, it worked for a time, but things never work out the way you want it. While I was never able to prevent all the… torment brought upon them, I was able to make sure it didn’t happen as often, unfortunately that was akin to taking a few buds off of a potato and calling it peeled. By then the mental scars were already too deeply rooted. All I could do was alleviate the pain, if only a little.”

“Before I say, or do, something that I'll probably regret… how did you escape?” I think my words agitated them a little, because they stared nervously at me for a moment before Holly continued. 

“I…” she had to stop and take a couple deep breaths before she continued, “I didn’t know it at the time, but my father had decided that Mark and Nate were no longer worth his time, and wanted to make an ‘example’ of them. Even without their mother, there were still those who tried to spread equality, just not as effectively as she did. He sent my team as far away from Nate and Mark as possible on some fake ‘mission’. He had found out about Mark and I somehow, and while he had no qualms about killing a pred, I don’t think he would be able to do it to his own daughter. Instead I think he just wanted to ‘punish’ me for dating Mark. 

“While my team was on the far side of the Burrow, he had another team, one more loyal to him, throw Nate and Mark in a cell, to be dealt with later, but not until after he personally beat them both nearly to death, just to do it again. He tossed their nearly lifeless bodies into a cell. I… can’t imagine what he planned to do with them. When I finally returned from the ‘mission’, I saw the blood all over his office. He didn’t even attempt to clean it, instead he used it to try to convince me that he had ‘done away with those little submammal pests’. I didn’t believe it, I _couldn’t_ believe it. I left his office that day, and what he didn’t realize at the time was, it was the last time he’d ever see me again.

“I had been in security long enough to know more than I think my father even did, and long enough to make friends. I quickly found out what he had done to them and that he had them thrown into a cell. I gathered all the food, supplies, and weapons I could, went down to their cells, convinced the guards that I was sent to ‘deal’ with them, and that's when we broke out of that forsaken place, never to look back.”

I could tell that telling me about this was hard on them. Having to remember everything that happened. They had gone from simple tears to being full on emotional wrecks. I knew something bad had happened to Nate in his past but I don’t think I was ever prepared for… this. I could feel my paws clenching together the entire time as I sat there, feeling helpless to have stopped all of this. I know they've been out in the wasteland longer than I have, and that when this all happened I was locked away in my own Burrow, but I still hated knowing that something like this happened. And the fact that it could _still_ be happening in countless Burrows, that it could still be happening in _their_ Burrow. 

“Y… you… told her?” Nate’s voice shocked all of us as he spoke. I saw that he was no longer curled up on the floor, but sitting upright, a cross between fear and sorrow was on his face.

“Nate! We… I thought you were asleep!” 

“I… I heard you… crying. Did you t… tell her? Ev… everything? E-e-even about… mom?”

“How… how did… did you… know?” Mark could barely get the words out.

“I… knew for… a-a-while. When w-we accessed the… computer… I… I d-downloaded… everything. I r-read…”

“Why didn’t you tell us? We… we didn’t want you to… we wanted to protect you from… that.” Mark was doing most of the talking now, but his voice wasn’t as calm as Holly’s had been. 

“I… I didn’t… I’m not worth… p-protecting.”

Before anyone else could say, or do anything in response, I found myself off of the makeshift ‘bed’ moving towards Nate. It must have been just as sudden for him because he looked, afraid. When I reached him I smacked him upside the head before bending down and kissing him, desperately grabbing at him and holding him closer to me. 

“You _are_ worth protecting.” I pulled my kiss away from him just enough to tell him that before continuing. He was crying, I was crying, we all were. I gently sat down, not taking my eyes off of him. Everything he's been through made my past look, sane. I hated my life in the Burrow, but if I was in theirs, if I was the rabbit that I am today, I don’t think I could've left without killing every single one who laid a paw on Nate. 

“Tell you what, when we're all done. How about we go pay Ninety-Three a visit, and I'll make sure I bring the biggest nuke I can find, because right now, all I want to do is make them suffer a pain greater than the one they put you through.”

“B-but what about t-the… others?”

“Others? What others?”

“T-there w-were still p-predators, and… o-others who don’t d-deserve to die.”

“After what they put us… you through? It’s been _years_ since we left that place. For all we know my… father, has already done away with them. I’m with ‘livi on this, I say we just blow the whole place up!” Holly sounded dead serious, especially being the fact that her father was probably still alive, causing…

“I… I…” Mark didn’t seem to agree with Holly and I, at least not at first. “No, you know what? To hell with that place… nuke it to oblivion, wipe it off the face of the planet for all I care!”

“N-no! We… we d-don’t know if they're even… like that. What if… w-what if they found a way to… what if someone found a way to… succeed where… s-she f-f-failed?”

“My father is too cruel to let that happen, you of all mammals should know that Nate! He’d probably kill _everyone_ before letting that happen!”

“Shut the fuck up!” I had enough with the bickering between them. “I’m sorry that I even said anything! I just… to hear something like that. It pissed me off. I want nothing more than to just walk in there and kill everyone right now, but Nate’s right. I don’t believe that it's possible for everyone in one place to be truly evil. Evil is like a cancer. Sure, you can kill the host and that in turn that guarantees that the cancer is dead, but you might be killing someone who can truly do some good in the world. Just to erase something you know is bad. I was never there, and I can’t imagine the pain that you all are going through, but, I can begin to. I'm sure that I’ve told you that one of the first towns I came to was Beaverton, how I found it in a smoking heap. I was too innocent of this world to have known what true evil looked like. Everyone who had died there, the prey, the predators, the… children, none of them deserved that. Yes, I'm sure there were those who were so vile that they deserved to die, but if we went and killed everyone in your Burrow, even if ninety-nine percent of them were evil, then we would be no better than those who mercilessly slaughtered the citizens of Beaverton.”

I don’t think I had ever been so torn in my entire life. I felt as if I had two entities residing in me, constantly fighting each other. I wanted vengeance. I wanted to make those who caused my friends harm, who killed the innocents in Beaverton, the ones responsible for me putting everyone I care about in danger, I wanted to make them suffer. Suffer a pain greater than I could even imagine. My other half, it wanted to help, protect. Not by destroying, but by lending myself as a shield. To take all the suffering brought upon them, and channel it to myself, saving anyone from ever knowing that pain again. It was a constant battle, one that will eventually end, and when that dust settles. I’m afraid that I'll end up causing more pain to my friends, than I could ever do to my enemies.

I just sat there, holding Nate, feeling his heart beat as it slowed down to a comforting pace. No one said a word after my ‘outbreak’. Mark and Holly sat there near us, sharing their own comfort in each other’s arms. I never had brothers or sisters, I never even knew my father. When my mother died, and save for Onion, I had no one to call my family. Now, right here, at this moment. This must be what it feels like. To be with people who truly cared. This must be what it feels like… to have a family.

***

We sat there for I don’t know how long. An hour or two? It felt like an eternity. We finally started to move as Blanche came to check up on us. She said that it had been clear so far, and that Drake was scouting the area while Onion kept a look out for any movement. She didn’t stay too long before leaving us alone, something about us all cuddling together made her need to go vomit. I was so glad that she didn’t come in earlier. I probably would have shot her. 

Holly and Mark seemed rather relived to have that off their chests, and not just about telling me, but the fact that they thought they needed to keep the secret of Nate's mother from him. I was also relieved. I really didn’t think I could keep it a secret. It was just too… he needed to know. If I found out that _my_ mother had been killed, and that someone was keeping it a secret from me? I don’t think I would have taken it well. A bullet to the face well. 

Even though they had shared their deepest darkest secrets with me, and even though they all seemed relieved to have that weight off of their shoulders, no one talked about it again. Even after getting it all off their shoulders, I'm sure it still hurt them to talk, or even think about it. I didn’t blame them one bit. 

Nate still seemed very uneasy with the entire event, although he had calmed down tremendously as we held each other. Holly said that I had changed him somehow, and while I still don’t know how, or why, I was starting to see what she meant. He seemed more comfortable around me, and while at times he seemed a bit too clingy, after seeing him risk his own life trying to save mine, he cared about me. I may have been uncertain about my emotions before, but now I know, I liked… no, I loved that fox. I just wasn’t sure if I could tell him that. This still felt, too foreign to me.

“Hey Nate, I had an idea, maybe you can help me with it?”

Despite the tension between everyone having died down, and us returning to whatever normal was for everyone, I still caught Nate occasionally looking at the scar on my face. Mark had a small mirror that I had used a little bit ago to check out the damage. It was a rather ugly looking burn mark that went from just below my ear to near the corner of my eye. It was roughly the size of one of the coins I had. Mark said that once we got back to the bunker, or if we managed to find a way back to the Guardians, that the skin could be repaired enough to allow for the fur to grow back. I couldn’t help think that Nate still felt responsible for it, no matter how many times I told him otherwise.

“Y-yeah. What is it?” I think he knew that I caught him looking at it.

“I was curious. Those plasma rifles, is there any way to shrink them down enough for me to wield, without sacrificing their effectiveness?”

“Probably… although Holly would need her weapon workbench to do it, so we’d have to wait until we went back h-home.”

“Darn. I was really hoping that we could have a use for them when we finally reached the Legionaries.”

“Wait, you… you want to CONTINUE?!” Holly had stopped whatever she was doing and moved over to where Nate and I were resting. “‘Livi… sweetie, I know you wanna stop these bastards, I really do. I wanna stop 'em too. Not only are they putting your life in danger, but they're putting my boys, Hope, even the Guardians in danger, but look at yourself! You’ve nearly gotten killed, what, two times in just as many days? You're in no condition to go on like this! Look at Nate! He nearly got himself killed protecting you, we all have, but we can’t keep protecting you if you get yourself killed!”

She was right, I was putting them, along with myself in danger. “I want to protect you as well. All of you. I keep throwing myself into danger, and dragging you right with me. I'm not afraid of getting myself killed, but I _am_ afraid of getting you all killed. I… wouldn’t be able to live knowing I got someone I cared about killed.” I looked at everyone, at Nate. I couldn’t let them get killed. I couldn’t keep putting them in danger like this. “That’s why I have to continue… alone.”

I expected them to yell at me, to tell me that it wasn’t going to happen. What I didn’t expect was to be thrown to the ground, all four of my limbs pinned under Nate’s weight. This entire time he had looked sad, terrified, even hopeless, but now, he just looked angry.

“NO! I will NOT let you! I… I don’t… I WON’T leave your side! Y-you said you w-wouldn’t be able to live i-if one of us… died, but t-that road goes t-two ways! If anything… happened t-to you, I… I w-wouldn’t be able to live k-knowing I failed to p-protect you. Olivia Springs! I… I love you!”

I didn’t know what to say. He… said something that I didn’t think I could. He showed… no told me how he really felt. He made me hate myself for even suggesting that I leave them. The fact that the thought even _occurred_ to me made me hate myself even more. I thought that by doing this alone I would protect them from harm, but the truth is, that by doing this alone I would end up hurting them, especially Nate, more than anyone else possibly could. 

“I… I’m sorry.” I couldn’t hold back the tears. “I… I-I’m sorry for everything. For causing you to worry, for putting myself in situations that caused you… pain. I was s-stupid, a stupid rabbit that put my own selflessness before anyone else. I… I need to do this. I have to do this, and I won’t rest until everyone is safe, but… I can’t do it alone. I know that now. Will you… please help me?”

“I…” Nate loosened his grip on my limbs as he moved down, holding me tight to his body. “I-I will n-never leave your s-side.”

I looked towards Mark and Holly. They had remained silent this entire time, probably just as shocked at Nate’s reaction as I was. 

“This place looks secure enough for the night. As long as you promise to sit here and rest, we'll leave at daybreak.” It sounded as if Holly was trying to shake what just happened from her as she spoke.

I agreed. After the events that transpired, we were more mentally exhausted than anything else. And if we were to continue, we needed both our physical and mental faculties at their best. We had no idea what awaited us and I had a feeling that this attack was only the beginning. But now I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my friends, no, my family would be by me. There was just one thing on my mind, one thing that I just couldn’t do. 

Nate had expressed his true feelings to me, and while I shared them, something in me was preventing me from saying them. Four simple words that while I truly believed in them, I couldn’t find myself able to say to him. 

I love you Nate.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is your host Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Now before I begin today's show, I want to explain something. I've had some people asking me what exactly the purpose of the After Show is. It isn’t me trying to up the word count of each chapter, and it isn’t me simply rambling off like this was some blog or something, although I _am_ looking into that. No, this is my personal attempt to show you things that may not ever be shown, or for those that do, to delve much deeper into it than the story could ever possibly do. I mean, Olivia is just one mammal, and it’s impossible for a single person to see, know, and experience everything.

“You see folks, this world is so much bigger than you can possibly imagine. You ever read a story, or watch a show and ponder about it deeper than even the writers and directors did? You ever wonder, where did these people come from, or how did that place become the way it is, even if it seems like such an insignificant aspect of it? I know I do, that’s why when developing this world I didn’t just focus on the current events. I figured out where the story will end, where it will start, and then I started to develop the world. From factions, to creatures. Technology to places. Everything was thought out, and not everything will be used. Heck, Darkwater, aka Tundratown, aka Zootopia’s largest accidental swimming pool, was developed but never meant to be utilized, only mentioned in passing until I needed a huge source of radiation to kick start Olivia’s dormant DNA. It was either that or drop a nuke on her.”

**[Max]**

“Olivia the ghoul? Make for an interesting change of events.”

**[Stripes]**

“It sure would, but alas, it's not, nor will it be in the plans. That’s the one spoiler I will give you folks. Olivia will not, in any shape or form, get ghoulified. So folks, I do hope that I have appeased your inquiries as to the significance of the After Show. Sure, this won’t stop any of the foolhardy antics, nor the obviously placed fourth wall breaking and pop-culture references, but every After Show will have some meaning to it. Even if it’s only a few sentences of substance.”

**[Max]**

"Wait… Since when have you ever offered anything of substance to these mammals? Most of the time I hear them groaning in pain and suffering after your long winded speeches! I swear you barely hear half of what I say most of the time and talk just to hear your own voice…”

**[Stripes]**

“I rather like the sound of my voice thank you very much. Now, without further ado, let today’s After Show commence! Now, all of you are at least somewhat familiar with the Steel Guardians up to this point, but there's much more to them than meets the eye, as you may have noticed this last chapter. Let me start with a small history refresher. The Steel Guardians were created by Chief Bogo at the onset of the war. It was a time of fear and anger. No one knew who started the war, but everyone was either afraid for their lives, or out blaming each other. This was causing distress in not only Zootopia, but the entire world. Chief Bogo took his best officers and formed the first of the Steel Guardians. Before you ask, no, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde were not part of the original Steel Guardians. It seems that Judy wanted to be a cop, not a soldier, and where she went, Nick went. This is not any sort of spoiler, just a clarification. 

“The original Steel Guardians were tasked with two jobs. Protect the citizens of Zootopia from any foreign or domestic threat, and to combat any evils that were to befall the city. Yes, they were trained as soldiers, but for the most part, they remained within the confines of the city, only leaving to aid other cities or to spread their training and ideals across the lands. Not every city was blessed to have such a caring police chief.

“Even after Chief Bogo’s death, the Steel Guardians resolve to carry out their mission to protect was not diminished for nearly a hundred years. But as the times change, so do people's resolve. Nearly two-hundred and forty years is a lot of time for things to be lost and forgotten. I mean, time keeping is not as concerning when everyday may be your last out in the wasteland. As I was saying, at some point, the Steel Guardians had members who started to disagree with what they should represent. This caused a major rift that divided them into three aspects. First is the Steel Guardians, currently under command of Chief Lazlo. Their doctrine has not changed over the years. 

“Then there's the Revolutionary Council of Steel Guardians, or RCSG. for short. Now the founder of this group of Guardians came to a realization. While the Steel Guardians mandate is to protect the people from outside threats, the RCSG was founded because they believed that the people were a threat to themselves. Let’s face it, the wasteland is lawless. Sure, some people have tried to bring the law into their own paws and hooves, but they play by their own rules. The RCSG aim to change that. Not only do they want to re-establish a centralized policing system, they feel that mammals owning their own property, their own weapons and supplies, that this is what led to the war in the first place. Greed, they believed this is the sole cause of the war. As long as mammals owned their own things, there will always be others who want to take it for themselves. 

“To combat this, the RCSG want to basically own everything themselves, giving the people what they need, when they need it. No more, no less. Need food? Visit the RCSG sanctioned farm. Need a place to sleep? You are free to live in RCSG sanctioned housing. They won’t ask for money, only your commitment to working to provide the RCSG the necessities to in turn equally give to the people. Sure it sounds good on paper, but in actuality, they're taking away the one thing that separates a mammal from the savages. Free will. Thankfully, their plans have not been put into play very well, as they are currently based within the Rainforest District, and with the Steel Guardian HQ being so close to their boarders, they haven't been able to spread out far enough into the rest of Zootopia to enact their plans.”

**[Max]**

"I'll be honest, I've run into simple minded fools who think the RCSG are the greatest thing since sliced bread and the holy father. Still makes me cringe to think what a wasteland under their control would be like. Here's a hint for all of you out there, steer clear of the RCSG. They're bad news in every way shape and form. I'd rather cuddle up with a giant Scorpion than go near their territory. Even my little buddy Gary knows to stay away from em. Ain't that right Gary?"

**[Gary]**

"Gary...Gaaaaary."

**[Stripes]**

“Go away you. Now we come to the Guardians we met last chapter. I use the term ‘Guardian’ very loosely as these mammals are more closely related to a raider group than an actual Guardian. Heck, even the RCSG want to make the world a better place in their own twisted way. No, the Corrupted Guardians, they only want one thing. They want technology. They're hoarders of the worst kind. They believe that the only way to ‘save’ the world is to rebuild it themselves, killing off anyone who stands in the way. In order to do it, they want to take every bit of technology that exists. Weapons, Exo-Armor, tools, anything, and they will do it by force. Found a shiny new Pip-Boar in that abandoned Burrow? They’d sooner kill you and strip it from your lifeless arm than to bother asking for it. 

“You may ask, what do they do with all of this? Like I said, they're hoarders. Sure they use what they find, they have a special liking of plasma weapons and anything that goes boom, but most of what they take is locked away in some unknown bunker, and may never see the light of day. Despite their love of collecting all things that go beep and boop, they never once took the time to learn how these things even work. One of their weapons break? They toss it with their collection and trade it out for something that works. Their Exo-Armor is just as bad. While both the other Guardian forces use specific sets of gear, and keep them fine tuned and well operating, if the Corrupted Guardians armor breaks? They simply strip off the working parts from whatever other armor they have and force it to work with the existing suit. The positive to this is that it's very easy to tell a Corrupted Guardian from a Steel Guardian or an RCSG member. If their armor parts match, then they're one of the other two. If they look as if they just walked out of a scrap yard after rolling in a pit of junk? You got yourself a Corrupted Guardian.”

**[Max]**

“That can’t be the _only_ way to tell them apart, is it?”

**[Stripes]**

“Actually, no. All three groups have their own unique symbol that represent themselves. Typically it's located on either the chest of the power armor, and on the back of the jumpsuits or Stalker and Agent armor, but they also have flags, even the Corrupted Guardians, despite the flag being whatever scrap of fabric they find and a can of spray paint. The Steel Guardians still utilize the original design. A sword, pointing down with angelic wings coming off the shield behind it and wrapping around the sword. The RCSG have a shield as well, but instead of a sword, it's a hammer with an angled sickle curving around it. It has wings as well, but more machined looking. Sharp and angled coming from the shield. Finally, the Corrupted Guardians live up to their name by corrupting the original design. The sword is pointing up, there's a rather mean looking skull on the shield, and instead of wings, barbed wire wraps the whole thing. 

“Now, you might be asking yourself: ‘Stripes, that's an awfully descriptive image of their symbols, is that really necessary?’. Is it necessary? No, _but_ it’s always best to have something for the more… artistic members of the audience. If you know what I mean. Well, I think this wraps up today’s show. Thanks for sticking around for another history lesson! Next After Show we'll have not one, but _two_ special guests, the Valiant Brothers! This is Stripes signing off and remember, I'll be doing everything possible to bring you the cold hard truth, no matter how much it hurts.”


	39. Down the Roads Untraveled

I had awoken before anyone else. Due to the dilapidated building we were in, we had simply slept on the floor. Not the most comfortable way to rest, but we didn’t want to risk trying to find another shelter in the middle of the night just to be comfortable. Nate was sleeping beside me, his tail loosely draped over me. I gently moved it so that I could get up. He stirred a bit, but didn’t wake up. 

Mark and Holly were cuddled together not too far from where we were, but there was no sign of Drake or Blanche. It was still pretty early, the morning sun barely breaking over the horizon. It was a shame that there were so many buildings between me and the sunrise. I had been out here for… honestly I can’t even remember how long it’s been since I left the Burrow. I was in a coma for nearly a week, spent at least a few days before that happened, plus maybe another week… I don’t think I’ve even been on the surface for a month! It feels… it feels so much longer. I have been through so much in such little time. I just want this to be over. I want to find the fucker who wants me so badly and just… gah! I don’t even know _what_ I will do when I find them! 

“Miss? Everything alright?”

“Oh, hey Onion. Yeah, things are okay. I think. Do you know how long it’s been since we left Seventy-Six?”

“By my records, it’s been around eighteen days Miss, but unfortunately there are some empty data points in my system. I think there's a slight corruption in my data banks.”

“I'll need to take a look at that. Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“Well Miss, with everything that has happened, and with you spending time with your new, friends, I didn’t want to intrude in your affairs.”

“Am I detecting a hint of… jealousy, Onion?”

“No Miss, it’s just that…”

I grabbed Onion and hugged him. “Oh my little ball of metal, I will always love you, but to be honest,” I took at look at Mark, Holly, and Nate, “despite everything I've been through, everything I've put _all_ of you through, it… well it feels nice to have living, breathing friends. You understand, don’t you?”

“I do actually Miss. Ever since you built me I have noticed a disdain for others in you. I know you didn’t really hate anyone, but you would rather sit home and ‘make’ friends than going out and trying to make friends. I know you built me after your mother’s passing, but I’ve learned enough to know that she would have been proud of the accomplishments you’ve made, the friends you have made.” Onion didn’t seem like himself, he seemed more, real at this moment the way he was speaking. “Although, I doubt she would have liked _how_ event’s unfurled.” And, there he is again. 

“I would be lying if I said that was behind us, but I have the feeling that as long as we stick together, we'll all be fine. Where’s Drake and Blanche? I haven’t seen them much since last night.”

“This place was too small for Drake to rest Miss, so he went to find somewhere else. Blanche joined him saying, and I quote: ‘there’s too much lovey-dovey stuff going on with these ass-twats, it’s making me wanna puke’.”

“That sounds like her. I’m gonna go and find them. If the others wake up let them know where I went. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Miss?”

“I’ll be fine Onion.”

“No Miss, shouldn’t you wait until you are properly dressed?”

“What are you…” I looked down and saw that I was wearing my shirt and my panties and… nothing else. “That fox if he…” I was angry for only a second before I smiled as I looked at him. While I don’t remember taking my pants off, I knew that he wouldn’t have tried anything, even if he wanted to. That fox had too big a heart to do that. Hell, I wasn’t sure if he could, even if I _asked_ him to. 

I went over and grabbed my pants and threw them on. I had been primarily wearing my button up shirt and jeans. I had my Hope jumpsuit, but until I was able to return there without putting any of them in danger, I didn’t feel comfortable wearing it. They wanted me to fix the town, but it feels like all I've done was break it more by putting everyone in danger. As far as I know no one was hurt, and when I last left trade was reestablished, but in that time Mayor Swift was kidnapped because of me, and if I don’t do something soon, others may face circumstances far worse. 

I grabbed my jacket and my gun, just in case, and left. I doubt that Drake would have gone too far, he seemed just as willing to protect me as the others were. If the room we were sleeping in was larger, he probably would have not left at all. Deathwings tend to sleep hanging upside down, so I kept my eyes to the sky, looking for anything that would look like a good place for him to roost. While this was a rather busy part of the city in terms of buildings, there weren't too many places large enough for a deathwing to hang from. Most of the overpasses had collapsed, and what was left looked as if they could shatter at any moment. 

There were three spots nearby that looked stable enough for Drake to roost from, but none of them seemed to be occupied. I was just about to call for Drake when I saw a small white object moving swiftly among the ruined buildings. In a matter of moments Blanche was on my shoulder. 

“‘Bout time you woke up.”

“Where’s Drake?”

“He went off to get something to eat.”

“What about you Blanche, are you hungry?”

She was moving too fast to have seen it before but now that she was still, I saw a very familiar object in her paw. “This is all the nourishment I need.”

“T-the sun isn’t even out yet and you’re already drinking?!”

“Who said I ever stopped?”

“You… never mind. Let’s just, change the subject. When you and Drake first met you were downright terrified of him, what changed?”

“Dunno. Sure I was… I don’t get ‘scared’, you got that ass-twat? But yeah, deathwings, and any predator with a mouth big enough to swallow me hole have always given me the… well, made me nervous to be around. Not to say that I haven’t made friends with big lugs like him before, but, well, I was caught off guard.”

“You don’t have to beat around the bush Blanche, I get it, and your secret is safe with me. I just wanted to know.”

“I think we're just kindred spirits.”

“How so?”

“You’ve seen me fight. When I'm in the ‘zone’, the only thing I can think about is, well, killing in the most efficient way possible. I may seem savage when I'm fighting, but, you know why I always go for the throat?”

“Because you like a challenge?”

“No. Well, yes, I do, but the real reason is because it’s quick, clean, and most importantly, painless. I don’t just slice their throat open. I use the sword in my tail to sever the nerves in their neck. I’ve learned to do it so far, so fluidly, that their brain doesn’t even have time to register the pain. I… I don’t like pain. I’ve had too much of it in my life, and while I enjoy killing, I _don’t_ enjoy inflicting pain. At least not physical. That’s why…” I saw her slowly move away from the spot on my shoulder where she had dug her claws into me before.

“It’s ok Blanche. You didn’t cause any real damage. But still, I'm glad you told me. To be honest, there were times that you had me second guessing taking you along, and part of me wanted to just let you loose once we were done. I… we all thought you were just a loose cannon, one that didn’t care about who you hurt. But now? I won’t tell any of them what you told me, but you’ve convinced me that you're not a danger, at least not to us.”

“Thanks, because if you did, I’d have to slice your throat.”

“Well at least it'd be painless.” I winked at Blanche and we both burst out laughing.

That would have explained the drinking too I think. I’ve been told that many alcoholics drank to drown their sorrows, to help them forget. I had a feeling that whatever she was trying to forget was painful, something that has defined who she is now. I wanted to know, just as I wanted to know more about Nate, and his fears. I already learned enough about him to weigh down my own heart with his burdens, I don’t think I could take anymore right now. I'm not going to pry, but maybe someday, she'll be just as open to me about it as Holly and Mark were about Nate.

“So… that brings me back to the question at paw, how did you and Drake…”

“I told you, we're kindred spirits. We both kill to survive, and neither of us enjoy it.”

“What do you mean? I had to get him to promise me to _stop_ eating other mammals.”

“When we were at the Guardians base, all of you were getting, well, disgustingly emotional, I had gone to check up on Jezzie. We talked for a bit, shared some stories, but she was… it’s a long story, suffice it to say she didn’t want to talk too much about it, and since I was starting to sober up, I decided to go find some booze. Those Guardians may be all ‘proper’ and all, but they sure know how to drink. I managed to snag this delicious fifteen year old whiskey…”

“You're getting a bit off track Blanche.”

“Yeah, booze will do that. Anyways, I had ‘procured’ it and started to get a bit more tipsy than usual. I was wondering the halls, not really paying much attention to where I was going, when I ended up in the hangar. Let me tell you, that place might be locked down tighter than a virgin’s anus, but with my size I can get nearly anyplace. That’s when I ran into Drake pacing the hangar.”

“Wait, you said he was pacing? He told me that he didn’t like walking on his feet, that it hurt.”

“He kept saying he was hungry. I didn’t know if he was a friend, or a pet to you guys, but I felt bad seeing him starving away, plus I didn’t want to give him any ideas. I tried to get someone to get him some food, but all those Guardian ass-twats were too scared of him. Sure, I was too, but I figured if he hadn’t killed anyone yet, he wasn’t going to. So I took it upon myself to find him some food.”

“That was actually nice of you.”

“Like I said, I didn’t wanna get eaten myself. Those Guardians really need to learn what real food is. All I found were military rations, but figured something was better than nothing. I raided a few that looked like they were meant for preds, put them on this metal cart thing and pushed it all the way back to the hangar.”

I started to laugh. Blanche looked at me weird when I did. “So that’s what all that was about.”

“What the fuck is so funny about that, ass-twat?”

“I overheard some Guardians saying they thought that place was haunted. Said they saw transfer carts just moving on their own.”

Blanche snickered a little. “Guess that is a bit funny. Hell, isn’t the first time someone called me a ghost. Once I got the food back to the hangar Drake seemed very appreciative. I don’t think he liked the taste, but like I said, it was better than nothing. We got to talking, at least he tried. Was a bit hard to understand how he spoke for a bit. You guys really need to teach him how to form _real_ sentences. Anyways, after a bit I started to get the gist of what he was saying. He said that his brood mother was killed by some Baird guy…”

“And don’t tell me, you two connected because your mother died when you were young.”

“Fuck no! That bitch abandoned me when I was born! Apparently she said I was a cursed child or something. Had no idea who my father was, that ass-twat left the moment he found out she was pregnant with me. If it wasn’t for my uncle, I would have died just a babe.”

“I… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. From what I heard, that bitch would have given me nothing but hell if she stuck around. Hearing about his mother didn’t really phase me much anyways. I had enough ‘mommy issues’ of my own to not surprise me any. It was how that Baird treated him that got my attention. From what I could make out, Baird starved his brood, performed… experiments on them. It left him, and his brood in constant pain, and they were unable to do anything about it! To be forced to endure such… torment for his whole life, it made me want to…” I saw a small tear form at her eye. The second she noticed it however, she wiped it away and gave me a ‘tell anyone and I’ll cut your throat’ look. 

“I heard about some of the stuff that fucking boar did to him, but he never really talked about it. I guess I had too much on my mind to sit and talk to him about it.”

“He says you rescued him, and that he feels, well, bound to you. He doesn’t think he can ever repay you, so wants to protect you from being hurt like he was. It was after that I stopped seeing him as a giant winged mouth, and as a… well, he cares. More than I think even a typical mammal would.”

I never knew that was how he felt. I had a feeling he felt slightly indebted to me for rescuing him, but nothing like that. He didn’t feel as if he wanted to protect me, to him he _needed_ to protect me. He said that he was the only one Baird ‘taught’ to talk, but it makes me wonder how the rest of his brood feel. 

“That was… thank you for telling me that.”

Before Blanche could respond, I felt a gust above me as Drake landed right beside me. “Olivia. Good?”

I went over and scratched the bottom of his jaw as he started to purr a little. “Yeah, I'm good. You get something to eat?”

“Drake. Good. Drake. Full.”

“Good, now that you’ve eaten, I think it’s time to wake up everyone else.”

“Drake. Saw. Foxes.”

“You… you didn’t see…” I leaned closer to Drake, “did Nate…”

“No. New. Foxes. Two. With. Cart.”

“Two with cart? Wait, you mean you saw traders?”

“Yes.”

“Traders? In this part of the city? Seems a bit fishy to me Olivia. Trader’s don’t usually cut through this part, too dangerous for the wagons.”

“Hmm. Let’s go wake the others and see what they think. Drake, you mind wearing that coat Nate made for you? Just in case.”

“Drake. Do.”

The three of us went back to where the other’s were, but Drake had to stay outside. I didn’t want him to hurt his back trying to slouch in here, especially if these ‘traders’ meant any harm to us. He was the ace up our sleeves. No one expects a deathwing to attack at this time of day. 

“Holly, Mark, get up.” I started with Holly and Mark first. Thankfully I found them a bit more… dressed than I was. If things were going to get bad, I needed Holly’s guns. I really shouldn’t be thinking everyone was out to hurt us, but after what we've been though so far, I was starting to get skeptical about most mammal’s motives. Of course, they may be simple traders and we could use some supplies.

“Wha… what time is it ‘livi?”

“It’s morning. Sorry for waking you, but we have pressing matters.”

“Holly… what are… what time is it?”

“I already asked that brushbutt. What's the matter ‘livi?”

“Drake saw two traders coming our way. It might not be anything, but I want us all to be prepared in any event.”

“Yeah, good idea. Marki, get your fluffy butt up and get ready.”

I went over to Nate while they were prepping themselves. He was still laying in the same position as when I got up. I didn’t want to wake him, after everything we went through emotionally yesterday, he needed the rest, unfortunately this world doesn’t seem to like it when you rest. 

“Nate, hey Nate, time to wake up.” I spoke softly, gently shaking his body, but he only readjusted himself, never actually woke up. 

“You sure did tire him out last night ‘livi.”

“Wha… no I didn’t! I swear, nothing happened!” 

“I was talking about our conversations, why, did something _else_ happen?”

“I… just help me get him up!” I have to admit, I put myself out there for that. With all the teasing she does, it’s hard to tell when she's serious or not. I’ll get her back one of these days.

“Nate, you need to get up.” I tried a little louder when I realized that Holly was having too much fun watching me rather than trying to help. I didn’t want to scare the poor thing awake, but he needed to get up. I put my face right in front of his. I remember my mom doing this when I was younger, and is usually worked. I took a deep breath and blew a stream of air onto his nose. I saw it twitch a few times before his eyes slowly opened. “Good morning sleepy head.”

“Uh… morning? What t-time is it?”

“What’s with all of you wanting to know what time it is? It’s morning, isn’t that enough?”

“I do recall you saying that most mornings yourself Miss.”

“You're not helping Onion.”

“What's with all the… is e-everything okay?”

“We have traders coming this way Nate. It may be nothing, but I don’t want to be caught off guard. Get your stuff together.”

We all started to get ready. I was mostly prepared, just needed my tool belt and backpack. We all had, mostly, slept in our clothing, so it was just a matter of getting some food in our stomachs and gathering everything. It took us about fifteen minutes to get all situated. I had asked Drake how far they were and if they were heading towards where we were exactly, but all he said was ‘Close’ and ‘Soon’, so it wasn’t very helpful.

“Okay, we all ready? Mark, you seem to know your way around traders, mind taking the lead?”

“Sure. Although traders being out here seems a bit, odd.”

“That’s what Blanche was saying, that’s why I wanna be extra careful out there. Drake? You stay out of sight, but keep an eye on us. If anything bad happens, you're our backup.”

“Drake. Protect.”

We all left with Mark leading the way. We kept our weapons at paw, but hidden. Mark told us that if these were legit traders, having a fully armed group approaching them would send a bad signal. Holly took the lead with Mark while Nate and I stayed in the middle. Onion trailed us, keeping his sensors open. Mark had told me once that some traders found robots very valuable, and wouldn’t hesitate to try to buy, or steal, one if they had the chance. Blanche was the one acting the most suspicious about them. She hid in one of my jacket pockets mumbling something about they weren’t getting her caps. Did she even carry money? I think a bottle cap was large enough for her to wear as a hat! Then again, maybe they made rodent size ones. We never had Rad! Cola, or any other bottled drinks like that in the Burrow, so I honestly had no idea. I still can’t believe that caps were the official form of currency.

It only took about ten minutes of traveling before we picked them up on my scanners. After the ambush from yesterday, we were all on our toes, taking careful glances at any buildings near us for signs of snipers. I’ve already been fooled by a couple of traders once, I'm not about to let it happen again. 

The road here was a bit clearer than the rest of the area, but there was still enough rubble to make for good hiding areas so I told Drake and Onion to keep out of sight as the five of us approached the traders. Like Drake said, it was a pair of foxes. Unlike Nate and Mark who had russet colored fur, these two had white fur, although still not as white as Blanche. They were both dressed in black robes with some kind of multi-pocketed bandoleer across each of their shoulders. They looked and dressed identical, save for the fact that one of them had a slightly narrower face. 

“Greetings traders! We mean no harm, and would like know if we can peruse your wares!” Mark’s voice was loud but not intimidating. He probably wanted to make sure that we didn't startle them by appearing out of nowhere.

The two traders stopped but didn't reply, instead gesturing for us to come forward. We all slowly walked, our paws at our sides to show we were not armed. So far, so good, but anything can happen at the drop of a coin. The traders made no sudden movement as they waited for us to get closer. Once we were about a hundred feet or so from them, one of the traders held of their paw in a motion for us to stop. 

“Good morning travelers…” his voice seemed very calm, yet there was something… off about it.

“… we're but humble traders seeking our way.” The other one, a female, finished his sentence. She had the same calm, yet off voice as well. 

“Hello, my name's Mark, and this is Holly, Nate, and Olivia. We'd like to trade, but we're also wondering why you two are in an area that usually doesn’t cater to traders?”

“We have been traveling,…”

“… seeking high and low for…”

“… something very specific.”

The way they finished each other's sentences, so fluidly, as if they were connected through some kind of psychic link, was very… disturbing. I didn’t like these two. Then again, as long as they meant no harm, it doesn’t matter how I felt about them.

“Something, specific? Maybe we have what you're seeking.”

“What we seek…”

“… is not easy to find.”

I hope they weren’t talking about my coins. I know that not many were made, and that they were very valuable, but after just recently getting them back, I couldn’t bear to give them up. Maybe they were simply scavenging these ruins. 

“Well, we have the knack of finding things not easy to find it seems. If you have food and ammo, maybe we can see about trading something?” Mark didn't seem very phased by their odd manner of talking. Either he has been around Drake enough, or he was very good at hiding it.

“We have…”

“… food and ammo.”

“We also have…”

“… supplies and medicine.”

“Do you have…” 

“… what we seek?”

They were really creeping me out. 

“What is it you seek?” Mark attempted a step forward, but it didn’t seem to faze the traders. I let him do what he had to, knowing that right about now I wanted to just shoot something to make the creepiness end. 

“We seek…”

“… what we seek.”

They seemed very hesitant to respond to Mark’s inquiry. That made me even more suspicious of them. Still, I hadn't sensed any aggression from them.

“Well, is there anything else you need that we might have to trade? We have ammo, and we have some caps.”

“What do you…”

“… seek to trade?”

“Food, preferably something that isn’t two hundred year old rations, and medical supplies are what we really need.”

“Wait here, we will…”

“… gather what we can…”

“… to part with for caps.”

Mark looked back towards us as they moved behind the large wagon that they were driving. I had only now just noticed that there were two bicycles attached to it side by side. “I don’t think they're willing to do a normal trade. We have maybe three hundred caps between us, what do you have Olivia?”

“Not much, twenty, thirty at the most.”

“I’ll try to haggle them down as much as possible.”

“Make it quick. Those two are creepy as hell.” I just wanted to get this over with and on our way. 

We waited for a few minutes, but there was no sign of the two foxes. The wagon was so large that I couldn’t even see their feet or other movement. The fur on the back of my neck was starting to stand. I was getting a very bad feeling about this, but even if they did mean us harm, the two of them against the seven of us? There’s no way they're _that_ stupid.

I asked Mark to politely ask them what was taking so long but before he could utter the words, I heard a loud roar behind us. It was Drake! Before I could even respond to the noise, Blanche was out of my pocket heading in the direction of where we left him, and the rest of us had our weapons in paw. 

“Mark, Holly, go check on the traders, Nate I need you to…”

“What the fuck is that?” 

It was Holly who noticed it first, but then I started to feel it as well. The ground started to rumble. “Is it a quake?”

“No, i-it feels like it’s moving.” 

Nate was right. Earthquakes seem to stay in a single place, but these seemed to move, and they were getting closer. It was then that I realized that Holly wasn’t referring to the shaking ground, but rather the large object that was now moving towards us. It was a giant fucking robot! This wasn't like that one that had attacked Hope, but rather a large six legged robot with two giant claws that currently had Drake secured among them. 

“Drake! What the FUCK is going on?” It had to be the traders. It had to. It was too much of a coincidence. Holly, you and I will go and help Drake. Nate, I need you and Mark to go check on the traders. If they're responsible, I'll need your tech savvy to override whatever controls they have, and if they're _not_ behind this, which I highly doubt it, Mark, you'll need to assure them everything is fine.”

“B-but I d-don’t…”

“Trust me Nate, I'll be fine.”

“Ain’t no one hurting ‘livi while I'm around! Now, you two go do what she said. We got this.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem ‘livi. I don’t think Nate wants to leave your side after everything that’s happened, you just need to be a bit more… forceful with him is all.”

We ran towards the robot. It was big, menacing, but it didn’t appear to have any weapons on it, besides the giant claws and feet that could squash us in an instant. Drake was fighting to get free, slashing his clawed feet around, but the robot’s grip on him was so tight that it didn’t look like Drake was able to move an inch. 

“We need to find some way to disab…” 

The sounds of gun fire interrupted me as I turned back towards the trader’s wagon. On top of it a turret had appeared out of nowhere and was now firing upon Mark and Nate who were attempting to find shelter. Fuck! I knew it, I _KNEW_ there was something off about those fuckers, and now we're in danger, _again_ because of me!

I was torn. I needed to help Drake, but Mark and Nate needed my help too. Shooting the robot wasn’t going to help, my luck it would ricochet off and hit Drake, and despite the fact he can regenerate, I didn’t want to hurt him.

“We need to help the others Olivia!”

“But Drake…”

“Is fine! Look, that robot isn’t hurting him, it’s just… holding him. Our boys need help!”

Fuck, she was right. “Drake! Hang in there, we'll find a way to free you!”

I didn’t know where Blanche was, though I'm sure she was trying her best to help Drake since that’s the direction she ran off in. We turned and headed back towards the brothers. They had found shelter but every time they tried to take a shot, the turret responded faster, pinning them in their position. It wasn’t long until the gun was trained on us. 

We had to find shelter before the guns tore us apart. We were still a few hundred feet from where they were and the sound of the gun was making it hard to shout over to them. That robot wasn’t acting like an autonomous one, so I figured it was being directly controlled from that wagon. 

“Holly! You think we can just toss a grenade to disable the turret?”

“Are you kidding? It’s too far, and we might hit the boys.”

Fuck. There had to be something we can do. Even if I had a remote on me, I couldn’t throw it that far. If only I had some kind of gun that… I'll have to save that for another time, I don’t even have the parts to make one on me. Remote hacking was out, blowing it up was out, what else could… what the fuck was that fox doing?

“What the hell is that fox doing. Nate!” 

Holly tried to yell at Nate, but the sound of the gun fire drowned her out. Nate kept trying to poke his head around the side of the barrier they were behind, only to withdraw it before getting shot at. Why the hell was he doing that? Then I noticed something glowing in his paw. I dug out my scope and took a better look. It looked like… one of the plasma rifles fuel cells? Where did he get that?

He poked his head out two more times before pressing his back against the shelter. He held up the cell and it started to glow brighter as he chucked it over his shoulder. Did he… he did! Both him and Mark were now popping their heads out, drawing the attention away from the flying green object. It finally landed right next to the wagon and rolled under it seconds before engulfing the entire thing in a glow of green fire. 

Once the turret stopped firing, Holly and I ran towards the brothers. 

“What the fuck was that!” I grabbed Nate and hugged him. 

“I… I had to break your p-present. I’m sorry.”

“Present? What present?”

“That doof was gonna try to reduce the size of that plasma rifle for you without bothering with a work bench.” Mark was pointing at the plasma rifle on the ground which was now in pieces. 

“I made a… plasma grenade out of it.”

“You're a genius!” I kissed him before suddenly pushing him away. “We need to go check on Drake!”

The wagon was a flaming pile of plasma and debris, so I doubt either of them made it out alive, we needed to make sure that Drake was alright. As we got in range of the robot, my hunch was proven to be correct. It had stopped moving, but the claws were still gripping onto Drake. 

“Drake! Can you get yourself free? We stopped the robot!”

“Drake. Try. Claw. Strong.”

“He can’t get out of it. Quick! We need to find way to open those claws!”

I couldn’t tell if they were pneumatic, hydraulic or some other type of unit. I searched around the robot for anything that could release the claws but it was no use. This thing was massive compared to me, even compared to Drake it was a bit on the larger size. 

“It’s a p-pre-war construction bot.”

“You know this thing Nate? Any way to loosen the claws?”

“It was designed to keep its grip on material in case of a power failure. It was a f-fail safe to prevent injury.”

“Fucking thing! There has to be a way.”

No sooner than the words came out of my mouth did the robot suddenly release its grip enough for Drake to wiggle free of it. As he fell he stretched his wings out and lifted back up, taking his large foot claws and slicing clean through the metal claws, sundering them in pieces. The way the robot held Drake, it was as if they _knew_ he could slice his way through it. 

“That’s what they were ‘seeking’.”

“What’s that ‘livi?”

“You know how they seemed very hesitant to tell us what they were looking for? I think Drake was it! Look at the size of the robot, how it was able to hold him in such a way as to prevent his claws from damaging it. They must have planted that robot and kept us busy while those fuckers captured him.

“But why, why go through all that trouble?” Mark was just as concerned about it as I was.

“That’s easy.” Blanche was resting on the top of Drake’s head. “A walking, talking, deathwing? You know how many people would pay to have one?”

“Blanche! Where did you go?”

“I had to get this big lug free, and the one thing the ass-twats who built this didn’t consider is a tiny mammal like myself being able to crawl through the tubes that protect the wiring. All I had to do was slice my way through until I found whatever was keeping the claws closed.”

“That’s brilliant! Who said being small wasn’t advantageous.” I was really impressed with Blanche. I remembered the hippo in the armor as well, and how after he died, Blanche crawled out of his armor. 

“Let’s go see if anything…” 

There was a massive explosion that came from behind us. We turned and ran until we saw that the wagon was completely gone, a giant crater now covered where it was. There wasn’t anything larger than a few inches left of it. 

“The plasma fire must have ignited some explosives.”

“Well fuck. I was hoping we could salvage something from that. Other than that… experience, everyone alright?”

“Drake and I are good, although he says his arms are a bit sore from being held. He’s gonna walk a bit.” Blanche was sill perched on top of Drake’s head. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was smiling. They both were.

“As long as you're good with that Drake, I know you don’t like walking on your feet.”

“Drake. Good.”

“Mark, Nate, how are you two?”

“A bit shaken by this, I think we both are, but hey this doof saved us, so it’s all good.”

“I… I’m sorry I had to ruin your gift.”

“Aww, it’s ok Nate, it’s the thought that counts. Plus…” I walked over to Nate and placed a finger on his nose, “I think I might have something even better in mind, and I'm sure you can help me with it.” I gave him a big smile. That was a mistake.

“Ohh, you better watch out Nate! Olivia is sounding a bit frisky!”

“Holly!”

Nate looked worried, and I wasn’t sure if it was from what I said or Holly said, but after her and Mark started laughing it caught on. I broke out laughing to and even Nate started in, although with a more nervous laughter. 

“Enough with the emotions you ass-twats!”

It wasn’t the best start for a day, but we were all alive, and happy. That’s all that matters. Even Blanche seemed to be a bit happy as I heard her and Drake talking to each other. I tuned it out, not wanting to invade in their privacy. I hope Holly was doing the same, I didn’t think teasing someone like Blanche would be a very good idea. Then again, I wasn’t sure if Holly even had limits. 

“Oh, by the way, I heard from a little robot that ‘livi woke up with no pants on, got anything to say about that Nate?”

Nope, she had no limits, but still, she was family now. If I have to put up with that to be happy, then that’s not a bad price to pay. Not a bad one at all.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning coming at you live from, hmm, I actually have no idea where we are. Never the less, we're here with the brothers Valiant for today’s episode. Good morning Markus and Nathan. How are you this fine day?”

**[Mark]**

“Um, hello. Who are you?”

**[Stripes]**

“What? You don’t recognize the wasteland’s favorite zebra?”

**[Mark]**

“Oh, yeah. You. What do _you_ want?”

**[Stripes]**

“Just a simple interview with you and your brother. Much has happened since we last met up. So, tell me. Now that you two have spent some quality time with Olivia, how has your opinion changed on her?”

**[Mark]**

“She’s really the best thing to have happened to us, especially for my brother. Unfortunately, there really aren’t too many good mammals out here these days.”

**[Stripes]**

“That is the sad fact of the matter. It takes forever to build a world up to be good, but it can be corrupted way too easily. Are you ever afraid that such a corruption could take hold?”

**[Mark]**

“No. I think even she’s too good for that. Sure, there are moments, but in the end her will to help seems to be greater than any corruption.”

**[Stripes]**

“You’ve been awfully quiet Nathan, what are your opinions on the matter?”

**[Nate]**

“W-well… S-she's… Different. She cares a lot… A-About us a-and anyone who needs help. Sh-sh-she's r-really nice too a-and I don't th-think she'd be e-easy to c-corrupt. I-I-I don't th-think that'd be possible."

**[Stripes]**

“So Nate, it seems you’ve taken a bit of a liking to the giant deathwing among the group. Why is it that while most would cower in fear at one of him, you of all mammals seem to show to fear over him?”

**[Nate]**

“O-Olivia trusts him… so, I do too. He’s… he hasn’t s-shown any ill will towards us. Even _he_ is nicer to us than other m-mammals we’ve met.”

**[Stripes]**

“I see. Well you know what they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Let's see, I had a few more questions, now where did I put my notes… Max, you got anything to add while I gather my thoughts?

****[Max]** **

"Well… I'm not really sure what to ask you two. Honestly I would've tried to set this up before-paw but SOMEONE here had to go ahead and rush us into it… I'm glaring at you Stripes. I do have one question for you both though. Why after all of this time and all the dangers you've already faced. Why are you willing to follow this crazy rabbit all throughout the wasteland?"

**[Mark]**

"Call us crazy if you want, but Olivia? She's something special. Really special. She was brought out here to do something big for this wasteland and well, I guess you could say we wanna be there when that happens. She's important to us too. With what she's done for us three, what she's done for Nate? There's no way, NO WAY we're gonna leave her alone out here. She needs that kind of support and friendship. It's too rare out there otherwise. Nate though, I think he has other reasons for following… Don't ya buddy?"

**[Nate]**

"W-well… I-I-I… Th-that is… um… "

**[Stripes]**

“Okay, I think I got everything in order. So, this question is for both of you. We recently found out about Olivia having fox DNA in her genetic structure due to, well a fox and a rabbit procreating in the past. What are your thoughts on the matter?”

**[Mark]**

“To tell you the truth, I was pretty shocked at it. I like to read and have read nearly every scientific and medical journal I've come across and never once did I see anything about it. Foxes aren't the most well liked mammals, and I know that even in the past that's been the case. But to hear that even back then there were mammals of opposing species that cared for each other enough to undergo genetic manipulation to allow them to have children? It gives me hope that there may still be others besides Olivia and Holly who don’t see us foxes for what everyone else does.”

**[Stripes]**

“That was rather touching. How about you Nathan?”

**[Nate]**

“I-I don’t really… she likes me… us for w-who we are, not what we are… that’s all that matters to me…”

**[Stripes]**

“Speaking of which, you recently proclaimed your love for Olivia, but she has yet to do the same? How does that make you feel?”

**[Nate]**

"Sh-sh-she d-doesn't… I… I d-don't n-ne..N-need."

****[Max]** **

"God damn it Stripes! I told you to get rid of that question! The hell are you thinking?! Y-You don't just go up to a fox and ask that kinda thing! Aargh! This is why I tell those idiots in production to let me screen your questions before you ever get them! Ooh I am so making changes when we get back to the station. SO. MANY. CHANGES! You hear me Stripes?!"

**[Stripes]**

“Well then, on that note I think we should wrap up today’s After Show. Thank you once again for joining us, and tune in next time when we catch up with Olivia Springs again. Hopefully this time when she is in a better mood. So until next time, take care everyone as I continue to bring you all the truth, no matter how hard it hurts!”

 

****[Max]** **

"Oh don't you pretend I'm not here you overgrown pony! We're gonna settle this right now! Gary grab my shotgun! HEY! Get back here you over gro-"

-Station has cut broadcast, we apologize for any listener interruption.-


	40. The Ties that Bind...

“There it is again. Wait, no. It’s gone.”

“Damn it, that’s the fifth time Nate, try again.”

“I keep trying, but it’s really hard to locate something that small.”

Over the past hour we’ve been following the Legionary signal that Nate had intercepted back at the Guardian base. At first he picked up one signal but it turned out to be two separate ones with similar frequency tags. They were both in the same direction, for now, but one of them kept disappearing from the map, only to reappear later. 

“What do you think could be causing it?”

“Any number of things. Radiation, signal degradation, reverse triangulation…”

“Wait, what? What do you mean ‘reverse triangulation’?”

“Well, it's entirely possible that whoever is on the other end of the signal is trying to use it to find us as well.”

“Fuck! That’s not something I want to hear, we need to catch these fuckers by surprise.”

“I… I’m s-sorry, I’ll t-try to…”

“Oh, I am sorry Nate, I didn’t mean to yell.” 

I gave Nate a quick hug and kiss on the muzzle. I had to remind myself to be calmer around him. With everything that Holly told me about his past, about what a… rabbit did to him, I don’t think he may ever recover from that. Whenever I get angry around him, even if it’s not directed towards him, his nerves break down. Thankfully I’ve learned that a kiss and an apology usually helps alleviate that. Much to Holly’s amusement.

“You know ‘livi, if you keep on doing that, he may start to feign emotions just to fish a kiss from you.”

“I wouldn’t!” Nate looked at me, his eyes looking worried, “I… I wouldn’t.”

“You don’t need to. You just got to ask.” I kissed him again.

“Okay, before another word comes out of Holly’s lips,” I glared at her, “remember, my pistol _is_ loaded, we need to come up with a plan. Blanche, based on the direction we're going, you think this signal is leading us to their headquarters?”

“Don’t think so, sky don’t look right.”

“What do you mean the ‘sky don’t look right’?”

“Well, most of us wastelanders don’t have fancy arm mounted computers like you two do. For us without maps, we use the sky to direct us. Based upon the movement of the sun, and, hey Drake, mind raising your neck a little? Thanks. The horizon don’t look right. I’d say their base is a bit more east from where we're going.”

“What do you think it is then Blanche?”

“Probably some small outpost. Like I said, they have them scattered all over. Most of them are abandoned, used only for emergencies, but some of them have small teams that spend time there, waiting for work.”

“Is it possible that these signals are from one or more of the outposts?”

“Dunno. Usually they send short bursts. It’s possible they're trying to lure you into a trap.”

I hadn’t considered that. I kept thinking that we would have the upper paw on them, but for all I know, they already have the upper paw on _us_ already. We definitely needed some kind of game plan. 

“Nate, is it possible for you to create some kind of algorithm that can notify you if the signal changes in such a fashion that it might register as them trying to track us?”

“That’s a difficult task… for someone who isn’t me. I’ll get right on it.”

I always thought _I_ was the greatest techie in the world, until I met Nate. Despite his shortcomings, he's even more of a genius at this stuff than I thought I could ever be. Between the two of us, I don’t think anything was unsolvable. Of course, I _was_ the only one who's built a robot. 

“Now that we have that settled, there's the matter of _what_ we'll do once we find the source of the signal. It’s a complete possibility that we're following a dud, and that this will lead us nowhere. At the same time, it might lead us straight into an unknown number of Legionaries, and we need to be prepared for that. Holly, how's our ammunition holding out?”

“I took a count of it earlier, and we seem to be doing good. Thankfully that last… encounter we had didn’t really use anything, so we should be good. If we happen to come across a _real_ trader however, we may need to get some basic ammo.”

“We also need some more basic supplies, like food, water, and medicine. After that last… incident with the two of you, our medical supplies are getting rather low.” Mark didn’t even need me to ask him. He was going all out doctor mode about the medicine that he had to use to treat Nate and I yesterday. 

“Okay, doc, we'll keep our eyes out for something, but if we run into another trader who's ‘off the beaten path’, we need to take things a bit more cautiously. Onion and I will be keeping our eyes on the sensors, and Drake, when you are feeling up to it, can you and Blanche do some scouting? It’s nice having an aerial view of things, just keep out of sight.”

“Drake. Fly.”

Drake took off with Blanche, now a small white ball of puff on his head, and flew forward. I didn’t mean for him to go now, so I hope he didn’t think I was demanding him to. He probably had it the roughest today, but at least now we're better prepared. Knowing that someone might want to try that again, we can keep a closer eye on Drake when we're dealing with questionable travelers. 

“Now, we need to figure out what to do when we inevitably find the Legionaries. First and foremost, we need to make sure we have a direct connection with the Guardians at all times. Once we locate them, one of us needs to send a message to Lazlo asking for backup.”

“I already talked with the Chief. He said he'll have at least one squad and one Tac-Lifter at the ready at all times.”

“Thanks Holly. That'll definitely help. I just wish we had a better way to communicate with each other. Onion, Nate, and I are the only ones who have any ability to.”

“You make it sound like we'll split up, you know that'll never happen.”

“I know Holly, but we can’t be too careful. You never know what will happen.” I felt Nate’s tail wrap around my waist, I looked at him, his face showing slight concern. “I’m not planning on leaving anytime soon.”

“The coast is all clear.” I didn’t even hear Drake and Blanche come back.

“Good. No surprises, yet. Now, there's the simple matter of what we'll do when we get there. _Hopefully_ we arrive undetected, and can set up an ambush for them.”

“Alright ‘livi, I have to ask, what _exactly_ is your outcome to all this?”

“Stopping the Legionaries from coming after me, that’s what Holly.”

“No, I mean your end goal. Yeah, taking out a group or two of these guys will diminish their numbers, but they have more and they'll keep sending more after you. Even if we completely remove them from Zootopia, there are still other mercenaries here. If whoever is after you hired the best of the best right off the get-go, then I don’t think they'll stop there. We need to find out whoever _hired_ them in the first place.”

“That’s what I am hoping for, actually. I figured that the best way to get that information is to keep asking until we get the right answer. I’d rather not have to raid their own base, but if these smaller outposts don’t give me the answers I need, we may have to.”

“That's… well I guess it’s better than nothing. I still don’t like the plan ‘livi.”

“I don’t like it either, but it’s the best I can come up with. And I _really_ don’t wanna have to go through with Blanche’s Corpse Engine idea.”

“Hey, you asked for an idea, didn’t say you had to like it.”

Between Holly’s teasing and Blanche’s straight forward attitude, I may as well go turn myself in. Still, I can’t imagine things without them. I may have been lucky with my survival in the past, but without my friends beside me, I don’t think I would have made it this far. Strength through adversity, and with all the misfortune set upon us, I should be the strongest mammal alive.

“Oh, I got it again! It’s much more stable than… and it’s gone.”

“Just keep trying Nate, if anyone can do it, it’s you.”

“Way to inflate the doof's ego.” 

“Oh, you got it wrong Marki, there’s only one thing of Nate’s that _she_ wants to inflate…”

“HOLLY!”

I grabbed Nate’s shirt collar and started to drag him along with me. “W-where we g-going?”

“Away from _her_. Plus, there are a couple things we need to talk about.”

I dragged Nate until I was certain we were out of earshot of the others, making sure that we kept moving forward, I didn’t want any more unforeseen delays. 

“Okay, I'm going to start with something simple. You know back at the… where we met Drake?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Well, the only reason that Onion knew to come save us was because of an emergency signal that I linked between my Pip-Boar and him. I wanna give you that same signal code to place on your Pip-Boar. Only difference is, instead of only letting Onion know, it will let each other know if something happened to one of us.”

I sent the needed files over to Nate with the small adjustments I made. I didn’t know his Pip-Boar's access number, so I let him make the proper adjustments. We tested it by removing each other’s Pip-Boar’s to make sure it worked. 

“Miss! Everything okay!” Onion’s message came through my Pip-Boar.

I looked back at Onion who, while a few hundred feet away, was still in visual range. I held up my Pip-Boar and then slapped it back onto my arm. He could _see_ me, of course I was okay! I sighed. At least I knew it still worked with him too. 

“Y-you said that w-was just the s-start? What e-else did you have to s-say?”

“You don’t have to sound so worried. Why, what did you think I wanted to say?”

“T-that you… changed y-your mind about m-me, that y-you really didn’t w-want to be with a f-fox.”

“You… I would never do that. I don’t care _what_ species you are. You're too kind hearted to do anything to drive me away. I could tell that you were broken when I first met you,” I grabbed his paw gently with my own, “and after hearing about your past, I now know how broken you really are. I don’t want to just leave you like this. It’s my nature to want to fix something that’s broken.”

“A-and if you c-can fix me? W-what then?”

I stopped and pulled his face down to my own. “Then, I will make sure you never break again.” I gave him a nice long kiss. 

We didn’t say anything else as we continued paw in paw, we didn’t have to. I could tell that those simple words had instilled a great confidence in him, one that I was unsure he even had before. I did have other things to tell him, to ask of him, but right now they weren't important. Right now I just want to hold onto this moment.

At least until Holly decides to ruin it. That’s the _last_ thing we need right now.

***

I take it back. I would rather have to deal with Holly’s incessant teasing than _this_! 

We had reached an area where two large buildings had fallen on top of each other. We were planning to go around when Mark noticed that one of the buildings was an old medical research facility. He had hoped that crawling through the debris might lead to an opening where he could try to scavenge some medical supplies. It was probably the worst idea he ever had. 

We had not one, not two, but _three_ giant eight legged abominations chasing us through the debris. A long time ago I kept running into spider webs and wanted to meet what ever made those annoyances, but now that I have, I just wanted to not die. They had spun a web connecting the two buildings and none of us ever noticed them. If it wasn’t for Drake's unnaturally sharp claws, we would have become dinner for these… creatures. 

“What I wouldn’t give to have a Red-Neck here, these fuckers need to burn!”

“Oh no ‘livi, the last thing we wanna add to this rag-tag group is one of those flame loving mad-mammals! We’d sooner get burned alive in the friendly ‘fire’ before we could even hurt the enemy!”

Our gunshots were slowing them down a little, but it wasn’t enough. Even Drake was having issues. Every time he flew in close with his claws extended, one of the spiders shot a webbing at tangled his feet up. He was able to cut through it, but it was making it a hindrance to his ability to attack them. Then there was the acidic venom. I didn’t even know spiders _could_ spit venom!

“Holly! Toss me a grenade!”

“Are you crazy! These buildings are already unstable enough as it is, and you wanna throw _explosives_ at them?”

“What, you have a better idea that doesn’t involve being eaten or burned alive?”

“I… here take them!”

Holly tossed me two grenades. She was right to notice that the buildings around us were not very stable. When we were caught on the spider web and Drake cut us loose, I could hear the concrete and steel shifting as the webs snapped. A few well placed grenades could bring this entire thing down upon them, provided we can keep the spiders within its area. That was the hard part. 

“Holly! Olivia! Over here!”

Mark had called out from a break in the wall of one of the buildings. It was a tight squeeze, but we were able to fit in as two of the spiders ran past us. Drake and Blanche were out there, someplace, trying to do whatever they could to make a dent in them. Unfortunately, it seemed that giant mutant spiders was on her list of ‘nopes’ when it comes to who she's willing to kill. Probably had to do something with spiders not having any necks. 

“Okay, Onion is watching the perimeter, making sure we don’t have any other surprises. Thankfully those creatures don’t seem to pay much attention to him. All we need to do is find a way to keep them around here as I blow the buildings. Any ideas?”

“Okay first, do you really have to answer every situation with making something explode? And secondly… do you hear that?”

I must have been too busy to pick is up, but after Mark said something I was able to hear it as well. I saw Holly’s ears perk up and move along with mine trying to figure out where it was coming from. It sounded like a bunch of tiny nails scraping on concrete. What the hell could it be? The room we were in was very dark, the only sign of light was where we just came through, but it wasn’t much. I turned my Pip-Boar’s light on and scanned the room, it sounded like it came from right… over… fuck.

There were thousands of them, possibly hundreds of thousands. We were not just in some kind of ruined room, we were smack dab in a nest. The noise we kept hearing was the sound of tiny spider feet crawling over _everything_ , and that was just the ones that had hatched. There were countless eggs scattered all through the room. How the hell did… 

I looked up just to see a spider larger than the three outside combined slowly drop from the ceiling, it’s body dangling on a small strand of webbed silk. The ‘legs’ near its mouth twitched as I saw two very large fangs extend. When it finally set down on the ground, I saw all the thousands upon thousands of baby spiders start to climb onto it, covering it in a shield of its own young. 

“We are fucked. We are more than fucked. We are… is there even anything more than being fucked?”

“Olivia, the grenades!”

“Oh yeah. Hey ugly! Fuck you!”

Before I even flipped the safety off of the grenade, Holly, Mark and Nate were already trying to leave through where we came from. I pressed the button and tossed it right at the giant spider. I ran and someone pulled me out. The other three spiders were nowhere to be seen, so we ran. We ran as fast as possible. 

The explosion seemed quiet at first, until it’s shock-wave rippled through the building that Mark had hoped had medical supplies. I heard what sounded like screaming come from the building. Shadows loomed overhead and at first I thought it was Drake, but then I saw that it was the spiders, they had completely ignored us as they ran towards the shrieking noise. They were probably going to save something that was already dead. Well, they'll be joining it soon. I tossed the other grenade right where they were. 

The first explosion didn’t knock down the buildings, but the second one did. As the explosion tore through the ground, it caused both of their foundations to collapse, bringing down the arc like shape to the ground, burying the three spiders. Once I was certain that there was no more imminent threats, I collapsed to the ground. 

“You okay ‘livi?”

“Do you have to ask Holly? I’m starving. What we got?”

“Let’s see,” Mark started to go through the supplies, “rations, rations, canned carrots, canned meat-like protein replacements…”

“We really need to go grocery shopping. Think there's a chance that we could find anything… fresher nearby?”

“Sure we can Olivia, I mean there are farms _everywhere_ in the wasteland. Radiation is _perfect_ for fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables.”

“You sound like Holly. Just… just give me the canned carrots.”

Mark tossed me the can and I opened it. Inside were overly soggy carrot bits suspended in what I hope was water. These military grade rations were horrible, even the two-hundred year old Hungry Maw stuff was better than this. I downed the carrots and swallowed them before I my tongue could register their foul taste. I noticed something imprinted on the bottom of the can, it was not legible, so I turned it over. It was an expiration date. It was…

“Mark! These fucking things have a six-hundred year shelf life! What the hell are you feeding us!”

“Food. Something you'll be glad we have when you're starving. It may not look, or taste good, but it’s what’s keeping us alive. If you want, you can go join Drake in his meal.”

I looked over to where Drake and Blanche were. Blanche wasn’t perched on the top of his head anymore, but I saw a small white ball pacing back and forth a distance away from him. I saw Drake eating something, but I don’t remember Mark or Nate giving him anything… wait. One, two… oh that is just nasty. 

Drake looked up towards us, a spider leg dangling out of his mouth. I think he was smiling as he slurped the leg into his maw and continued to eat. Those damn things had _green_ blood, they also had highly acidic venom! How the hell was he… you know what, I don’t wanna know. I guess deathwings are not picky eaters. Better that spider than another mammal I guess. 

“Oh! I have it, I have it!”

“You have what Nate?”

“The signal, it’s… now it’s gone.”

“Damn. Um… why you smiling Nate?”

“Because I know exactly where it is.”

I jumped up and hugged Nate as he showed me. On his Pip-Boar’s map there were two locations. One, marked in green, was the solid signal we've been following, but another one, marked in yellow, was the location of the unstable signal we had also been tracking. It was close. Finally a break!

“Okay everyone, let’s eat up. If things go well, we may actually get to sleep in our own beds tonight!”

“In your own bed, or Nate’s?”

“Remember Holly, I still have a loaded gun.”

***

Thankfully the spiders were the only obstacle in our way. We had gotten close enough to see our destination, but not too close as to be reveled by anyone who may be there. This part of the city reminded me of where the theater was. It was filled with a bunch of low lying buildings, maybe six stories at the most. They were scattered along the road in no particular order, as if someone simply dropped each building and left them where they landed. 

“Never been here.”

“Great vote of confidence Blanche.”

“She’s right though ‘livi, I don’t think we’ve been here either. It doesn’t look familiar. I think all the collapsed buildings and debris were a good deterrent for scavenging here.”

“Sounds like a perfect place for a bunch of mercenaries to hide. I'm not picking anything up on sensors though, are you Onion?”

“No Miss.”

“The signal dead ends at that building over there, the one that looks like some giant was playing a game of sticks with.”

“Sticks?” I had no idea what Nate meant by that. 

“Yeah, it’s a children's game. You start off by building a large tower with equal sized rectangular sticks and each person takes turns pulling one out. Whoever makes it collapse looses.”

“Well then, from the looks of the building, it’s one or two sticks away from a losing game.”

It definitely was an odd shaped building. It also stuck out from all the other ones who had more organic designs to them. I just had no idea if it was a trap. Only one way to find out. 

“Nate, we are going on a little field trip.”

“W-what?”

“We're the only ones with Stealth-Boars, right? That building is way out of range of our scanners, so we need to get closer, I need _you_ to not only verify that that building is our location, but also to see if you can figure out where that other stable signal is in relation to it. Can you do that?”

“I… I… yes. Yes I can.”

“Good. Okay you guys, I'll let Onion know if it's safe to come down. If you see any gun fire, you know it’s not and to come down anyways.” They all gave me an untrustworthy look. I simply smiled. “Trust me.”

We only had thirty seconds of Stealth-Boar usage so we kept low and moved as stealthily as we could towards the building, using as many obstacles as possible to avoid potential detection. Once we got close enough, I signaled him to turn on his Stealth-Boar. Once we were fully cloaked, we made a mad dash to the building. We arrived at the wall facing our friends just as the invisibility wore off. I checked my sensors. Still nothing. 

“What you got Nate?”

“This is definitely the place. The other signal isn't too far either, maybe a mile or two from what I can tell.”

“Hmm. I have an idea.” I sent the signal for the others to join us. I also made sure to have Onion keep his sensors open on their way down, just in case. 

While I waited for the others, I kept my eyes on the sensor to make sure that there were no unexpected surprises. It remained clear the entire time. This made me nervous. There were no signs of defenses, no signs of Legionaries, or any mammals to be exact, but one of their signals lead here. Maybe this was one of the abandoned outposts Blanche talked about? If that’s the case, maybe we can hack into it and get what we needed. Nate showed me something on his Pip-Boar. There was a problem with that plan. 

“Okay, everyone here? Good. I got good news, and bad news. The good news is that it seems that this place is unoccupied.”

“What’s the bad new ‘livi?”

“The bad news is that, well. I hate to say this. We need to… split up.”

“WHAT!?” Mark, Holly, and Nate all yelled at once. 

“Okay, okay, hear me out. I have two valid reasons for this. First, this place seemed abandoned, which is good. If my plan works out, then we can go in there, hack any computer system and take whatever information we need.”

“Well, why can’t we just do that ‘livi? What’s with all the splitting up?”

“That’s the other point. Nate showed me something… disconcerting. The signal popped back up, and unlike before, it looks like it’s here to stay. The problem with that is, from what it looks like, it’s connected to the _other_ signal. Meaning two things. Either they already know we're here and are sending a distress signal, or two, the systems are connected and hacking one will alert the other.”

“Okay, I get that but why the need to split?” Holly was seeming a bit agitated now.

“If they're already sending mercenaries towards us, we need some to stay out here. The thing is, if they know we're inside, they may find back entrances that we don’t know about. Now, the Legionaries know that we have a deathwing with us, and seeing that Drake is the only one who flies during the day, he’s pretty easy to spot. So here’s my plan. Nate, Mark, Holly, you stick with me. We're small enough to be able to move through the building without getting seen. Blanche, Drake, and Onion, I need you three to buy us time. Nate will upload the location of the other signal to Onion so you guys know where it is. If there are no visible Legionaries forces en-route to us, I just want you guys to scout the second location before meeting us back here.”

“And if those ass-twats _are_ coming for you?”

“Well then, I need you three to simply distract them and buy us time to get what we need here. If you guys need help, or if we do, Onion is synced between Nate and my Pip-Boar’s so we can always be in contact with each other. Remember, Do _not_ engage them directly. I want us all together when we do. If we find out this is a trap, we need you to be available to help us.”

“I don’t like the idea of us splitting up like this ‘livi.”

“Hey, I wanted to do this alone, remember? This is the best plan I can think of that doesn’t involve a suicide or solo mission. Drake’s air superiority will be a good distraction, and between the four of us, we should be able to take on anything they throw at us. Unless it’s another giant spider. I never want to see one of them again.”

“I… I'm glad that you are keeping us by your side. Not to say that I wouldn’t want the others here either, but, I was afraid you were going to split the four of us up.” Holly seemed relieved and saddened. 

“I don’t think I could do that if I tried. Not that I don’t care about you three! It’s just…”

“Don’t be getting all emotional ass-twat. But I get it. I would have done the same thing. Plus I don’t think Drake would have liked it in that small cramped building. Would you?”

“Drake. No. Like.”

“See? Okay, grab the vegetable and let's go!”

“Vegetable? Miss, I object!”

“Go on Onion, you're our only source of communication between each other. You saved our lives once before, I'm sure you can do it again, if needed.”

“I… yes Miss. Do be careful.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“That’s… not very reassuring Miss.”

Drake grabbed Onion in one claw and they flew off. “I made the right decision, didn’t I?”

“Like I said, I hate splitting up, but of all your half-ass decisions I've seen you make ‘livi, this is by far… the most sane one.”

“Thanks Holly. I think. Okay, we all ready? Once we open the door, be prepared for anything.”

Everyone nodded as we all held our weapons at the ready. We circled the side of the building towards what looked like the main entrance. I kept my eyes on the scanner, but it was still clear. The front of the building looked just like the game that Nate described, with the double door entrance placed as if four of the sticks had been removed to make room for it. The windows must have been glass at some point, but were now boarded up. A large chain and padlock was the only thing keeping the doors secured. 

“Now, do I have anything to pick this lock with.”

I rummaged through my bag, looking for those antenna parts I had been using as picks. I finally found one but as I was pulling it out, I heard the noise of metal hitting the concrete below our feet. I saw that the chain was now lying on the ground, with Holly standing next to me with a pair of large cutters. 

“What? Where did _that_ come from?”

“Hey, we made our living off of salvaging parts before we met you. This isn’t the first chain locked door we ran across. Keep these with me for just such occasions.”

“One of these days we really should sit down and do some kind of show and tell.” 

I slowly opened the door. It was dark inside. I checked my scanners, nothing yet. I took a few steps in, hoping that my new low-light vision would kick in. I didn’t want to risk using my light unless I knew it was safe. As my eyes started to adapt, I saw that the inside was in relatively good shape. There were no collapsed walls or ceilings, no turret like bumps in the ceiling. I didn’t see any sign of hostiles, so I took a few more steps in. A slow humming noise started to build. Oh fuck, did I set off a… 

The entire room lit up. It happened so fast that it temporarily blinded me. 

“You guys still here? I can’t see a thing!”

“Yeah, we're still good, I think. It must have been some kind of automated light system.”

“Welcome…” a voice came out from nowhere.

“Who the fuck said that?” 

“… to… the…” it sounded slow, and not a voice that belonged to any mammal.

My eyes started to adjust as I saw the image of… a sloth… standing before us. “Who the fuck are you?”

“… first… and… foremost…”

I went to get the sloth’s attention by grabbing his arm, but my paw went right through. It was a damn hologram!

“… premier… relaxation… facility… that…”

“A sloth… hologram? Who’s crazy idea of a joke is that!” Holly didn’t seem impressed.

“A working pre-war hologram? Oh, this is gold!” Nate, however, sounded like he had just won the lottery.

“… the… great… city… of…”

“Okay! Get to the chase already!” The sudden blinding light and holographic appearance had me on edge. I kept checking the scanner, but there were still no signs of anything.

“… Zootopia… can… offer. Please… breathe… in… our… relaxing… scented… atmosphere.”

“Breath in? What?” I heard clicking noises as a bunch of small devices on metal arms dropped out of the ceiling. Oh fuck. “Everyone cover your…”

It was too late. The arms started to spray something in the room. I tried to cover my mouth, not knowing what it was, but the sweet smell of flowers told me that I was too late, although I felt… fine. I checked the medical monitoring system on my Pip-Boar. Everything checked out. 

“Nate, are your biometric scanners picking up anything?”

“No. It says I'm healthy. What was that?”

“The hologram said this was a relaxation facility? I know that some flowers are supposed to induce a state of relaxation, but I don’t feel any different.” Mark was unsure of his own words, but went over us each to check for anything. “You're all clean. It was either rendered inert after two-hundred years of sitting there, or it simply was meant to make visitors smell good.”

“Either way, this doesn’t seem like Legionary material to me.” It sounded like Holly wanted to leave.

“It’s possible that they never used the front entrance, and found a back way in. If that’s the case, it would explain why we haven’t picked up any readings yet. I want to explore this place a bit further.”

“Okay ‘livi, but the moment we don’t find anything, we are out of here. Got it?”

“Deal Holly. Okay, let's keep together… did you hear that?”

“What? I didn’t hear anything.”

“It sounded like…” There was nothing on the scanners. Was I imagining things? 

We started to move past the hologram. I know it wasn’t a real mammal, but I swear I could feel it watching us as we walked by it. The room was large. Two doors were on either side with a curved desk built into the wall in between. Tables and chairs of various sizes were lined neatly along the walls. From their sizes, it didn’t look like this place catered to the larger mammals. I was trying to decide if we should go left, or right when I heard it again. It sounded faint, but it was a voice. 

“Are you sure you didn’t hear that?”

“Yeah, I got ears like you too, remember? I didn’t hear anything.”

“It’s probably the stress. Okay let's… there it is again.”

Everyone was looking at me with a worried visage, even Nate. I wasn’t sure if I was going crazy, or if this fox DNA within me had somehow modified my hearing too. Maybe there was something in that scented spray after all. 

“Are any of you experiencing… anything odd?”

“Besides listening to you ‘livi, no we're… wait, I think I did hear something.”

“So you did hear something Holly, it was coming from the left, right?”

“Actually no ‘livi, it came from the right. But that’s not possible.”

“You guys stay here, keep an eye out for me, I wanna go make sure the scanner is clear up ahead. I’ll use my Stealth-Boar to be safe.”

I slowly moved towards the left door. I activated the invisibility and passed through the double swinging doors. The hallway was lit up but not nearly as bright. I saw nothing on my scanner, so I moved forward. The moment the invisibility drops, I'm hightailing it back to the rest of them. 

“Olivia.” The voice was faint.

“Who said that? Holly? Was that you?”

“Olivia.” It was getting closer. It couldn’t have been Holly, she was behind me, and this voice was coming from in front of me. 

“Who… who’s there?”

“Olivia.”

That voice… why did it sound so…

“Olivia.”

It was getting… no. It can’t be. How is this possible? 

“Olivia my child. Welcome home.”

“Mom?”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! Stripes here bringing you Stripes in the Morning! On today’s show, we have the hero herself, Olivia Springs! Good morning Miss Springs, how are you doing this fine day?”

**[Olivia]**

“It’s raining, it’s not a very fine day.”

**[Stripes]**

“It is? Didn’t even notice. Well then, I won’t take too much of your time today. So, Miss Springs, tell us, how have you been holding up these past few weeks?”

**[Olivia]**

“Well, I've been nearly killed more times than I have fingers and toes, ran into mammals that either wanted to kill me, capture me, or do the same to my friends, and as you can see, had my face mutilated. How do you _think_ I’ve been?”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, that scar on the side of your face looks rather annoying. Tell me, why not have it removed? Sure a scar that's been around for years is much harder to get rid of, but that's fresh enough that even the Guardians should be able to erase it.”

**[Olivia]**

“I’ve thought about it, but honestly? I think it makes me look a bit more bad-ass, or at least to my enemies. Plus, I keep forgetting about it, and since my friends never bring it up, I don’t really think a little cosmetic surgery is worth the Guardians time and supplies. It’s also a reminder, that I'm not un killable like some may think I am.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes. Mortality grips all of us. So, care to elaborate on the relationship between you and Mister Valiant?”

**[Olivia]**

“That’s none of your business.”

**[Stripes]**

“Actually, that's basically my business, to show the audience everything that they may have missed. Or things that have been left out.”

**[Olivia]**

“Well, it’s none of their business either. What goes on between me and my fox is just that, between us.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, they'll find out soon enough. So, what are your plans for when this whole thing is over and done with?”

**[Olivia]**

“Well, I wanna go back to Hope. They need me, even if some of them are afraid to say it. That place is falling apart, and you don’t know how hard it is to not be able to do anything about it, but I can’t put them in any more danger than they already are because of me.”

**[Stripes]**

“I'm sure Mayor Swift is making headway in getting the people to accept you, or should I say your companions, back into the town. Even with the world crumbling around them, it's surprising how some mammals can cling to such backwards thinking. Guess you can change the world, but you can never change all of those within it.”

**[Olivia]**

“You sure sound a bit less… you today. Are you sure you're the same pain in the ass zebra that keeps tormenting me and my friends?”

**[Stripes]**

“Assuredly. Let’s just say that the next few episodes will contain a bit more of a sullen tone. But fear not, I _will_ be there covering it all, and assuring you, the readers, that things will only get better. Until they get worse, but not nearly a worse as what is coming up.”

**[Olivia]**

“Do I even what to know what you're going on about?”

**[Stripes]**

“No, no you don’t. Well folks, looks like there's a radiation storm moving in, so I need to cut this interview short as to find proper shelter. I'm not about to let my stripes melt off. Well folks, this is where I would normally tell you that I will bring you all the truth no matter how hard it hurts, but let's face it, these next few chapters will do more than that. Stay tuned for a special After Show next Wednesday. Sunday’s show will still be as planned, but next week, well, let’s just say that Max and I are not looking forward to it, but the show _must_ go on! So until next time, take care folks.”


	41. ... Can Be Broken

I couldn’t believe my eyes. It had to be a hologram, she wasn’t real, she wasn’t… alive. I… remember the day she died, the day my whole world fell apart. My mother had developed a sickness. No one knew the cause, and I honestly don’t think most of the Burrow cared. She was a rabbit, she was expendable. While the Overseer never said it, I think most of the rodents felt that way. The doctors said they tried everything to help but, but they were rodents. I think the only reason they helped was because they _had_ to, not because they wanted to. She had died in her sleep a week later. 

“Olivia, come here. Let your mother see you.”

But here she was. Her sable colored fur, the small bit of cartilage missing from her left ear from an accident when she was just a kid. She was even wearing her favorite dress black with emerald green highlights. I didn’t care much for dressing up, but I wanted to keep that dress, to remind me of her. The fucking Overseer said that _all_ of her belongings now belonged to the Burrow. I never saw that dress again. Until now.

“I-It can’t be you. Y-you're dead.”

“You care so little about your own mother that you consider me dead?”

“No! It’s… it’s not like that, but I saw… I _saw_ you die!”

“Dear child, if I was dead, why am I standing in front of you? Come here and give me a hug. I’ve missed you Binky.”

Binky? I… I haven’t heard that in such a long time. Only my mother ever called me that. She’s the only one who ever called me that. This… no, she can’t be real. This had to be a dream. I never even told Onion that name. I… I… 

“Why do you hesitate? Oh, Binky. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I…” I felt the tears fall down my face. This has to be a dream, it… but it feels so real. Even my dreams of her never feel this… this real. I couldn’t hold back any more. I ran to her, expecting just to fall through her, to fall through another falsehood in my life. 

“There, there. Let me wipe away your tears.”

I… I was holding her. I wrapped my arms around her and I was holding her, I was _feeling_ her. The warmth of her body, the silkiness of her dress. The… the perfume. The sweet smell of lilac and lavender, a smell that had come to comfort me. It was real. This was all real. 

“I-I missed you so much. I…” the tears were real. _She_ was real. I… this shouldn’t be possible, but it was. Somehow it was. 

“I’ve miss you too. Now, let’s go home. We have much to catch up on.”

Home? She can’t possibly mean… “I… I don’t want to go back to the Burrow.”

“Burrow? Why, we haven’t been there in ages. Don’t you remember Binky?”

“R-remember? I remember leaving the Burrow, with Onion. You… where were you?”

“I was there with you sweetie. Don’t you remember?”

“I… no, it was just me… and Onion, wasn't it?”

“Onion? Oh, that robot of yours. You know Binky, when I told you to ‘make’ some friends, I really didn’t expect you to _literally_ make a friend.”

“Oh, I. It was hard mom. You know that. None of the other rabbits wanted to be with me, and the rodents…”

“Haven’t I told you that not all rodents are bad? Yes, there are some who I wanted to just step on, but most of them were… they were scared.”

“Scared? They treated us rabbits like crap, what did _they_ have to be scared about?”

“Many generations lived in that Burrow, well past when our ancestors expected the ‘all-clear’ to be called. I think they were afraid that they would never get to see the sky, that their children, and their children’s children would still be trapped in that underground tomb.”

I… I never really thought of it like that. Up until I escaped, I had accepted being underground. Sure, I daydreamed about what the surface was like, my mom’s text books fueling my imagination. I never once thought that others were so desperate to not live underground anymore. There was just one thing I couldn’t wrap my brain around. 

“Mom, you said that _we_ haven’t been there in ages. I… I don’t remember you coming with us.”

“You've been through a lot my child, and I didn’t expect you to remember everything. I just wasn’t expecting you to forget about me this soon. When we left, we got attacked by those nasty ghoul creatures. You were so brave. I was really proud of how you handled yourself out there. When you used those explosives to trap those creatures, I… my foot got caught. You tried to help me, but I told you to leave. I _made_ you leave. This world didn’t need some old school teacher, it needed you.”

I… don’t… why can’t I remember that! I don’t remember her being there, but her description, it was so… I never told anyone _how_ I escaped, only where. She sounds so convinced that she was there with me, but why can't _I_ remember!

“I… I shouldn’t have left you. I should have tried harder! I should have come back for you!” I couldn’t remember, but it felt real, as if I deep down I knew it was real. 

“I told you to leave me. I wasn’t mad at you then, just as I’m not mad at you now Binky. I'm just proud of you. Proud of what you’ve done, of the mammal you’ve become.”

“B-but, what happened? If you were trapped there h-how are you here now?”

“I was trapped there for, hours, days? I can’t really remember. I was starving, I was dehydrated, I thought I was going to die, but then some traders came and found me. They had seen the explosion and arrived to see if anyone was okay. They were a friendly bunch of otters. They freed me from the rubble, fed me, even gave me a place to stay while I healed. I wanted to go out and find you, but my leg was broken, and they wouldn’t let me leave until it was healed. They were really kind.”

“But h-how did you find me?”

“They started to hear rumors of a crazy rabbit, going around and freeing slaves, taking out raiders, and generally being a hero. I didn’t really put two and two together until I heard about Hope. We were heading there when some fleeing traders warned us of a group of raiders trying to break into the city. I suggested we try to help, they had plenty of weapons and ammunition on their cart, but they weren't fighters, and neither was I. A few days later when we heard that the town had been re-opened, we went there. My leg had fully healed by then, so the kind otters said that Hope would be the best place to start out on my own. I would have loved to stay with them, but I knew I needed to find you. When we got to hope, I kept hearing about how a single rabbit with a small robot saved the town, twice. I knew it had been you. I asked around and their rabbit matched you. I was in tears thinking that we would be reunited, but you weren't there, and the mayor said she didn’t know when you would come back.”

“You… you were in Hope?”

“Yes, but you had gone off with some, foxes I think she said? The mayor said that you were hunting down some mercenaries. I… I couldn’t believe that my daughter, my Binky had become a hero to these people. I bought whatever supplies I could with the money the otter family gave me and I left looking for you. I kept almost running into you. Darkwater, outside some abandoned gas station, those city ruins, but every time I thought I was close enough to hug you, you and your friends got attacked. I was… scared. You and your friends, you all handled yourself so well, I was afraid that I would put you all in danger. So I hid, I hid until I knew it was safe. Then I saw you go in here.”

“I… were you r-really proud of me? Even though I a-almost got myself, and my friends, killed?”

“Yes. I was, and still am, proud of you. You put yourself in danger to protect your friends, the simple fact that you _had_ friends, friends who were not made of metal, made me happy. I almost didn’t want to find you. I thought that you would be happier with your friends… than with me.”

“No! Don’t say that! I… there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of you. I… I’ve missed you so much.” I felt the tears start to form again. This was not a dream, this was not a trick. She knew, she knew things that the average mammal wouldn’t… _couldn’t_ know. 

“There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t thought about you either my child. That’s why I wanted to see you again. I’ve found… a home. A safe place. One that no raider or mercenary or mutant beast can get you. A place where you can be safe, to be free to be who you want to be. I found you because I want you to join me, to be a family once again.”

“I… what about my friends?”

“Oh, they are welcome to come too. There is plenty of room even for that… deathwing friend of yours. I do admit, when I first saw you with him, I was concerned for you. But then I saw how it protected you, and I knew that you were safe.”

“My friends… where are they?” I looked around. We were in some kind of long hallway that had rooms and other hallways all over the place. I wasn’t even paying attention to where we were going, too lost in the moment. We were here, alone. 

“Oh, they're still around. I actually told them, rather Onion, about my invitation. He said something about them needing to visit a bunker first?” 

“How… you were here with me, how did you tell them?”

“Binky, you're not the only one who can use a Pip-Boar.” My mother held up her arm and I saw that she had her Pip-Boar still. I knew that was hers too, it had the glittery paw prints all over it. I had asked her why she had stickers plastered on it and she told me that when she was just a kid, shortly after getting her device, she called it ugly and wanted to ‘make it pretty’. She never did take them off. 

We continued to walk down the hallways. Turning down what appeared to be random hallways. The inside of this place was designed just as confusingly as the outside. We kept on chatting, sharing events that we had been through, and every time she tells me something, something that I _know_ no one else, not even Onion knew, that it was really her. The part that was tearing me up was that I can’t remember her. The last time I _do_ remember her, was trying to wake her up the night she died. I grabbed my head out of frustration and screamed.

“Binky, what’s wrong?”

“I… this makes no sense! You're telling me things that I know no one else knew, your voice, your _smell_ tells me it’s you, but the last thing I remember about you was the night I thought you died! I… how do I know any of this is real? How do I know anything is real?”

“You've always been inquisitive, and you've always gone out of your way to question everything. That’s just your nature. To question your own reality, that’s not much farther a step from questioning how your heart beats, or how your brain works. Some things will just be a mystery to us. Stop wondering if then was real, and start asking yourself, does this _feel_ real?”

I thought long and hard. It still doesn’t make any sense. Things were not adding up, but… “yes. It does feel real.”

“Then it is real. It is as real as you want it to be. Here.” She grabbed my paw and placed it upon her chest. “Do you feel my heart beating?”

“Y-yes.”

She leaned over and gently blew on my nose like when I was a kid. “Can you feel the breath from my lungs?”

“Yes.”

She kissed me between the ears, like when I was a child. “Does… this feel real?”

“Y-yes. It all feels… real.”

“Then it is real. I am real, you are real, and together, our family is real. Now, tell me about your friends. I would love to know more about the kind of mammals that you are willing to put yourself in danger over.”

I started from the beginning. I told her about how I first met Nate in the prison cells, how he, his brother, and I went to rescue Holly, and how Onion was the one who actually saved us. I told her about the Guardians, Drake, Blanche. I told her of North, Bo, the mayor. I told her everything that happened to me, from the moment I left the Burrow, up until now. Every detail, every little thing that I could remember.

“You keep speaking of this Nate fellow rather fondly. Is there something I should know about?”

I felt my cheeks warm up as I thought of him. I told her… well everything that happened between us. She ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ over all the details. I found myself telling her things, that I don’t think I could have actually told Nate. About how I really felt around him, how I felt when he was holding me, when I was holding him. I spoke out loud words that I felt too nervous to even think about. It was my mom. She deserved to know _everything_. 

“This Nate fellow sounds really important to you. I can’t wait to meet him.”

I couldn’t wait for Nate to meet her either. I… “Nate! Oh he must be so worried about me. He…” I wanted to tell her everything about him, but there were some things that I don’t think even _I_ should tell her, at least not without Nate here. Some things were just too personal. Even for a parent to know. 

“O-Olivia?”

“Nate? Nate!”

He was alone. The other’s must have left to the bunker to gather supplies, but Nate, I knew he wouldn’t be able to leave. 

“I-I was so w-worried. You left a-and…”

“So you must be Nate. Rather cute for a fox.”

“W-who…”

“Nate, this is my… mother.”

“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Jessica Springs, but from how my daughter speaks of you, I have a feeling you may soon be calling me… mom.”

***

We talked for a long time after that. Nate seemed very nervous at first, but he soon began to grow more at ease around my mom. I knew he was going got be fine when I kept hearing him snicker every time she called me Binky. I told him that if he ever told Holly, that I was going to have a new fur coat for winter. 

I had asked where the others were, and he said that they had met up with Blanche, Drake, and Onion and left for the bunker. The three had only found another abandoned outpost but they were going to check in on the Guardians on the way back. My mother was always good at getting her way in the Burrow through her words, but I never thought she could get my friends to move in with us. Then again, she always managed to keep me out of trouble from the Overseer and security no matter what I did, even the time I nearly caused the entire Burrow to blow up all because I wanted to see how the power core worked. I guess convincing my friends to go live someplace safe is nothing compared to that. 

“So, I have to ask… do you still sleep naked Binky?”

“Mom!”

“Just asking, it might be a little… odd to have a boy in bed with you like that… unless you two have…”

“Mom!” I felt embarrassed, and looking at Nate he must have felt the same. I had to change the subject.

“So… where is this ‘safe’ place?”

“Oh, not far from here actually. I'm actually glad you came here. There's a network of caves that connect multiple places together. There happens to be one under here. So much safer than trying to navigate the surface.”

I… I think I remember the mayor saying something about that, how Hope drew their water from an underground lake that connected them. I wanted to beat myself up over not thinking about it. We would have been so much safer if we had simply kept underground. That would have been the _perfect_ way to sneak up to the Legionaries. 

“Hey mom, I… I don’t know if I should go with you, at least not yet. As long as those Legionaries are out there, my friends, Hope, everyone is still in trouble, because of me.”

“Olivia, y-you, I want to keep you safe. If there is any way that can happen, we need to take it, even if it means hiding. A-as long as I'm w-with you, we can hide… forever.”

Nate really does want to keep me safe, to protect me. He should also know that I'm too adamant about this to just leave it. How can I call myself a ‘hero’ if I'm hiding from the world as it's torn apart from the inside out.

“Binky, dear, I can tell that this is important to you. Tell you what. I've managed to acquire supplies, weapons, fresh food and hid them in my home. Why don’t we go there, meet your friends and just spend _one_ day relaxing before you go be a hero. The world isn’t going to end if you take a break for a single day.”

Nate and my mom looked at me. I think they both agreed that we… I needed rest. The only times that I get to rest is after nearly dying, and even then, something ends up interrupting it. A nightmare, an attack, something. She’s right, the world isn’t going to end if I vanish for a day or two. Maybe with some sleep and _real_ food in my belly, I can come up with a plan that won’t risk all of us being killed. 

“Okay. Just for a day or two! After that I am continuing my mission.”

They both sighed in relief. Did they really think I was just going to run out into danger this soon? Sure, I wanted to, but I couldn’t do that to them. To her. To him. I needed this. To know I am not alone. To be with my real family _and_ my new family. I needed to…

“Olivia!”

“Who… Nate? Why did…”

“I didn’t say anything.” Nate sounded confused. 

“That’s why you need to rest Binky, you're starting to hear things.”

Am I? I could have sworn I heard… no she’s right. Even though I got some sleep last night, I only fell asleep due to whatever medication Mark gave me to ease the pain. It wasn’t a real sleep. Real sleep is when you lay there, drifting away on our own accords. Laying there, holding, cuddling with the mammal you love. 

“Olivia!”

No, I _knew_ I heard it that time! That was… Nate’s voice. But he's here with me… why… My vision started to blur a bit. 

“You okay Binky?”

“I…” I dropped to my knees. A sharp pain suddenly appearing in my neck. “W-what is…”

“It’s just a precaution.”

That voice it… it wasn’t Nate. It wasn’t my mom. Who… I looked towards my mother. She was standing there, smiling. I could see her speaking, but I couldn’t hear her words. I… she flickered. What was happening. I tried to call out to her but the words didn’t form. Nate was standing there, his paw outstretched. I went to reach for it.

“Fuck this bitch is strong, quick another!”

Who… another pain in my neck. My vision starting to fade more as I felt my body weaken. My mom… Nate… they both started to flicker. My arm started to drop as Nate reached for it and grabbed it. He… why was he… my Pip-Boar. No… he flickered again. That… t-that wasn’t Nate. Who…

“What the hell are you doing! That thing is worth a lot!”

“I know but we were ordered to leave it. They can use it to fucking follow us.”

Follow them? Who… I saw my Pip-Boar hit the ground. I glanced back up to them. My mother, Nate, they were gone. Instead replaced by… no, they weren’t them, they were… I had to fight, I had to run, call for help. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak.

“Leave her bag too. Yeah I know but he’s afraid there's a tracker in there too. Look, we don’t have time. That fucking fox is starting to snap out of it. We gotta go, now!”

Fox… Nate! He… they were still… here. I… how could I… she’s dead. She’s really dead and never coming back. How could I have been so… blind. I couldn’t feel my body anymore, but I saw them lifting me. They were carrying me… but where? I… I can’t leave my friends… I can’t. 

“Hurry, through here, the trucks waiting.”

Light… we… we are outside? Where is… 

“Get her in the back! Go! Go!”

“OLIVIA!”

Nate… I’m… I’m sorry.

***

It’s… dark. Why is it always dark when I wake up after… what the fuck happened? I remember seeing my mom, and Nate, and then… fuck, mercenaries. I remember being dragged away by… no, it wasn’t Legionaries. They were too sloppily dressed. I remember a pain in my neck. I think I was… drugged. My eyes adjusted enough to see that I was in a room, a small, unfamiliar room. A light flickered on. 

It was a candle. Someone had just lit a candle, and now another one. Where was I? I tried to move but my arms and legs weren't responding. I looked down, thinking I was chained down but there were no chains. I was on some kind of bed and I was… naked. Why the fuck was I naked?

“H-hello? Where am I? Why am I n-naked?”

A voice came from the other side of the room, from within a darkened corner. With the candle lights it was hard to make out anything but a shadow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you again, Olivia Springs.”

“Who… are…” That voice, it sounded… familiar. It sounded… no. No! It can’t be!

“I'm utterly shocked that you don’t remember me. Here, maybe this will help my dear.”

He moved out of the shadow. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It _was_ him. “H-how… I-I thought you were dead!”

“Oh, I'm a difficult boar to kill. I do have to apologize. When I last saw you, I was acting rather… uncouth. Of course, who would blame me? You _did_ damage such exquisite beauty after all.” 

I saw him much clearer now. The brown fur, the graying stripe along the top of his head. That fine pressed suit. It _was_ him. It was Baird. I saw where I had broken his tusk, and it had been replaced with a solid gold one, shaped to look exactly like the other one.

“Oh, I see you noticed my newest addition have you? I do admit, It was very unpleasant for quite a while after that. However, I should thank you. You see, my old tusk had this one _tiny_ blemish on it. All the polishing in the world wouldn’t get rid of it, now? My tusk is downright gorgeous, don’t you think? The gold really accents it, enough that I'm very tempted to replace the other one, just to have a matching pair. I do love symmetry.”

“Where am I? Why can’t I move?”

“Oh that? That’s so you can’t hurt me I'm afraid. It’s called Lax. A rather interesting drug if I do say so myself. It renders only your limbs unresponsive, but leaves your cognitive abilities alone. It also…” He pulled out a small knife. As he hovered it over my arm, I wanted to kick it out of his hoof, to grab it and shove it right between his eyes, but I couldn’t even move my paw, yet alone my arms or legs. He very gently cut my arm. He barely put any pressure on it but the pain was beyond anything I have ever felt. “… heightens _all_ the senses. Pain _and_ pleasure.”

I could barely talk through the pain. “Why… am I… naked?”

“Oh, that? That’s what I paid for. You my dear have caused me nothing but grief ever since I met you. I just wanted to repay the favor.”

“P-pay?”

“I take it you don’t know where you are? A shame. This place is actually quite nice. Welcome to… Wild Times.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**A Message and Warning from The Authors**

**[Max]**

Hello everyone. So this is technically Max, well at least that's my alternate on here that you all know me by. Well I'm guessing you're all wondering just where the hell Stripes is with that horrible… Horrible 'Stripes In the Morning' show he puts on. I'm afraid for this and the next few chapters we're going to be going a bit… Well we're going dark here folks. These following chapters were emotionally draining for both of us and it's only fair we give you fair warning of what's ahead. Many, MANY of you won't like it. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see pitch forks and torches marching our way after the next chapter.

You all may be wondering just how bad it actually is for us to go to these lengths to warn you all. I'll just say this. Chapter 42 was dropped into my metaphorical lap, and more literally into my inbox, with only the barest of warnings and a huge apology for what I was about to read. It made me sick, it upset me. If I had known about it? I would've rejected the idea right out of hand. So it had to be delivered the way it was to me. No major changes were given by me, I went through it the best I could and edited it. I still can't look at the damn thing without feeling sick. 

That being said. The following chapter is somewhat necessary, as disgusting as that makes me feel to say, for the development of our heroine. This event will shape much of what is to come. It is going to hurt. There is no way around it. So if you must, skip it. Neither of us will begrudge anyone who does that. Just understand that it does influence some major decisions down the road Olivia is going to have to make. So that's where we find ourselves. We can earnestly promise you that Chapter 42 is the absolute lowest point in this story. Yes there are still some major emotional road bumps to come, but this will be the lowest point in Olivia's life. There's only one way for our Burrow Dweller to go from here on. So if you're able to make it through this upcoming chapter and decide to stick with us, just know that Stripes and I still rarely butt heads on this one. Seriously, he got weird one night after a little too much to drink and almost made me wanna slug him one… With a 12 pound Rifle.

WELL, with that being said, I'm gonna hand this over to the man himself and let him say what he feels he needs to say while I quietly sit to the side and clean that rifle of mine, cause it really needs it and I have a feeling that I'm gonna need the distraction here for a while.

**[Stripes]**

“Thank you Max. That little wall of text was not of my doing, but actually written by my co-author. He felt that despite a special After Show for Wednesday’s chapter, that a bit of forewarning is due. As a form of payment for artistic services, I also forwarded many of the unpublished chapters to him, and let’s just say that his reaction to chapter 42 was pretty similar to Max’s. That said, it is a necessity, and I promise that chapter 42 WILL be the worst one. Not going to say there won’t be any emotional chapters following it, but not nearly as… well you will see. Interestingly enough, the chapter was designed long before the involvement of Max’s own characters, Holly, Nate, and Mark, and let’s just say this, their inclusion actually makes the chapter much more necessary. Won’t tell you how, you will have to figure it out yourselves with the chapters following it. 

“Now, without further ado, I present today’s actual After Show, but it will be a short one. Now, you may be wondering, what exactly happened to Olivia and the gang in this place? You may think that she had a weak mind to believe her mom was there, but in actuality, it was due to the nature of the facility. You see, when the war broke out all those centuries ago, there were many people who started to face fear so great that it was making them have nightmares, making them fear for their very existence, despite the fact that no signs of violence had reached them. Now, a company, Happy Times Inc, decided to step in and help. 

“Holograms were one thing, but you couldn’t touch a hologram, you couldn’t smell or feel their very presence, and it didn’t help many mammals. Instead, Happy Times Inc developed, with help from Capybara Pharmaceuticals, also known as CapyRx, developed a form of short term chemical, that despite being classified as a neurotoxin by the Zootopia Food and Drug Commission, the drug managed to slip through some loopholes and became established within the first, and only, Happy Times Relaxation Facility.

“Now, normally visitors would be told prior to the release of the chemicals what would happen, and to simply relax and think happy thoughts. A guide would be available to make sure they didn’t wander into anything, or anyone else, during their waken dreamlike state. Unfortunately, our heroes didn't know that, so were put under the chemical's effects without the right state of mind. 

“The chemical was actually a wonder of chemical engineering. It linked your mental images to your body, allowing you to see, smell, hear, and feel those images as if they were really there. If it wasn’t used for such a devious plan, it would have been a rather pleasant place to visit, but let’s just say that place is off limits to anyone but Guardian personnel after the events of this chapter. 

“That’s it for today’s After Show. It wasn’t much but I wanted to simply clarify the events that transpired since it won’t be detailed as such in the story. That’s what these episodes are for, to tell you what even the main characters do not know, or what they don’t want to know. Tune in next time for another special After Show, and remember, even if something hurts, it’s there for a reason, to make you stronger. Good night everyone!”


	42. Wild Times

**Pre-Show**

**[Stripes]**

“Hello folks. This is Stripes here with a special Pre-Show for today’s chapter. This will be a one time show, but due to the following chapter, it has been deemed necessary. Based upon both Max and my messages the past few episodes, along with the ending of the previous chapter, many of you I am sure have figured out why all the forewarnings about what we have dubbed simply as: 42. No, it isn’t the answer to everything, but it is a necessary evil. Why you might ask? Unlike some stories or shows who simply throw stuff like this in there just for the heck of it, I did not. After reading this, some of you may be saying: “Hey Stripes, this chapter wasn’t _that_ bad.” To some, I am sure that will be the case. No matter what the story, no matter how tame it might be, there are so many different ways a person can react to something that the forewarnings, along with this special Pre-Show are necessary to protect those who may not enjoy reading the following chapter. 

“I will tell you the truth. I did not like writing this chapter, one bit. By the time that this chapter came around, I was not only dreading it, but Olivia has developed so much beyond my initial development that to me, she’s almost like a daughter. Yes, I know she’s not real, and this is all simply a tale of fiction, but just as a reader can get attached to a character, so too can an author get attached to one. During this entire chapter, I was in tears, and at times I wanted to stop and scrap the whole thing, but this is not a throwaway chapter. It is regrettably needed in order to aid in the development of Olivia, and to an extent, Nate as well. Once the chapter was done, I didn’t even proof read it. I sent it off to Max for reviewing and editing, and went for a long walk to cool my head. I did, however, go back through it the other day and found some aspects that can be edited out to make it not necessarily tame, but that were not needed due to the already overwhelming event.

“I am not comfortable writing such extreme events (nor am I with sexual encounters), so what I did was allude more than anything towards what was going on. Between Olivia’s own internal emotions, along with strategically placed dialog events, I tried my best to make sure that everyone knows what will happen, without tossing out the graphic details. In cases like that I find it better to leave it up to the readers imagination, but please, keep that to yourself.

“Now, you may be wondering why the chapter content is so small in terms of word count. Based upon a suggestion, I have posted chapter 42 with a Pre-Show and the After Show with a link to an internal posting of chapter 42. That way if people want to stick around for the After Show but would prefer to skip any potential problems they may have with the chapter, they can choose to do so. 

“The After Show will mostly be for those who did skip the chapter, to tell certain information that may be either necessary for future chapters, or simple lore related information. Now, I will end this Pre-Show with a small note. This chapter WILL be the worst one in terms of this type of content. I had such a hard time writing this that I don’t think I could muster it ever again. Without giving away spoilers, chapter 43 will be a recovery chapter, and 44 will start to wind things back up again, taking it relatively slow. Because of this recovery chapter, and the potential reactions to 42, I will be posting chapter 43 not Sunday as per normal schedule, but rather tomorrow. That way, if you read the chapter and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you have something much more soothing to follow up after it, and if you decided to skip the chapter entirely, you don’t have to wait until Sunday in order to see what happens. Sunday will resume the typical posting with chapter 44. 

“Now, unless Max would like to add something, let me present Fallout Zootopia: Chapter 42: Wild Times. And remember, whether or not you choose to read it, if you would please join me for the After Show, although you do not have to if you so choose.”

 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

 

[Chapter 42: Wild Times](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8037493)

 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show ******

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’ ******

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! Who am I kidding, there is nothing good about this morning, or afternoon, or whatever time it is. So it's finally over. The moment I had been dreading ever since I wrote the chapter. I promise, from here on out, things will never get that bad, or at least as bad as the first part. Sure, there will be violence, death, and even emotional turmoil, but there will be no event remotely similar to what had happened at the onset of this chapter. Now, as I said, this After Show will mostly be dedicated to those who choose to either not read, or simply skim through the chapter, but there will also be certain explanations that might have gone unanswered. 

“Since this entire chapter is built around Wild Times, let me give you a bit of a lesson on it. Don’t worry, it will be PG-13/Teen. So, as you could already amass from the previous chapter, Wild Times is the largest slave camp within the wasteland. It serves as both a place for slaves to be bought, sold, and ‘conditioned’. Sure, not all slaves are used for sexual encounters. Some are bought for work, some are bought for other pleasures, and there are even the few brave souls who buy slaves to set them free. Unfortunately there are not as many of those around as there should be.

“Now, Wild Times is huge. It was initially opened within an abandoned theme park, but grew tremendously over the decades of its opening. Additional buildings, a large fenced in arena-like area, and plenty of guard towers and other security measures make the place unrecognizable to the modern mammal. The current owner, simply known as the Slave Prince, is one of the most mysterious mammals in the wasteland. He never leaves the place, and many don’t even know his species. When he does present himself, he wears so many different fashions that some think he’s a fox, others a wolf, and to a few they even think he’s an otter or beaver making himself look much larger. No matter what, he's nearly as elusive as the boar I'm sure _everyone_ will now hate. Don’t worry folks, he'll get his just desserts, but I'm afraid he’s gone into hiding so it may be a while. From what I heard, Chief Lazlo has dedicated entire squads to locating this mad-boar.

“Some of you might ask, what exactly did happen to Wild Times after the event? While it will be briefly covered in another chapter, I will say this. Despite the fact that the boar escaped, Wild Times is no more. Not only is it under Guardian control, but it's not going to be reused for anything. Between scrapping it and a certain fox’s demands that it be torched to the ground, it is no more, and we will not be returning to that place again.

“Now for the next part. The wasteland has so many abusive chemicals that it is hard to keep track. Some, like the chemical used at the onset, causes whoever takes it to be physically immobile from the neck down yet allows them to not only have a sound mind, but also increased all aspects of pain and pleasure tenfold. While some use it as a torture device, it is almost exclusively used within Wild Times, so don’t expect it to be a commonly encountered chemical. 

“The next chemical was designed exclusively for use at Wild Times, a chemical simply known as Prey. AS you are certainly aware, all creatures big and small have what is known as a fight-or-flight response. When faced with danger, the body will either stand and face it, or run away in order to save its own life. Prey eliminates that fight response, causing it’s victim to fear every little thing. Mentally, they feel as if they are in control, but when faced with something that would trigger a response, it forces them to flee, to find a place to hide. It doesn’t matter how strong willed you are, how fearless you are, it will take those barriers and destroy them. Why am I describing these chemicals in such a manner? Simply to make sure that you, the audience, know that Olivia is not some weak minded, or weak willed individual, that she genuinely had no control over the matter. Even if it were to wear off too early, the mounted snipers surrounding Free Range would have taken her out before she could respond. Remember folks, she had no weapons, no armor, not even her Pip-Boar at her disposal.

“Now, for a little development lesson. Drake was actually created for this very event. One day I thought, ‘It'd be really cool to see a swarm of deathwings come to aid in Olivia’s rescue’. Now, while that sounded really bad ass, it wasn’t feasible unless I created a reason for it to work, and then Drake was created. To be honest, he wasn’t even named until the very chapter Olivia gave him his name. I was drawing a blank for a very long time.

“I won’t end this saying that I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, I'm certain that most of you who read it didn’t, but I will say this. I really do hope you understand it’s importance, and while it may not be obvious immediately, you'll come to realize it in the future. Sure, things might get rough, and I will tell you this now. Olivia will be suppressing this entire event. For a while at least. She isn’t ignoring it, but she will be afraid it will negatively impact her quests and her friends, so she will do her best to keep it at bay. It won’t last. It never does. Rest assured, even when she reaches her boiling point, while the deaths of many of her enemies will be a direct result at times, there will never be a chapter as painful as this one, at least not in that aspect. In order to grow stronger, you need to experience both the good and the bad in life, and while it may not be the case for everyone, Olivia’s worst times will be the fuel she needs to become her best. 

“Tune in tomorrow where I will be breaking tradition and posting another chapter. That one is much, much calmer than this chapter was. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming on Sunday. Thank you to all my faithful readers for putting up with this chapter and I hope you will resume enjoying the rest of the adventure. There's still a long road ahead.

“Hey Max! I think after this I need a drink. Where you hiding the _good_ stuff?”

**[Max]**

“… Fuck it. Fuck it all for now… Here's the key, don't drink yourself into a stupor, you're still gonna be needed for next week…”

**[Stripes]**

“Something tells me you might be needed for tomorrows After Show Max, so best be prepared. Wait, this thing still on?”

_static_


	43. Beyond Your Limits

Some mammals try to live their life to the fullest, to be everything they can, do everything they can, they strive to be the greatest that they can ever be, at least until they hit their limit. Some will say: ‘you can only go so far’, and others will remark: ‘limits are placed there for a reason’. To reach one's own potential is the greatest goal one can ever achieve. There are others, however, who believe that a limit is placed not for an end goal, but simply a checkpoint in life. They strive to reach their personal goals, and then reach out and shatter them. Think you're the strongest? There's probably someone stronger. You know everything there is to know? I’m sure someone will teach you _something_ new. There's something that even the most outreaching mammal always lacks, something that is infinitely accessible, yet impossible to ever hope to have enough of. 

Time. The time to get stronger, the time to get smarter. Even with a mammal with ambitions that will lead them to greatness, if there's not enough time, then you may never reach your goals, let alone surpass them. Unfortunately, time always runs out, no matter how careful you are. I’ve learned this the hard way. There will be plenty of time to get the Burrow job I want. The town of Hope is in disrepair? I have all the time in the world to fix this place up. Time to rest after almost being eaten alive by a fucked up boar? Yup, I will have plenty of time for that…

“Okay, we need to get going.” Mark’s voice seemed, distant for some reason.

“Yeah, just let me get the supplies. It’s gonna be a long trip back.” Holly seemed very … hesitant about something, but I couldn’t tell what.

“I-I … I’m ready.” Nate? Well, it’s hard to tell with him sometimes. I’m trying to get better though, trying to make _us_ better. 

“What about …” why did Mark sound so …

“Her? Leave her.” Leave who? Oh Holly, don’t tell me Blanche did something stupid while I was resting. 

I tried to move, not even remembering when I woke up. I’ve been in the Guardian’s medical facility enough times already to know that I must have been out for a while. I remember … I don’t want to think of it. If I ever get my fucking paws on that boar he’s going to _wish_ he killed me. I'm sure the others were thinking the same thing. I wonder what happened to him? If he was already dead well … is it wrong of me to hope he's still alive, just so _I_ can get my retribution on him?

“I said no. You saw what she did, you heard what she _said_.”

I tried to open my eyes, to see who Holly was talking to, to ask her what happened while I was out. My eyes, they were heavy. It was hard to open them, but I tried anyways. There was light. It wasn’t bright, at least not blindingly so. It was still hard to open them. Once I got them open it was even harder to keep them that way, but I still tried. I didn’t see any of them around me. I didn’t see anyone, but I could hear them.

“B-but … no, y-your right. I just t-thought…” 

Nate? I can hear you Nate, but… where are you? I tried to speak, to call out to him. Whatever drugs were still in me made it difficult. I was way too used to being sedated lately. Maybe they were right, maybe I _did_ put myself into too much danger. They had to see, they had to know it was just who I was. I wanted to help others, but I'm also too stubborn. They can’t blame me for that. Can they?

“Well, you were wrong. That’s why you can’t just jump into something like that Nate, it’s just not… it’s not you.”

Why did Mark sound like he was scolding Nate? Did _he_ do something wrong? I remember… I remember Holly and Mark calling out for him when they… rescued me. Did Nate run off and do something stupid? No, he wasn’t like that. He may not be the bravest mammal out there, but he’s not suicidal, but he did take a plasma bolt for me so maybe…

“I-I j-just thought … but y-you were right, it _was_ stupid. To t-think someone could l-like me like… that.”

Was he, crying? Nate, what happened? I had to speak, I had to find out. 

“N…” it was hard, why was it hard to just say one word? “Na… N… ate… Nate.”

“Y-you’re awake?”

“Nate, w-where are you?” I felt the words starting to flow from me better.

“I’m…”

“He’s leaving.” 

“Holly? Where… where are you going?”

“Away from here, away from… you.”

Me? Why… why did she say that? Did I do something wrong? Did I… hurt someone? “Why?”

“You know why.”

I did? “No, I don’t. What did I do to make you say that Holly?”

“You don’t know? She doesn’t know. Well I'll tell you what you did wrong… _Olivia_. We tried to help you, we tried to save you, but all you did was push us away, to undo everything we’ve tried to do to protect you. We’ve had it. We're leaving before you get us killed.”

What? No, it… did she not know? “I… I wasn’t myself, it was the… I was drugged.”

“Hah! You hear that? She’s blaming a ‘drug’. No, the Guardians had you checked out, there were no drugs in your system. You told us you’d rather _die_ than let us help you.”

“No… I… it was the drugs!”

“Nate cared for you, he _loved_ you, but did you try to repay that when he wanted to comfort you? No, you just showed your true nature. You didn’t want help from a _fox_.”

“No! Nate, that’s not true, that… not… true. I…”

“Y-you showed your t-true colors. I… I’m sorry I thought I could love s-someone like _you_. Goodbye.”

“No! I’m sorry. Whatever I did, I’m sorry! Please don’t leave me! Please… don’t…”

He… just looked away. How could… why couldn’t I remember that? Why couldn’t I remember _that_?

“I…” I had to tell him. I had to tell him the truth. Why did I keep it from him? Why did I push him away?

“Nate! I love you!”

***

“Nate! What happened?”

“She… she said… then she fell!”

My head hurt, why am I on… the floor? Was that…?

“N-Nate?”

“I-I’m here. Are you okay? Y-you were having a nightmare. Y-you just… I thought I h-heard you say…”

A nightmare? I was… I was still asleep! Oh, thank you. I was afraid… I couldn’t lose them, I couldn’t lose _him_. Wait, he ‘heard’ me? Did I just say… out loud? My eyes had been closed this entire time. I opened them, the light a bit brighter than I remembered, but they adjusted fast enough to see a figure hovering over me. Nate. He was sitting on the ground, holding me. 

“Why am I on the… floor?”

“Y-you fell. You reached out and said… and then you fell.”

“I-I… I’m sorry! I am so, so sorry!”

“F-for what? I should be the one who’s sorry. I-I wasn’t there for you… again. I-I couldn’t protect you. He… I couldn’t stop him from hurting you!”

“There was nothing you could do. If I didn’t split us up, if I didn’t tear us apart… it wasn’t your fault. It was mine.”

“No, it’s… it was…”

I put my paw against his muzzle, halting his words. I knew how he thought, and for a moment, a brief moment in my life while I was under the influence of those chems, I knew how he _felt_ , and I never wanted him to ever feel like that again. It… just pushing him away like that, unable to control my own emotions, I never want to feel that pain again, and he’s been living with that pain for his entire life. 

“Let’s not play the blame game, not now. We’ve both been damaged, we're both… broken, and we may never be able to fix each other, but you know what? That’s why were perfect for each other, as long as we each are missing something, no matter how jagged the edges may feel to us, we will always be able to fill that void, to dull the pain. Nate Valiant? I… love you.”

“I-I…”

“Just shut up and kiss me.” I grabbed him before he even had a second to register what I said. 

We held each other there. The floor was cold, I'm positive that I tore some medical tubing out of my body when I fell due to the pain in my arms, but I didn’t care. After everything I went through at that place, I needed this, I needed to be with someone who cared about me, I needed to know that I was still… me.

“Okay ‘livi, we're all happy that you're finally awake, truth be told, we were all worried about you, and yes, even Blanche was, but we really need to get you back up on that table and get a doctor to stop the bleeding before you pass out again.”

“Bleeding?” Oh yeah, the tubes. The warmth of my own blood finally sunk in as I lifted one of my arms to find that the auburn fur was soaked with a much darker hue of red. 

“You're not even a Guardian, yet it feels like I see you in my med-bay more than any of them. If you don’t mind getting back on the table Miss Springs, I would like to patch you up… again.”

It was the same doctor that treated me… well all three times I’ve been rushed back here. “Sorry doc, I guess I've been too careless when it comes to my own safety.”

“I've scolded Guardians bigger than you for much less, but this time… you’ve been through so much more than I think anyone here has, and to come out alive, after all that? I think I can let this slide. Now, let me bandage you up.”

Nate reluctantly let me go as I tried to stand up to get onto the bed. I must have been out for a while, because my legs felt like rubber as I nearly fell back down. Nate caught me and helped me get back to the bed. The doctor rubbed my wounds with some kind of cream before wrapping them in a bandage.

“Thank you for patching me up, for making sure I can walk out of here alive.”

“I honestly didn’t do as much this time, your friend here was very insistent on that.” He nodded towards Nate, “after you arrived here, he refused to let any of the male staff tend to you, he was very… adamant about it.”

“Nate?” 

“I-I… after what he did to you… I just… it didn’t feel right for any other guy to touch you…”

“After… oh. How did…”

“I… could smell it. I could _smell_ his… v-violation of you. It…”

“Nate was very… well he wasn’t himself, to be honest, Mark and I were a bit… scared of how he was acting.”

Holly seemed… she seemed different. Any other time she would have probably thrown a remark about how we should ‘get a room’ or teasing me for the fact that Nate had been holding me while I was half naked… I had only now realized that I was only wearing a partial medical gown after my ass touched the cold metal bordering the medical bed, but she seemed more concerned than anything.

“What do you mean? Nate what did…”

“We should save this for when you're feeling better ‘livi. There are things that… no offense ‘doc but there are some things that need to be kept between family.”

“Oh, I understand. To be honest, sometimes I feel like a psychologist around here while treating these Guardians, no offense to any of you, but the less ‘drama’ I have to deal with, the better. Now Miss Springs, once you're able to walk without collapsing, you're free to go, just take it easy for a few days. We had to re-align your spinal column and fix your leg for the second time. Next time you insist on getting your leg injured, do us a favor and injure your _other_ leg, otherwise you won’t have it much longer.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind the next time my life is in imminent peril.”

He started to leave before pausing, still looking towards the door to the next room. “Oh, and I hope I don’t have to remind you but this is a _medical_ facility, not some kind of hotel where you and your boyfriend can spend the night. We _do_ have guest quarters.” 

I guess he wasn’t too happy about Nate and I’s cuddle time when we were here last. What did he expect? I had nearly died from radiation poisoning and found out I was part fox, what did he… wait, did he say _boyfriend_? I… Nate was smiling. I'm not sure if it was because of me saying those three words, if it was because I was safe, or if it was what the doctor called him but… I cared for him, but never really thought of him as my boyfriend. Then again, we were too close to just be friends, it was something more. So yeah, boyfriend… _my_ boyfriend. My feelings didn’t stop it from feeling foreign to me though. 

“So, how long was I out this time?”

***

According to Holly, it had been a little over two days since they had rescued me from that… place. She told me that I had been in and out of consciousness the whole time, but all I can remember was that… nightmare. Despite everything that happened to me, everything _he_ had done to me, I had not relived that experience while I was asleep, instead, the same thing played over and over. How the others felt like I was rejecting them, how they said I was saying this out of my own free will, how I hurt… Nate. I… it was just a dream, a horrible, horrible dream, but why did it make me feel like this? Feel as if my entire world was crumbling down.

“Olivia? Is… is everything okay?”

Nate was holding my paw. His eyes a cross between worry and compassion. No. It was a dream, it would only ever be a dream. He wouldn’t push me away like that. _I_ couldn’t push him away like that. At least, I hoped not.

“I’m… fine. Just trying not to think about something, and unfortunately, trying not to think about it makes me think about it. It’s a viscous circle.”

All of them looked concerned. Nate was on the verge of crying, and Holly and Mark looked as if they'd almost lost a brother… or a sister. They almost did. Once I was able to move without falling, with the help of Nate as a crutch, we all moved into one of the quarters that Lazlo had set aside for us. Apparently since we keep making regular trips here, most of them unintended, he had set up a permanent ‘guest’ suite for us. All of our gear was there, along with some supplies that Mark said the Chief insisted we have. 

Nate sat me down on one of the beds and sat down next to me. He seemed hesitant at first, like he was afraid to touch me, but when I gently leaned on his arm, I had been aiming for his shoulder but forgot how much taller he was to me, I felt his tail slowly inch it’s way around my waist as he calmed down. 

While none of them said it directly, I knew they wanted to know what happened to me. It was hard to tell them, but I couldn’t keep it from them. They had to know… everything. Well, mostly everything. I told them about the facility, how it tricked me into thinking my mom was alive. I could tell that it effected the brothers the most, seeing how their own mother had died. Mark even told me about how he saw his own mother. That… caused a bit of a reaction from Nate. I wonder if they even had time to talk about what happened back there?

The only thing I didn’t say about seeing my ‘mother’ was how hearing her call me ‘Binky’ made it seem more real. I just… despite all of what happened, that one small part just made me feel… embarrassed. I did however mention that I saw Nate, and I saw that got a very pleased look from him. Not a ‘yay for me’ look, more of a ‘oh, wow’ type of look. I guess it was a more surprised pleased look than anything else. 

“Y-you know that… that the chemicals I mean… it…”

“What the doof is trying to say is that we think those hallucinations, they were a result of a chemical reaction that fed off of memories, specifically your happiest ones.”

“Yeah t-that's what I was trying… I was really… there?”

I gave him a kiss before replying. “Yes, you were. To be honest, while it was all an illusion, I think… well I think that my mom, my real mom, would have liked you.”

I gave him another kiss and held him for a moment before continuing my story. I told them that at some point the chemicals started to wear off, and that was when I saw the mammals who took me. One of the first words out of their mouths was ‘Legionaries?’ but I said that I didn’t think so, they looked much more ragged then those other mercs. When I told them about my Pip-Boar being taken off, that’s when Nate chimed in about him already being semi-lucid to his own illusions, but the emergency signal was what finally snapped him out of it, but by the time he found it, I was gone. 

What that boar did to me, that was… I didn’t want to go into the details, to… relive that. I think they could tell as well. I wasn’t sure if it was the tears, or the stuttering but they told me I didn’t have to say anymore. There were times that I could still… _feel_ him. I had to stop and collect myself before continuing. Holly told me to take all the time I needed. 

Once I was ready to talk again, I told them about Prey, the chem that caused me to lose all reason, the reason I acted the way I did, the reason I… pushed them, pushed Nate away. They said they knew something was wrong, that I wasn’t acting normal. It was Nate who said he smelt something wrong with me, other than the… violation. The odd thing was that Mark, despite being the same species with the same acute sense of smell, he said he didn’t smell it. He knew something was off, but he didn’t seem to _know_ what was wrong like Nate did.

When I told them of Baird’s plans, to control the world, to mentally enslave all mammals, they looked very displeased, but when I told them of what he wanted to do to me, how he planned to hunt me like a savage, to… eat me, they all were well past anger. If just thinking harm against someone could physically affect them, no matter where they were, I would imagine that boar suddenly facing a death more painful than anyone could ever imagine. I asked what happened to him, but Holly said that they didn’t know, that the Guardians could not find him, or the Slave Prince, the owner of Wild Times. She also said that Lazlo had notified every unit of the boar, and that if he was out there, alive, they wouldn’t rest until he was captured, or dead.

I kept apologizing for pushing them away, I told them that the chemical forced me to, that at times I simply wanted to… die. I didn’t tell them that despite knowing I was under a foreign influence, that there _were_ times that I knew, I had known, it wasn’t the chems talking, that it was… me. It wasn’t the fact that I was raped, or the fact that I was nearly eaten alive, no, I could have been strong those times, I _was_ strong those times. No, the reason I truly wanted to die, wanting to die under my own will, was when I found myself… afraid of my own friends. I wasn’t suicidal, but if my nightmare came true, if I had pushed them away to the point where I was left alone, I didn’t think I could have lived with that. 

But my friends were here, and if they haven’t left me yet, I don’t believe they ever would.

***

We spent the next two days at the Guardian base. Despite having vehicular transport between here and the Bunker, everyone insisted that I rested before we left. Even though I've had much worse injuries in the past, and there were times I would have argued with them, I wasn’t ready to face my demons this soon. I still wanted to hunt down who ever hired the Legionaries. It wasn’t just my own life that was in danger. If they were willing to attack the Guardians to get to me, no one would be safe while they were after me. 

Holly told me that Lazlo had still been keeping an eye out for Legionaries activity, and while a few of them have been seen, there didn’t seem to be any imminent threat. After Mayor Swift had been kidnapped, they sent a small detachment to guard Hope until it was deemed safe for them. 

“You think Mayor Swift is doing okay? The last time we saw her it wasn’t a very pleasant meeting.”

Holly had gone to ‘procure’ some ammunition from the Guardian armory, while Nate was fast asleep next to me. Mark was the only other one in the room. 

“I'm sure she's doing fine. Oh! That reminds me. This came for you while you were healing.”

Mark handed me a small envelope. It was unmarked save for a small wax seal on the closed part of the folded paper. I broke the seal and took out its contents. 

_Dear Olivia Springs,  
I hope this letter finds you well. I had received rather unsettling news from Chief Lazlo, and send my deepest regards. If there is anything that we, or I can do for you please let me know. Your short time here has made an impact upon the citizens, and while some are still afraid of another attack, despite the Guardian’s protection, most of them want your safe return. This town needs you Olivia, but we also need to keep ourselves safe, I hope you understand._

_I do have something of pleasant news however. While no replacement for you, as you will always have a home as our mechanic, one of the traders has a son who has been helping fix things here and there. He’s a lot like you, but he lacks the focus, the drive you have. We think that it is simply a way for the trader to avoid having to pay for certain goods and services, but we are in such dire need of repairs that a mutual deal has been struck, although I have made it clear that once our mechanic returns, that their services will no longer be required._

_I hope to hear from you, even if it is simply a message through the Guardians that you're alright. We know of your recovery, but some of us, well hearing it straight from you will help alleviate some fears. Take care Olivia Springs, and please, safe travels. We hope for you to return swiftly._

_Sincerely, Mayor Jessabell Swift._

_P.S. I have had a few talks with some of the citizens, and while not everyone is in agreement, I have convinced many that your fox friends are of no danger. I am hoping that not only will you return in due time, that all of you, even your friends, will be welcomed with open arms. Although I have been rather quiet about your friend Drake. A fox is one thing, but him? That will take a bit more convincing._

“What is it?”

“It’s a letter from the mayor.” I showed it to Mark and I think he kept re-reading it because he was holding it for a while, his eyes growing larger as he did.

“I… she’s really trying to convince them to accept us?”

“Not everyone sees you as just foxes. She told me once that she knew you two were good souls just by looking at you. It’s just that with everything that happened to them? I guess it was just easier to blame a fox, than to accept the truth that this world is a cruel place. I would love to say I want to try to change everyone's views of foxes, but if what I've been told is true, and this discrimination against your species has been going on for decades, even centuries, then I don’t think the actions of a few, no matter how good hearted they are, will ever change it.”

“As long as you're happy with us, I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

“Nate? How long have you been awake?”

“I… for a little bit. I didn’t want to bother you two.”

“Oh you.” I leaned down and kissed him.

“Well, I'll leave you two… alone. We're heading back to the Bunker in a few hours, so you may wanna get ready. We'll meet you in the hangar around 2 P.M. .”

“Thanks Mark. Oh, have you seen Onion? I honestly don’t remember the last time I saw him.”

“Yeah, he, well he literally blew a fuse when you went missing. He was so worried about you that, well I forgot he was a robot for a bit. He ended up in some kind of low powered mode for a bit, which is why I said he must have blown a fuse. Once you were safe he finally snapped out of it, muttered something about a map piece, before blaming himself for not being by your side. I swear, he’s just as bad as Nate. You know he stayed by your side the whole time, refused to leave.”

“Onion?”

“No, Nate. That big ball of fluff really thinks you're special, and you know what? So do we.”

Nate didn’t say anything in response. He didn’t have to. The smile on his face, and the hold of his tail on me spoke volumes. 

“Hey Nate, you know what the first thing I want to do when we get back to your place?”

“Um…”

“Have a drink. You got plenty of that… what was it called again, bourbon? Yeah, I think a nice large glass of that will hit the spot.”

“But I thought you didn’t like it?”

“I don’t, but if what Blanche says is true, drinking helps dull your memories, and there are some things I really don’t want to remember right now.” I leaned in and kissed him. “There are some things however, that I never want to forget.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

~~**‘Stripes in the Morning’**~~

**'Max Once More Covering for a VERY Drunken Zebra'…**

**[Max]**

"Hello Zootopian Wasteland! Well once again our regular host is indisposed and for once I can't blame him… I'm just hoping he left something for me… Not that I drink a lot. Anyhow! We once again are trying to get back on track here and up for today's show is none other than Hope's wonderful and surprisingly alluring Mayor, Jessabell Swift! Once again Mayor Swift I'd like to thank you for agreeing to this interview and I'd like to apologize ahead of time in case my producers have slipped in some rather… Uncomfortable questions from my less than erstwhile companion."

**[Swift]**

“It *is* nice to actually have a bit of a forewarning to an interview, especially with how hectic it has been around here.”

**[Max]**

"And I can sympathize with that situation which is why I always try to convince Stripes to set these things up in advance, he has nooo idea how many mammals want to shoot him. Now as I understand it Mayor, you're the latest in a long line of Swifts and Mayors. In fact if what I've learned is true, there's been a Swift presiding over Hope since the first bomb was set off. So one has to ask Mayor, are you looking to continue your family's legacy?"

**[Swift]**

“Yes, that is true. Ever since my ancestor Gazelle founded this town, my family's lineage has kept this town from falling apart. That said, I am almost certain that my lineage will be at an end, and while I plan to be mayor for a good while, I feel I may be choosing a mayor, rather than creating one.”

**[Max]**

"I see, then that brings us to the next question in the line, are you looking for a special mammal to call your own? Some listeners pointed out to me that you had been seen flirting with a certain rabbit in the recent past, so does that mean there's no hope for a lucky male to sweep you up off your hooves? Please remember my personal rule, if it makes you uncomfortable we'll just skip right on by it."

**[Swift]**

“Why is it that the males always go there? I am currently single and I will tell you what I tell all my male suitors. There isn’t a single guy in this world that will bring me the feelings that a woman can, which is why I am afraid that my lineage will stop here, but blood isn’t everything. This town needs someone strong yet kind, and I will make sure I find the perfect replacement for when the time comes. As for Olivia, I won’t lie, I did have a very slight interest in her, but I also could tell that I wasn’t the mammal for her. The moment I saw her and Nathan Valiant together, I knew where her feelings belonged, even if they didn’t. It’s a curse I am afraid.” 

**[Max]**

"Well never let it be said that love is impossible Miss Swift, any girl would be lucky to have you I'd think, and I certainly don't judge. This then brings us to another subject entirely. Olivia Springs and her current traveling companions. I'm… Afraid we've temporarily been restricted from contacting any of them by order of Chief Lazlo and we're hoping for the best in any event. What I'm more curious about is your personal feelings on the Valiant Twins and more generally, Foxes. Being a Fox myself I can say I've… Been hit with the odd glare or two every now and again. Doesn't help with my fur color either. I've heard though that you've been trying to convince your town that our kind aren't anywhere near as bad as most think of us. Could you just answer me… Why? It just seems like such a waste of time. We've rarely ever been accepted in this world after all."

**[Swift]**

“It’s rather simple really. We are all the same. Sure, genetically we are separated by species, but we all have a heart, a brain, we all bleed the same blood. It’s like a book. Sure you can judge a book by its content, but in the end, it is simply words on a page, just like every other book. Our species should not define who we are, it’s our actions that should. I would rather let a single kind fox live here than a dozen unkind rabbits or tigers. I know the Valiants are good mammals, and I am sure you are as well. Unfortunately, as long as we teach our children to hate, then it will never end, and that is what I am trying to change. Even if it is only within these walls and within a few mammals, change always starts small.” 

**[Max]**

"Make the world a better place, one mammal at a time? I think I could live with those words if it weren't for an insufferable zebra wh-Oh for the… Right, so it seems he's struck again, along with our producer… Who's apparently threatening me with an extended vacation on the Guardian shooting range… As a mobile target should I fail to ask this. As always you don't have to answer this and I urge you not to in this case as Stripes seems to suddenly want to interfere in my personal life. Ahem, anyhow, and I'm quoting this so any damage caused by this question shall be repaid upon him three fold… 'Mayor Swifty! My venerable companion Max, who's been denying me alcohol for the past several weeks, is a rather lonely fellow, by chance would you spare the poor grumpy bastard an evening out about your fine town? Like a pity date? Cause he could REALLY use one. Or failing that, would you happen to know any tall Amazo-Right you know what? Let's forget about that question entirely! Just straight out the window… Like he's about to be once I find his scrawny tail and kick it out of one. I do apologize about that one Mayor. It seems everyone here at the caller is out to get me on a date, no matter the cost to my personal feelings on the matter.

**[Swift]**

“Are you *sure* that’s a ‘required’ question? If that zebra friend of yours had asked me, I would have told him this interview was over, but I’ll tell you what sweetie, since I can tell you are a much more decent mammal than him, swing by here next Tuesday. I know a trader who has a daughter about your age.” 

**[Max]**

"Well first I'll be happy to show you the threat made in my Producer's paw-writing, and er… Honestly I um… Really? I mean, that's um… Ahem! Well folks it seems that that's all we have for today so tune in next time where we might just have a new segment on the show involving a base jumping Zebra! This is Max Redbridge signing off, and remember folks, if there's a mammal you'd like to get to know better and have a few questions, please feel free to let us know! Just… Don't send any explosives in with the letters next time? My poor buddy Gary is still recovering from the last one he disarmed."

**[Max]**

"Aaand that's that… Now you were saying something about a Trader Miss Swift… ?"

**-Broadcast terminated-**


	44. Holly's Folly

It was a long drive back to the bunker. Besides the fact that it was located on the other side of the district, Nate was being extra cautious about where he drove. He had been avoiding any major populations, normal trading routes, basically anyplace that there would be mammal activity. He also kept looking back at us occasionally, almost as if checking to see if I was still here. I smiled at him each time, and that seemed to help alleviate any fears he may have had. 

There were many things on my mind during the trip back. How to continue my hunt for the Legionaries, how everyone at Hope was doing, especially the mayor. I was also very curious about the contents of the two large black crates that Holly brought with her from the Guardians base. I had asked her, but all she said was ‘it’s a surprise’. Despite everything that was on my mind, everything that should be prioritized, there was one thing that kept bugging me. 

“I was wondering. How did you know where to find me?”

“Well, we had a… visitor.” Holly seemed a little hesitant about telling me who it was. 

“A visitor? Who?” I looked at Nate who seemed a little tense, even from here. 

“Well ‘livi, after you were taken, we were stopped by some mercenaries who were adamant about not letting us go. We… you’d think that with a deathwing and a psychotic mouse at our side we’d strike fear into them, especially since it was apparent that these examples were a bit dysfunctional, even for mercenaries. Truth be told, it was us who were scared…” Holly glanced towards where Nate was, her eyes sinking a bit before lowering her voice. “Nate he… we’ve never seen him like that. When he snapped us out of that dream thing, he was beside himself. Anger, fear, he was the embodiment of the most extremes of emotions. When the mercs attacked… I think it even caught Blanche by surprise how fast he reacted the… malice he showed them.”

I looked at Nate. He was focused on the road ahead, but somehow I knew that simply hearing Holly tell what happened was affecting him. I wanted to go and comfort him, but Holly’s damn crates were in the way. “What happened?”

“Then that ghoul showed up.”

Ghoul? Who was she… “North?”

“Yeah, him. The moment he said he knew where you were, Nate looked like he was about to pounce. Thankfully the Guardians had sent a Tac to us, because if that Defender wasn’t there to hold him down, I think… well North wouldn’t still be alive to tell us what he knew.”

Nate reacted… like that? I… I knew he cared for me, but I didn’t think he would get violent. That wasn’t him. I know it’s bad to think this, but after hearing this, part of me is glad I wasn’t there to see this side of him. “How did he know where I was?”

“He was at Wild Times when you were brought in. He… you never spoke too highly of him, yet he risked his neck to find us, and we still have no idea how he did it, just to tell us where you were. If he didn’t…”

Mark placed his paw on Holly’s shoulder. All of this, over me? I can see why they cared, but North? He tricked me, manipulated me, _stole_ from me. Even after I threatened his life with a slaver collar, he still sought out my friends when I was in trouble? Maybe I misjudged him. I wanted to ask more, to find out what else happened, but the tension filled the small vehicle so thickly that it felt as if I was about to suffocate. There was time to find out more later, right now I was happy to be alive, and surrounded by my friends.

“So…” I needed a distraction, and there were two very large ones right next to me, “what the hell are these Holly?”

“Like I said, a secret project.” She leaned in close and whispered, “after what happened, I kinda ‘convinced’ the Chief to gift me some .50 cal guns to mount on this bad-boy.”

Despite her whispering, I think Nate must have heard her because not even a second later the APC came to a very hard stop, causing all of us to crash to the floor. “This is _mine_ Holly, don’t go messing with it.”

“Hey you doof, you trying to get us killed?” Mark had been reading something during the trip, probably keeping his mind off of things. It’s been forever since I had a good read, maybe he has something I can read?

“Your girl is trying to mess with my project!”

“Look Nate, what would happen if that damn boar were to come here, right now with an army to try to pry ‘livi away? We need something to protect us, especially now that we have a proper form of transportation.”

“I…” Nate seemed to pause for a bit, as if thinking over what she'd just said. I looked at the crates, did she really get these to protect _me_? “Y-your right. I… _we_ need to do more to protect you Olivia. Yeah, I'll work on that. I still have the parts from when I removed the old turret…” he started to perk up as he started to get technical about this vehicle. “… if we reinforce the shock system, maybe add a mine layer? Why didn’t you grab a Nuke Tube Holly? Just the thought of shoving a nuke up…”

“Um, what's a Nuke Tube?”

“Something that's thankfully not as common as your average gun. It's similar to a missile launcher only it doesn’t fire your standard missiles, rather tactical mini-nukes. They may not pack the same punch as a standard size nuke, but they're strong enough to vaporize most anything within a hundred yards.”

“Wait so you're telling me… they make miniature nukes?!”

“Yeah, there are even mini mini-nukes, ones that you can toss like a grenade. Smaller radius, but still just as lethal.”

“I… what kind of monster miniaturizes something that deadly!”

“I don’t know, but if Holly were to ever get one, well… she’d probably put herself into a coma from sheer excitement.” I couldn’t tell if Mark was teasing Holly or just being honest.

“Nate, would you really want something that dangerous?” I ignored Mark and Holly who were now throwing cutesy ‘insults’ between each other. 

“I… I would. I would do a-anything to protect… you.”

I wanted to protect him too, to protect all of them, and to do that, I needed to put a stop to whoever was after me. As long as I was in danger, so were they. That is exactly why, despite everything that's happened, I _need_ to continue my mission. I was just afraid they wouldn’t let me. I wasn’t going to bring it up, not yet at least. Maybe if I plan this more carefully, to make sure nothing bad can happen to any of us, then just maybe, they won’t oppose. It’s taken me this long to realize that this is too big for me to do alone. I needed them to be by my side.

***

We spent the rest of the time in a much better mood. None of us remarked on any of the events that had transpired, trying our best to keep the air light and the moods good. I asked what Mark was reading, and it turns out he was a huge Jack Savage fan as well! He said he had all six of the books. Fuck the Legionaries, I wasn’t going _anywhere_ until I’ve read them all. 

We finally arrived back at the bunker. I’ve officially spent more time here than in Hope where I had planned on making it my home. I still wanted to go back, I had a responsibility there. One that I didn’t even have a chance to start before my entire world came crashing down upon itself. 

As Nate was pulling into the hidden garage, it occurred to me that while I considered Hope to be my home, despite my lack of residency there, my real home was here, with my friends. I miss Hope, but if I had to choose between the two, I’d rather be here with my friends… my family. 

I heard a swooping noise and saw Drake flying in just before the garage door started to close. Blanche was perched atop his head while Onion was grasped in one of Drake’s claws. He set Onion down with a loud thunk before flying up into the rafters to hang. 

“Miss! I really do dislike being handled like that. You saw what he did to that large robot, how he sliced right through its metal! If he gripped me any harder, I’d be split in two!”

“Calm down Onion. I told you, we needed radio communication between Drake and the APC just in case we ran into any trouble.”

“I am sure between Mr. Valiant and yourself you can create some kind of communication device that he can use Miss.”

“Possible? Yes, but I don’t think Drake can ever be as… eloquent as you are. You’ll get used to it.”

Blanche jumped down off of Drake’s head and landed on Onion and started to rap her paw against his outer casing. “You sure this ass-twat is really a robot, and not some small rodent operated do-hickey? I’ve never heard so many complaints from a tin can before.”

“I object! I am not some ‘tin can’ I am a sophisticated piece of…”

“Alright! Calm down you two. You haven’t had a charge recently Onion, you may want to go top yourself off, maybe run an internal defrag. As for you Blanche, please try to not get on anyone's bad side. We’ve all had a rough time. We all need to rest and I for one ain’t going anyplace until I'm well rested. Agreed?”

Everyone agreed happily, except Blanche. “Whatever, as long as I got a drink in me I’m happy.”

“I know I was bed ridden for a bit, but all I want to do is go lay down. Hey Mark, mind if I borrow your Jack Savage books? No? Good.”

I didn’t even give Mark a chance to respond. I knew he’d let me read them, but Holly couldn’t be the only one who did the teasing around here, plus all I wanted to do was read something to take my mind off of things. Instead of reliving my own adventures, it'd be nice to read about someone else’s for a change. 

“I-I think I'll…”

I reached out and gently grabbed his tail, causing him to stop moving as I pulled him back to me. “You’re not going anywhere. I like having a pillow when I read, and silly me left it back in Hope.”

“W-wait… I’m not _that_ puffy!” 

“Well in that case, hey Holly, can I borrow Mark for a bit?”

Nate went to respond to my retort but Holly jumped in first. "Sorry! He's ALL mine, you're just gonna have to deal with your less puffy foxy." 

Mark muttered something as Holly rubbed her face in his fur. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to make someone jealous, or had a _really_ bad itch. Nate seemed a bit… bashful? I really couldn’t tell. Mark must have picked up on whatever it was because he nodded towards me. “She’s joking you doof. I have a feeling that Holly's now in the mood for her own cuddles, so you go be with your bunny. And yes Olivia, you can borrow my books, just grab them quick before someone…” he nodded towards Holly, “… decides she wants a little privacy of her own.”

Nate let out a small yelp as I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the garage. The past few times I was here, I simply crashed wherever, but now that I've gotten a bit more familiar with this place, I realized that between the two sleeping areas, Mark and Holly seemed to have made the first one their own quarters, so I decided that if Nate and I were to have any real time alone, maybe setting up in the second one would be best. From the looks of it they didn’t get many guests as it was. 

We got there before the other two, so I went into the first room to grab the books. Even though I've already read the first three, it’s been such a long time that I wanted to reread them before jumping into the three that I never knew existed. Having the actual time to look around made me realize how much of a living area this room had been converted into. There was a small stove and refrigerator over in the back, with a few storage areas along with a large bookshelf that extended to the ceiling. 

I recognized the Jack Savage books instantly and grabbed them. I got a little curious about what else Mark liked to read so took a quick glance over it. He had a few other novels that I wasn’t familiar with, along with some military manuals, cook books, scientific research journals, hell there were even a few different encyclopedias. He really must like reading. What’s this? ‘Fifty Shades of Fur’? I didn’t realize that there were _that_ many colors of fur. I was curious now and took it off the shelf. It had a picture of a neck tie on the cover. That made no sense. I flipped open to a random page and read the first few lines… right before slamming it shut and shoving it right back where I got it. Why the fuck does he have something like _that_? It had to be Holly’s, it just had to.

“Y-you okay?”

“Fine! I’m just peachy. Let’s go, my books await!”

“Um, aren’t those Mark's books?”

“Nope. Mine now. He won’t be getting them back until I’ve read them at least a few dozen times. Let’s go ‘pillow’, all I wanna do is read until I pass out.”

I could've sworn that his ears turned a bright shade of red as we went to the adjacent room. Apparently the others figured that I would be staying in this one because my stuff had been neatly placed near one of the beds. While this room has some storage, it wasn’t as furnished compared to Mark and Holly's. It had the same five double bunk beds that the other room had, but not much more. 

“I hadn’t thought of this until now, but where do you usually sleep Nate?”

“I don’t really have a place. I just… I sleep wherever I happen to be. Usually my workshop.”

“Well as long as I'm here, this is where we'll be resting. Now close the door before Holly tries to sneak one of her ‘comments’.”

“U-um… w-what are you d-doing?”

“What do you mean? I'm…” It had been such a long time since I was able to _intentionally_ lay down that my body was just reacting to how I usually sleep. I caught myself starting to undress. Damn. I was so used to sleeping naked and alone that I didn’t even think twice about it. Now that I have company… there's always…

“Sorry, It’s just that… I usually sleep…” I whispered, not out of embarrassment, but knowing that Holly might be right outside listening in on us, “naked.”

“Y-you sleep h-how? I… I-I usually just sleep in w-whatever. I d-didn’t think…”

He was getting very nervous suddenly, I went over to him and placed a finger on his muzzle. “Shh. Don’t worry about it. Like I said, it was an unconscious reaction to getting ready to rest. I won’t put that kind of stress on you. However… turn around and close your eyes.”

“W-what are you…”

“Just do it.”

He closed his eyes as he turned around. I waited a few seconds to make sure he wasn’t going to peek and then went over to my stuff from Hope. I had just remembered about the one gift that Mayor Swift gave me. I finally found it, neatly folded and wrapped in a towel to protect it from damage. I held it up in front of me. It really did look the right size. I still had no idea how she knew what my size was. The image of the mayor sneaking into my room with a tape measure sent a small chill down my spine. She wouldn’t do that… would she?

I turned to make sure that Nate was still facing away and then I started to undress. I tossed my clothing over in a pile and started to pull over the nightgown. One of my ears got stuck on something so I had to pull it back. It was then I noticed there was something else attached to it. It was made of the same silky material that matched the rest of the gown. It was… a pair of panties? I then realized that the white ones I was wearing really stuck out with the rest of it, so I slipped them off and placed the silken ones on. I tossed them under one of the beds. I would have felt weird of Nate accidentally came across them.

The material of the gown and underwear felt wonderful on my fur. It was completely opaque so it wasn’t revealing thankfully. I doubt I would have had the courage to wear it if it was even remotely transparent. I still felt… uncomfortable about certain parts of my body after what happened to me. If it was any other guy, I would not even think about wearing something like this around him. Nate though, I knew he wouldn’t try anything. I felt, safe around him. I probably could be completely nude, cuddling close against him and he wouldn’t try anything. Then again knowing him he’d be way too uncomfortable to do anything. Let’s just hope he didn’t mind this.

“Okay, open your eyes.”

He slowly turned towards me. He seemed nervous. I honestly had no idea what was going through his mind up until now. If the light parts of his ears weren’t red before, they were now. “W-what… y-you… W-what are you w-wearing?”

“This was a… gift from Mayor Springs. I figured that you… might… like it.”

“I-It’s…”

“You don’t like it, do you?”

“No it’s… y-you're… b-beautiful.” He was acting like he was not sure if he wanted to say that word. It was… it caught me off guard.

“I… I am?”

“Y-yes you… I’m s-sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“Y-you just… I wasn’t sure if y-you would…”

“What? That I would get mad that you said that? This is what I think about that.” I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him close. The feeling of both the silken fabric and his own body pressed against me felt… nice. I gave him a small kiss before I pushed him onto the bed. I jumped on top of him and kissed him again before moving into a position where I could lay my head on his chest. I heard his heart beat as his lungs inflated and deflated, causing my head to rise and drop with it. 

“I-I… I love you.”

I leaned up and gave him a kiss and whispered. “I love you too.” I settled in and started to read. He just laid there, motionless and quiet as he held onto me with one paw and his tail that had snaked around my body. I think he fell asleep at some point. I had read a few chapters before realizing that I was getting tired as well. I gave him a quick peck on the lips and just laid next to him, the sound of his heartbeat lulling me to sleep.

***

Being underground had its perks. It never got too hot no matter what the temperature was outside, it remained relatively quiet, at least from the outside, and it felt much safer as long as you trusted everyone with you. The downside was you never knew if it was three in the morning or three in the afternoon without a clock. The Burrow at least had some kind of reactive lighting that dimmed and brightened based upon the current time, but down here it was either lights on or lights off. 

I woke up very hungry. I couldn’t even remember the last thing I ate, nor the last _time_ I ate. Sure while I was at the Guardians healing they fed me nutrients through those damn tubes, but that’s not eating. The reaction of your taste buds was part of the experience. Nate was still asleep, so I carefully moved his paw and tail as to not disturb him and got up. I searched through my belongings but all the food I had was either tasteless or simply tasted awful. What I wouldn’t give for some of Petunia’s cooking right now. 

I remembered there being some kind of small kitchenette in Mark and Holly’s area, I wonder if they had something a bit… fresher to eat? I guess it wouldn’t hurt to check. I’ll see if they're awake and ask them if they didn’t mind me raiding their food. I can always pay them back. Hell, once we're able to go back to Hope I’ll be more than happy to pay for a feast for us. I doubt Petunia would mind if the caps were good. 

I opened the door and stuck my head out. I didn’t see anyone out here. For some reason I half expected Holly to be leaning in trying to listening in on us. That girl is always trying to find a way to tease Nate and I. I really need to find some way to ‘repay’ her for it. Thankfully she wasn’t there, of course I doubt anything happened to fuel her gossip. 

It was very quiet in the hallway, save for the quiet humming of the lighting systems. I reached their door and saw that it was slightly ajar. I knocked and announced myself, but there was no answer. I slowly opened the door and saw that the room was unoccupied. They must have been elsewhere, probably checking up on the others. Blanche and Drake were probably in the garage and Nate had set up a charging station for Onion in the workshop. I think he was nervous enough being alone around me, let alone to have someone else with us in private, even if it was just a robot. 

I moved towards the small refrigerator and opened it. I had hoped there was something fresher in there, but it was very empty. There was a small jug of something, was that… milk? Where did… I don’t want to know. Some half opened rations and canned goods were there as well, but nothing that looked appealing. Guess I’ll be sticking with the usual crap. 

“Olivia? What are you…”

“Holly! I can explain! I was… I was hungry and was hoping you had some food I could eat that wasn’t that pre-packaged crap.”

“No, I mean what are you… where did you… oh, oh this is too good. I… I'll be right back. DON’T MOVE! Don’t. You. Move.”

“Um… was it something I…” it was too late. Holly was reacting very oddly for some reason. Maybe she had some _real_ food for me? 

“Holly where are you… oh hey Olivia… what are you _wearing_!?” 

Mark was holding a mug in his hand and nearly dropped it when he looked at me. What was causing everyone to… oh fuck. I forgot I was wearing the nightgown! I didn’t want them to see me wearing this, only Nate. Oh fuck my life, Holly is… I’m not going to hear the end of it, am I? Before I could respond to Mark, Holly came back and nearly knocked over Mark and she slid into the doorway holding… is that a…

“Holly! Don’t you even think about it! Now put down the camera sweetie… You… no you are NOT going use that to blackmail her!”

“Oh but Marki, she’s soooo cute in that!” She lifted the camera up towards me as I froze, not sure what to do.

“Delete that, delete that now.” Mark was trying to pull the camera from Holly’s paws, but despite being much shorter than him, he was unable to get it. 

I snapped out of it and ran over to her, trying to get the camera from her as well. She was very good at playing keep away. I even tried to grab her tail, knowing that it usually ended up with a rather unpleasant feeling, but even that didn’t make her drop her camera, but rather the other paw. One of her nails got caught in the fabric of my night down and tore it… right off my body. 

“Oh… Oh! I'm sorry ‘livi, I didn’t meant to… W-where are you going?” Holly was genuinely trying to apologize as I grabbed the nightgown and tried my best to cover myself with it. Mark had quickly turned away when that happened, although I wasn’t sure if it was from shock or embarrassment. 

“I’m going to get my gun.”

“Eep!” I heard a noise as the camera dropped from her paw and I think Mark finally batted it away. 

I wasn’t really going to get my gun, I was more embarrassed than anything at what happened. I just needed to put on some real clothing, and maybe lock myself in this room until my face and ears stop burning. I slammed the door behind me, forgetting that Nate is still asleep. Well, he _was_.

“O-Olivia what’s wrong and w-why are you…”

“It was Holly. I have to say anything else?”

“Y-you okay?”

“Yeah, just a bit… flustered is all. I’m starving, you have anything better to eat than centuries old canned food?”

“Yeah, I think… oh! S-sorry…”

Why was he suddenly? Oh, I had thrown the torn gown onto a bed and wasn’t even thinking about Nate being there as I took off my underwear and realized I was… completely naked… I wasn't sure if it was possible to compound the embarrassment any further, or if I was starting to feel that much more comfortable around him, but right then, I didn’t care if he saw me naked. 

“Nate? It’s… it’s okay. Y-you can… you can look… if you want.”

“I-I… it’s t-too…”

We had both proclaimed our love for each other, in a fashion, and were comfortable enough to kiss and cuddle with each other, so if things are going to work out between us, I should be willing to let him see… everything. It was just… I think it was just hard to be naked, in front of another mammal, especially a male, after what happened to me… but this wasn’t that boar, this was Nate. Nate was different. He never tried to force himself upon me. Yeah, there was the time when he jumped on me, but that was just because I was being a stupid bunny, and he just wanted to protect me. Ever since I met him, he’s only ever wanted to protect me. He’s trusted me. Trusted me to stay with him, to protect him, to take his own protection. I needed to show him that I trust him as well. 

“Nate?” I slowly walked up to him, his paw covering his eyes. He was visually shaking. I placed my paw on his and slowly pulled it away from his eyes. He kept them closed, and he was still shaking, but not from fear, no, it was different. “You can look. I promise, I won’t get mad. Here…” I took his paw, still in my hand, and placed it upon my chest. His shaking seemed to calm down, but he was still nervous. I slowly moved it around, as if guiding his paw. I didn’t move it down _there_ , I still… I was afraid of what I may do. I still felt… unclean, despite everything they did to remove that boar’s filth from me. It was going to take a long time before I was comfortable to do anything more intimate with Nate, but I had to start somewhere, and this was simply a stepping stone in the right direction.

“Y-you…”

“Open your eyes. It’s okay. I want you to look.”

He slowly opened his eyes, but closed them again very quickly. I took my free paw and moved them to his eyes, slowly trying to open his lids until he was willing to keep them open. I let go of his paws and slowly stepped back, letting him see me. He tried to move his paw to his eyes again, but I told him no. 

“You… you’re… I’ve never…”

“Seen a girl naked?” I moved back to him and gave him a kiss. “Let’s worry about food later. I think I want a few more minutes of alone time.” I moved him to the bed and guided him down. “You can… this feels more, natural. Just, please… don’t go down _there_ , I…”

He was the one who kissed me this time. He still seemed nervous about holding a naked girl next to him, but he seemed to be doing better. “I… I promise. I-I won’t do anything u-unless you say it’s o-okay.”

I felt safe here, surrounded by my friends. Hidden away from everything that can cause us pain and misery. I knew this would end, that we'll soon be swept away on another dangerous journey, but right now I just wanted to revel in this moment. Right now, right here, next to the fox I love, I've never felt any safer.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is your host C. Stripes back for our normally scheduled programming. I do apologize about being absent last time, but things have been so hectic and overly blah that I needed some… personal time.”

**[Max]**

“What he means folks is that he drank himself into a drunken stupor so I had to fill in for his striped ass again.”

**[Stripes]**

“Shut up Max, or else I’ll have to make sure you work overtime Tuesday. So then folks, today we have a special guest, a mammal that needs no introduction… actually, I think an introduction is in order since many of you might know of him, although I'm hoping after today more of you do, the prairie dog who has enough siblings to make him a middle child, the mammal who has done amazing art for us, the one, the hopefully only, Quirky!”

**[Quirky]**

“Hello! Thanks for having me here. Glad to be here.”

**[Stripes]**

“Glad to have you. So then let's begin our interview. I’ll start with something very simple. How long have you been doing art and what made you get into it in the first place?”

**[Quirky]**

“I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil, when I was little my siblings and I would always have fun playing around on Kid Pix and we would draw on everything we could find. Walls, bed frames, novels, etc, our parents weren’t too happy with that.” 

**[Stripes]**

“See my mom would have rather I do that than… Did you know that you can melt through carpet with a toaster? Ahem, anyways, does artistry run in your family, or are you the lucky one? 

**[Quirky]**

“It doesn’t run through the family it walks slowly, enjoying our company. My sister, younger brother, and I all enjoy art. It’s a good family bonding hobby we have. My sister is the one who inspired me to keep on trying to improve and we enjoy helping each other out if we need help with certain pieces. We also think it skips a generation our grandfather was a great carpenter although our parents have no artistic abilities.”

**[Stripes]**

“Now onto more specific matters. How exactly did you get dragged… I mean, involved with this little adventure of ours?”

**[Quirky]**

“I was introduced to this ‘adventure’ _cough_ fanfic _cough_ through a friend of mine on the Zootopian News Network site. And although this kind of _cough_ story _cough_ isn’t exactly my ‘cup of tea’ the characters really grew on me and I found myself enjoying them, and then when I overheard some certain zebra wanted cover art for his broadcasts I thought I would lend a paw. I always like to help others. I also felt such a captivating story deserves some fan art.

 

**[Stripes]**

“I really do appreciate it, and you're right, this isn’t usually my cup of tea either, I'm more of a coffee drinker. So tell us, out of every character, who is your favorite and who is your favorite to draw? Don’t be shy if a certain striped equine is at the top of your list.”

**[Quirky]**

Hmmmm… Well if I was to choose a favorite… It’d have to be ALL OF THEM. But probably Mark mainly because I feel relatable to him, being an older brother and sharing some of the same personality traits. (And also the fact he is with a girl named ‘Holly’ and when I was a baby there was a doll my sister had named ‘Holly’ and apparently I would snuggle and glomp it all the time, and my dad has video evidence to rub it in my face.) So yeah he’s probably the one I have a bit more room in my heart for." 

**[Stripes]**

“Well doesn’t that just deflate the ego a little to not even hear my name mentioned. It's interesting that you picked Mark and even more so about the whole ‘Holly’ doll thing. Quite the small world ain't it? Anyways, let’s see… oh yeah, so Quirky, do you have any advice for any budding artists reading this?”

**[Quirky]**

“Practice makes permanent. No one’s perfect but if you want to have a permanent look down, keep practicing at it! And never compare yourself to others. Everyone has their own unique style the most important one to focus on is yours. And if you really like someone else’s style figure out what it is you like and try to apply it to your own. Most artist’s think that they will never be great, or that their work will never amount to anything, but you will never know the impact your art will leave on others whether you think it’s good or not. Great Artwork is loved by others, but masterpieces are what inspire others.”

**[Stripes]**

“That is some good advice, and the same can be said for writing as well. Remember folks, we would love to see any of your own artwork, just toss me a personal message or comment depending on where you follow the story at. I have one last question, but before I ask, do you have any questions you wanna ask our guest Max?”

**[Max]**

“Think you got it pretty well covered.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, I have haven’t I except… since apparently everyone seems interested in Max’s new hookup, tell me, what's _your_ ideal mammal?”

**[Max]**

“You overly interfering bastard! You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to, I’ll make sure he gets his due punishment either way.”

**[Quirky]**

“Well… my dream mammal besides one of my species would probably be… a… ferret. They're so cute and are great cuddlers… Not… that I know from… experience… is it getting hotter in here, or is that just me?”

**[Stripes]**

“My luck, one will simply waltz right up to you and say hi. I guess matchmakers never make their own matches. Ahem, well then, looks like that’s all the time we have today. Be sure to check out Quirky’s art, it’s safe for work by the way, over on Tumblr for all you real life mammals, just look for quirky-middle-child. Take care everyone!”

**[Tiffany]**

“I’ve got a letter for a… Max Redbridge?”

**[Max]**

“Oh look, a cute little ferret. That would be me.”

**[Stripes]**

“Damn it! Where's a cute giraffe when I want one. I give up.”

_static_


	45. Even the Wicked Need Rest

I really need to learn to set an alarm. I _know_ my Pip-Boar had to have _something_ like that. If it didn’t, I’d have to make one. The damn thing had a radio and I didn’t even know about it! Things like this tend to keep me awake at night. Or day. Fuck, I still didn’t know what time it was. I could reach over and grab my Pip-Boar, but I don’t think it would matter what time it was. If there was someplace we were needed, the others would have gotten me by now. Still…

I remember taking it off at some point, just before a panicked robot started pounding at my door. I had to assure Onion that I was fine, that this was probably the safest place to remove it. He started to complain about him being glad he didn’t have a heart because it would have stopped a long time ago because of me. I chuckled to myself. He had a heart, just not that kind, otherwise he wouldn't be so worried about me. I was too comfortable lying against Nate to want to get up, but his Pip-Boar was resting on my chest, along with this whole arm as if trying to make sure I didn’t drift away. I gently moved it to check the time, but I could have set off a grenade and not woken him. I had to make sure he was breathing with how sound asleep he was. I checked the time on his device. 

Two in the morning! Why the fuck was I still awake at two in the morning? I tried to snuggle against Nate’s body, using his warmth to lull me to sleep again, but my mind was racing too much to fall asleep again. I had this… dream. It wasn’t like those nightmares, thankfully. This one was something I haven’t had for a very long time, not since I was still in the Burrow. 

When I was younger I often woke up in the middle of the night with these vivid dreams. I would imagine some kind of gizmo or gadget, or the solution to a problem I had. It would be so clear in my head that I was always afraid that if I didn’t go write it down right away, it would be lost to my subconscious. By now I had dawdled in bed so much that I figured it would have already faded, but it was still there, clear as day. I couldn’t hold back the urge anymore. I needed to build it. 

I tried to wake Nate, to ask him if it was okay to use his workshop, but I couldn’t get that fox to budge an inch, let alone wake up. He looked too cute to wake right now, plus he looked as if he was having a rather enjoyable dream. I had a feeling that he wouldn’t mind if I used it a bit. I slowly pushed myself off of the bed, trying to slip from under his grip. I successfully got out of bed as I saw him move a bit, grab the other pillow and start to coddle it. 

I moved to the door but then remembered that I was still naked. I had no idea if they were awake or not, but I wasn’t giving Holly any more ammunition for her teasing. I grabbed a shirt and my jeans and threw them on. I didn’t bother with any underwear, I really needed to clean them anyways. I was wearing the same ones for way too long. Holly and I are around the same size, I wonder… no, better be safe and not ask her. Maybe I can steal a pair when she's not looking. That'll teach her for messing with me. 

The hallway seemed empty, but it did earlier as well. I listened more carefully this time for any noise. I had to remember from the brief tour of the place that Nate’s workshop was down the hall in the opposite way of where Holly and Mark slept, but I wanted to make sure. I snuck down the hall to see that their door was closed. Hopefully that meant they were still asleep. I pressed my ear against the door. I heard something, it sounded like…

I felt my entire face, no my entire _body_ get warm from embarrassment. I _really_ shouldn’t be listening, but it was hard to pull away… no, bad Olivia! Bad! I didn’t need to think… about… the warm feeling faded, replacing it with a coldness. I… they sounded like they were enjoying it, that it was bringing them a pleasure that had been torn from me. I wanted… no, I needed to leave. Needed to push those thoughts out of my head. I wanted to be with Nate, like that, but I didn’t know when, or how, with this _feeling_ that still resided in me, after what he…

I had to get my mind on something else. I brought up the images from my dream, as if dragging blueprints out of a drawer. That will keep my mind occupied for now. I slowly moved away from the door and headed towards the workshop. I really hope he has what I needed, it would do wonders to distract me. 

There were two things on my mind actually. One I could build from memory, as long as I had the right parts it was easy, the other, however, I needed to make up some basic blueprints. I would need help with this one, and since it’s not possible for someone to read my thoughts, I had to be able to visually show it. There were sheets of paper and some pencils scattered along the top of a desk. I grabbed them and started to draw. 

The idea originally came to me during that attack from those not-so-nice Guardians with the plasma guns. I didn’t know exactly how the armor worked, but I figured it had some kind of computerized system in it. I think I remember Chief Lazlo mentioning something about a Pip-Boar like device integrated into the armor. 

During that attack I had at one point thought to myself: ‘too bad I don’t have one of my remotes’ and that triggered the idea for some kind of gun that shot remote ‘rounds’. I barely knew how to use a pistol when I first found it, so _making_ a gun was way out of my league, but I had a feeling that between Nate and Holly’s knowledge, I could make a gun like this come true. 

I heard a loud yawn behind me that scared crap out of me. “Wh-h-h-hat you doing Binky?”

It was Nate, and… did he just call me… Binky? “H-how did you… where did you hear that from?!”

“Oh…” his eyes snapped wide open, “I-I didn’t mean to say that! I’m sorry! I-I heard it… you were… you were talking in your sleep… I’m sorry I…”

“You big dummy, it’s okay. I was just… shocked to hear that name. My mom used to call me that, but I had forgotten all about it until that place. The illusion was so… real…”

“I’m s-sorry, I didn’t… know.”

“Come here.” I had sat down at the desk but rather than get up, I craned my neck backwards to see Nate slowly moving towards me. When he got close enough I reached up and gave him a kiss. “You can call me that if you want, Pillow, but just don’t tell Holly, I’m a bit ticked at her teasing as it is, don’t want to add to that.”

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe, Binky. So, what are you working on?”

“When we fought those guys with the plasma guns…” at the mention of that I felt his paws on my shoulder tighten a bit. I looked up and saw that he was now staring at the scar on my face. I didn’t look in mirrors that often, so. I had completely forgotten about it. I lifted one of this paws and put it on the scar. It felt… odd, having his paw touching my bare skin. Mark had said that the damage was enough that fur may not ever grow back. “It’s okay, you know that? I… I honestly keep forgetting about this. It’s a part of me now, so you just need to accept it. I don’t blame you for it. Plus… it probably makes me look a bit more… bad-ass, doesn’t it?”

“It… if it doesn’t bother you, then it won’t bother me.”

I wasn't sure if that was a comforting response or if he simply didn’t know what to say, but I’ll just pretend it was a comforting one. “Anywho, back during that time, a thought hit me. If I had one of my remotes, and I was a bit closer, I may have been able to remotely hack their armor. You guys seem to have it in with Lazlo, is it possible to hack a Guardian's armor?”

“It… perhaps. The armor’s computer is protected against electrical attacks, otherwise it'd be too easy to short it out. However, if you were to land it just right, specifically near the suits internal antenna, you might be able to hijack a stray signal and get in that way. You’d need to have a very accurate throwing arm to hit the sweet spot however.”

“Or, maybe a gun? Here, take a look.”

I showed him the rough sketches I drew as I explained it. “I would basically need to shrink down the tech and place it into some kind of shell. I’d need it to attach, not penetrate, or else I’d risk damaging the remote. I'm just not sure how to not only shrink it down that small, but how to prevent it from simply shattering upon impact.”

“That’s… a very cool idea actually. I may be able to help you with that.”

“There’s also one other project. It kinda came to me in my sleep. Problem is, I would need very specific parts, didn’t you say that you kept Holly and Nate’s Pip-Boars?”

“Yeah, they didn’t… I don’t think they ever liked them, but I use them here and there to test some code. Why?”

“Could I… if you didn’t mind… I needed some parts… from them. Both of them, actually.”

“What could you possibly be making to need _two_ Pip-Boars?”

“Well, Drake and Blanche don’t have any means of communicating with us, and Onion, well I think he’s developing a fear of flying. I know, it sounded odd to me too, but he’s not your typical robot. Drake can’t use a typical communicator, and I don’t have the skills to make something small enough for Blanche to use, _but_ if I were to separate the micro-bus from them, and use them both to create a stable link between them, through a wireless bridge, of course, I could create a way for Blanche and Drake to communicate together _and_ to us simultaneously.”

“But how would Drake use it?”

“You know that tiny ‘finger’ that is on each of his wings? Well, if I use a small button and sync it with the bus, he could just flex it and keep it active. He’s loud enough that I don’t need to worry about a microphone being close to his mouth. Plus, with the radio transmitters and the Pip-Boar’s tagging ability, it would also make them easier to track, and vice versa. So, you up for the challenge? I need the distraction.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing, about distraction, that is. Yeah. You hungry? Let me grab something for us then we can start working.”

“Actually, I’m starving. Bring me your best menu Pillow!”

“Whatever you say… Binky.”

Nate was in a good mood. I liked that. Despite all this time, he still often got nervous or stuttered around me. I still wasn’t sure what went through that complex mind of his, but I did know one way to get him to focus, talking tech. I was planning on working on this alone, but I’m glad he’s here. Between the two of us, I think we can solve anything that comes our way. 

Well, most anything. There are some things that only time can heal. I think we both know that, and as long as he's willing, I will take as long as we need to heal them.

***

We worked on the two projects for, hell, I have no idea how long. We finished the two communicators. Drake’s was easy. I had the design down and due to his size, I was able to make it small enough for him to wear comfortably, but it was still large enough for my tools. Blanche’s, however, was a bit of a challenge. I’ve worked with rodent tech before, and had a smaller set of tools specifically for that, but Blanche, she was so much smaller than any mammal in the Burrow. I was originally going to make her a miniature Pip-Boar like device to wear on the wrist, but that would have been very difficult for me to create the interface, when even a single one of my claws would have covered up the whole thing. 

Then I remembered her tail. While it was hard, it wasn’t impossible. Basic neuro-connectors, and that special wire did most of the work once I programmed it. The problem was, I needed to connect my Pip-Boar to it in order to give the initial commands. However, Nate showed me how to take the micro bus and convert it into a nano bus. Sure it would limit the number of connectors, but Blanche didn’t need a fancy control interface, she just needed a single button, just like Drake.

“This will be perfect. Thanks.” I gave him a small peck on the lips. “So this is out of the way, and we have a test round of the remote bullet, but I still need a gun for it, and a way to test it out. On paper it should work, but it may also shatter into a million pieces upon impact. Hey, you mind doing me a favor?”

“Anything.”

Nate seemed to have a very dreamy look in his eyes when he said that. I wonder if he enjoyed working next to me as much as I did with him. “Could you take this to Holly and see if she has any guns to spare, and if it's okay to take one and have her modify it? I want to go check on Blanche and Drake and give them their ‘gifts’.”

“Of course. I'll let you know as soon as it’s ready. Love ya, Binky.”

“Love you too, Pillow.”

It’s going to take some time hearing that name again, but from him it sounds… right. I gathered up the stuff and went to the garage where Drake was, and where I was betting Blanche was as well. Besides the devices, I also had a favor to ask of Blanche and Drake, one that I was unsure if they would agree to after the last… incident, but we were stuck with no leads. 

The garage door was slightly ajar as I pushed it open and entered. Drake was hanging from one of the supports on the ceiling. I was glad they could hold his weight. I don’t know how I’d react if the roof suddenly collapsed on him. Blanche was nowhere to be seen, but with her size, she could be anywhere. 

It looked like he was sleeping, so I slowly walked up to him, trying not to shock him awake. Despite the friendliness he has with us, I wasn’t sure if his original instincts were still intact, and an abrupt wakening would definitely be one way to test that. A test I would be glad to never take. 

When I got closer to him, I thought I heard something, like a small murmur coming from his mouth. Did deathwings talk in their sleep as well? I turned my ears to get a better listen, but that didn’t sound like Drake’s usual deep voice, it sounded higher pitched, distant, as if it was coming from… a… mouse… Blanche!

Was Drake _eating_ Blanche?! He didn’t look awake, but maybe he was a sleep eater? Panic set in as I tried to think of some logical reason, but all of them was pointing to the same conclusion, Blanche was in trouble! I tried to speak quiet enough to get her attention without waking Drake. The last thing I needed was him to swallow in a panic, or want some… dinner.

“Blanche! I’m here!”

I heard a louder noise, but it was still too muffled to hear. Drake’s head, while pointing towards the ground, was still too high for me to reach without jumping. Then I remembered when Holly woke up from her state of unconsciousness, she said she tried to see if Drake was okay with a pole… there it is! 

I ran and grabbed the pole. It must have been used to change the lighting fixtures on the ceiling because it had an odd shaped hook on it that matched the installed light fixtures… why the fuck was I thinking about that now? I rushed back to Drake and slowly and gently poked his mouth, trying to open his jaw. The muscles on his mouth were too strong for me. It was like he had it in a death grip. Then, a small bit of metal poked out from his lips. 

The bit of metal slowly worked itself between the lips, working as if trying to pick a lock. Was that… “Blanche!” 

My voice was a bit louder than I thought as Drake suddenly woke up and dropped from the ceiling. I must have spooked him, causing his feet to let go of what he was holding. I ran over to them and focused on his mouth. I tried to pry it open but his jaws were too strong.

“Drake. Open your mouth. Now!”

The look he gave me was of utter confusion as he obeyed and opened his maw wide. Blanche, her fur matted by his saliva rolled out before stopping, getting back on her feet, and trying to wipe off the spit with a rather disgusted look on her face.

“Blanche! What happened?”

“Ugh. The big lug kept complaining that his mouth hurt. I wasn’t planning on going spelunking to see what was wrong, figuring he was a big boy and could solve it himself. Then he started to whimper. Complains I can drown out, that noise? I couldn’t take it and agreed to take a look. Apparently a bit of that spider feast he had got lodged in the roof of his mouth, and while I was trying to dislocate it, the ass-twat fell asleep! Can you believe it? I tried yelling, I tried opening his mouth with my paws, but nothing was working. I thought about jabbing him with my sword, but I didn’t want to hurt him.” She looked over towards where the APC was parked, “…plus I kinda wasn’t wearing them. Then I tried my tail. That thing has some strength to it! Kinda makes me glad I got my old one lopped off… almost.”

“I’m so glad it wasn’t… for a moment I was afraid…”

“That he was eating me? That lug has too soft a heart for it I think. Well, at least with his friends. Tell you the truth, if he were to go crazy and eat us all, I doubt he’d start with me. I’d probably fully digest before his stomach even registered me as food!”

“Just… next time you try to perform oral surgery on something big enough to swallow you whole, at least let us know. Otherwise next time you might just be digested before anyone even knows.”

“Guess it’s a good thing you came along then. Was there something you needed?”

“Yeah, actually. First, I have a present for you. For both of you.”

“Booze? Cause I sure can use a drink right now.”

“I’m sure you could, but no. It’s a communication device. Here Drake, yeah you stay right there…”

Drake was still on the ground in a rather awkward sitting position. I wonder if he felt bad for what happened? He had an odd expression on his face, one that his typically menacing visage did wonders at fogging up. I reached under his jaw and he pulled it back a bit, but I grabbed his muzzle before he could move more, and gently petted the fur under his jaw. 

“It’s okay Drake. It was just an accident. Blanche isn’t mad at you.” I looked towards her, giving her a stern look. “Right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m not mad. Just… don’t fall asleep next time, okay?”

I really hope there wasn’t a next time. I highly doubt she as any proper medical training, even if it was as simple as pulling a bit of food out of the gums. After I got Drake purring, I knew he was alright. 

“Hey Drake, I got something for you. Hold still please.” 

I had originally thought of a collar system since it would be the most efficient use, but then I remembered the shock collar that that boar had fitted the deathwings with and didn’t want to bring any painful memories back. Instead I decided to make a kind of ‘ring’ for him to wear. The way his large and small ‘fingers’ were situated on each wing, I was easily able to make something that hopefully could be comfortably worn on his larger ‘finger’ with the button orientated to be pressed by the smaller one. I didn’t know the size of his claw, so I made it adjustable, at least until I got the right fittings. I wanted it to be secure enough that it wouldn’t fall off during flights. 

“There, does that feel uncomfortable in anyway?”

“Drake. No. Feel.”

“Good. Now for you Blanche.”

“I ain’t wearing no pussy-ass ring! What, you trying to get us hitched or something?”

Hitched? What did she… oh. I started to laugh and I think that angered Blanche even more. “No. It’s a communication device. Here, I made a special one for you. It’s… well I didn’t have the tools to make something small enough for you to comfortably wear, especially lacking a power source that small, but then I remembered your tail. May I see it?”

She wrapped her tail around herself and held it, as if trying to protect a child from being taken. “What do you want with it…”

“I just need to make some adjustments and install this, is all. Trust me. If I wanted to simply take it, I’d just deactivate it with my Pip-Boar. I still have the code to link the two. I kept it just in case…”

“I didn’t live up to the end of the bargain? Typical mammals. No one in this fucking world can trust anyone!”

“I… yes, that _was_ what it was for. At first the thought of hiring a mercenary to take down _other_ mercenaries was a bit appalling to me. But I'm glad we met. You might not be the… calmest of us, but I trust you. If I didn’t we’d all probably be dead now. Here, as a little token of faith…” 

I opened up the sync program right in front of her and switched over to the file that synced it with her tail. I made sure she saw it as I deleted it from my system. I trusted her enough to not be a problem, at least that was what I was hoping. My history with trusting other mammals has been a slippery path. Still, I needed to get this to both of them if the second half of my plan was to work. 

“You… okay. Just make it quick.” 

“Now, hold still, I just need to get my screwdriver… if you keep wiggling this thing is gonna end up somewhere that you probably won’t like.”

Since I deleted the sync file from my Pip-Boar, I had to manually remove the connectors from the tail. Typically a quick push of a button would automatically detach the couplers allowing the tail to be freed. I'm so glad that I had kept these highly flexible antennas around. I don’t think I would have been able to create something so small, especially within the short time I took. Once the last connecting screw was loosened, the entire tail came off, leaving a very thin strand of nano-filament dangling off. 

“What is… FUCK! THAT HURT! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!” She had only lightly touched the filament with her paw before screaming in pain.

“That’s the nano-filament wire. It’s what allows you to control the tail with such fluid movements. It’s also directly connected to your brain and touching it, is akin to touching your bare nerve endings. It'll be very susceptible to pain until the tail goes back on. I’d be careful if I were you.”

“Fucking ass-twat! You could have warned me!”

“Well. You didn’t ask.”

Sure I could have told her about it, how the ‘tail’ would be very open to everything while I was working on this, but then she might have not allowed me to do these adjustments. She said she didn’t like pain before, and I had a feeling that telling her it might cause some may not have gone over well with her. Still, it was slightly amusing to me. 

It took about twenty minutes to install the new part. It made the base of the tail ever so slightly thicker, and I had to take a micro-drill to make a hole for the button, but it went much more smoothly than I thought it would. Once I was done I went to go put the tail back on but she seemed very hesitant. The entire time she stood like a statue, probably afraid to make any sudden movements that would make her tail hit something. I assured her that the sensation would never go away until the tail was back on. 

“You are never, _NEVER_ taking that off again. You hear?”

“Well I may need to make some adj…”

“NEVER!”

“Okay, okay. I'll never take it off again. Now, if you're all calmed down, I would like to show you two how they work. It’s rather simple really. I already pre-programmed them both. The devices have a four way link. The first link is between the two of you. The second is between either of you and Nate and my Pip-Boars, while the fourth link is connected to Onion. To put it plainly, it's a communicator.”

“Communicator? So what, you can spy on us now?”

“No. They only work when you want them to. Blanche, your activation button is on the base of the tail near your… well it’s down there.”

“Why the fuck did you install it that close to my ass you… ass!”

“I needed the thickest part of the tail, alright? If you feel down with your paw, you can feel the button. You can either press it then, or with the tip of your tail. Try it.”

She felt down there, all the time giving me an evil look. Once she figured out where it was, she started to move her tail until she eventually found it. The communicator in my Pip-Boar became active, along with Drakes. I didn’t activate Nate’s yet because I needed his Pip-Boar, and his permission, to do so. 

“Hello?”

Her voice was very faint in my communicator. “The microphone is in the tip of your tail. Try holding it close to your mouth.”

She put it up to her mouth, but looked like she was going to try to eat it. When she spoke, it echoed way too loudly through my arm. “Keep it a little bit from your face, okay?”

She moved it a bit further out and tried again, this time it came in much clearer.

“Good. Now Drake, you have something similar, but yours is in the ring. Your voice is deep enough that I figured it'd be fine to keep the mic in the ring as well. Now, you should be able to push it with your smaller claw. Yeah, perfect. Now say something.”

“Drake. Odd.”

“Good, I can hear you. Can you hear him Blanche?”

“You fucking ass-twat, the speaker is in my ASS?!”

“It’s not in your ass Blanche, it’s in the base of the tail. Look, if you can find me something more your size then I'll be happy to make the modifications. Until then… enjoy talking out of your ass.”

I knew that would make her angry, but I also knew she wouldn’t try anything, and as I expected, she threw out some more expletives before sulking. 

“I need a drink.”

“I have one more thing to ask of you two.”

“Yeah, what the fuck you want now?”

“We need more information on the Legionaries. It’s been too long since we heard anything and it’s starting to worry me. I would like you two to test out your communicators, and by doing so, go scouting for any signs of Legionary activities.”

“No. Fucking. Way. Last time we left your asses alone, you got raped and almost killed! If we were there, it would have all ended before they even took you!”

I had a feeling that would be her reaction. She cared, more than she would ever admit. “This needs to be done, and Drake is the fastest thing we got, and I can’t just send him alone, I need someone who can report in with complete details on anything you find,” I looked towards Drake, “and you are not the most… eloquent of mammals Drake. No offense.”

“Drake. No. Talk. Good.”

“My point exactly. So, will you please help us?”

“And what if those fuckers find you _here_ while we're away? These damn things can warn us, but they can’t make us get here any faster!”

“What if I were to… sweeten the deal?”

“There’s nothing you can say to change my mind ass-twat! Now where did I put my beer?”

“How about some nice, preserved, bourbon?”

She stopped and her ears perked at the sound of my words. “Bourbon, huh? Been a while since I had a good hard drink like that. You don’t strike me as a drinker Olivia, so how do I know you have some?”

“Well, surprisingly enough, Nate loves that stuff. I’ve gotten to like it a little, not the taste but the… effects. You're right about one thing Blanche, it really does help to dull the mind.”

“You got that right. Two bottles. I'll do it for two bottles. No less. And they have to be unopened!”

“Deal. Hold on right here, I'll go get them.”

Nate had at least a dozen or so bottles, he wouldn’t mind if I took two of them. I can’t even imagine him drinking all that in his lifetime, so he probably wouldn’t even notice. Still, I should probably ask him first. I went back to the workshop to find him passed out on the desk. The remote bullet and gun plans weren't there, so I assumed he delivered them to Holly. He had something else under his paws, but I couldn't make it out. I don’t know why he would still be tired, but I didn’t want to bother him for something so trivial. I gave him a small kiss on the head and went to where he kept the bottles. 

Two wouldn’t hurt. I just hope that Blanche didn’t decide to down them both before her mission. I needed her at her peak so they can spot the Legionaries before they spot them. I wanted them to scout the area, not engage anyone. I better make sure to let them know that. The last thing we needed was a confrontation when we didn’t even have a plan. 

I was enjoying this relaxation, but it was nearly about time for it to end. I just hope that we get to live long enough to do this again.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! I do apologize for a bit later than typical show. Seems a certain fox tried to slip me some decaf today.”

**[Max]**

"Oh don't lay this on me you striped beluga. YOU decided in your oh so infinite wisdom to ignore my instructions and grabbed the wrong can without ever ONCE looking at the label. Not my fault you can't smell the difference."

**[Stripes]**

“Why does decaf even exist? It’s like alcohol free beer or diet water, it just makes no sense. Anyways, let’s kick this show off with today's special guest. He's one wolf that is very difficult to get a hold of, but thanks to a little ingenuity (and the fact that I have been following every Tac-Lifter I see), we finally meet up with Stalker Logan of the Steel Guardians. Good day Stalker Logan. May I call you Logan?”

****[Logan]** **

“No.”

**[Stripes]**

“No? Is that all? No witty banter, no aggressive comeback, just, no?”

****[Logan]** **

“Yes.”

**[Stripes]**

“This interview is going nowhere fast. So Stalker Logan, do you have a first name?”

****[Logan]** **

“Yes, but that's on need-to-know basis, and _you_ don't need to know.”

**[Stripes]**

“I see. Logan it is. Hey, at least I got more than one word out of you.”

****[Logan]** **

“…”

**[Stripes]**

“And now, back to silence. Okay then, let’s begin this with a few, hopefully need-to-know questions. First off, how long have you been a member of the Guardians?”

****[Logan]** **

“Twenty-eight years.”

**[Stripes]**

“Twenty-eight? That’s a pretty big time so be relatively unscathed, let alone to be alive. The Guardians are known for taking on the biggest, baddest enemies the wasteland knows. Although, to tell you the truth, you don’t look to be that old, even with your dark silvery fur. When did you enlist?”

****[Logan]** **

“Twenty-eight years ago.”

**[Stripes]**

“I already got that. Okay, let’s try this. When were you born?”

****[Logan]** **

“Twenty-eight years ago.”

**[Stripes]**

“Wait, what? I think I’m a bit confused.”

****[Logan]** **

“I was an orphan, a pup only a few months old when Chief Lazlo took me in. He raised me as a soldier from the moment I could walk.”

**[Stripes]**

“Sorry to hear that. Do you know what happened to your biological parents?”

****[Logan]** **

“No.”

**[Stripes]**

“Do you regret not knowing them?”

****[Logan]** **

“No.”

**[Stripes]**

“Okay, these one-line answers are getting annoying. Since I don’t think I will get anything else about this out from you, let’s move on. You have been called, in many fashion, the bite to Lazlo’s bark. Can I get an explanation?”

****[Logan]** **

“As I said, I was raised as a Guardian ever since I could remember. I'm a soldier, a warrior. I know how to use every weapon, multiple styles of martial arts, am skilled in every Guardian tech save for Exo-Suits, and am able to make critical, split second decisions on a battlefield, even in the midst of combat. I'm Chief Lazlo’s second in command, and in control of all major military engagements when he is unable to.”

**[Stripes]**

“So tell us, and truthfully please, is the reason that you're the second in command simply due to favoritism? I mean, raising you and training you personally from a cub? You’d think he’d be showing a little bias towards you over some of the other Guardians.”

****[Logan]** **

“I took the same tests as everyone else, and the same training. Participated in the same engagements, and worked tirelessly for my whole life to get to where I am. I wasn't given this, I earned it, and if any other mammal were to come along and show greater strength than I, I'll personally see to it that they are given the role. Chief Lazlo might not expect the best out of everyone sometimes, but he deserves the best all the time.”

**[Stripes]**

“You said he doesn’t always expect the best. What did you mean by that?”

****[Logan]****

“Chief Lazlo has the keen ability to see one’s potential, but knows that no matter how good you are, there are times where you strain to be better, to force yourself beyond your breaking point, but not every mammal has the ability to break past, and end up breaking themselves instead. In cases like that, he understands if you didn’t do your very best, as long as you try. Some of the Guardians don't agree with that, that it shows a weakness, but he doesn’t. He says that happy and healthy win more wars than tired and sick.”

**[Stripes]**

“And what do _you_ think?”

****[Logan]** **

“It matters not my own opinions on that. Chief Lazlo has proven time and time again that he's an exemplary leader, and that's what matters most. He abides by the original Guardian edict that says the Guardians are protectors of the innocent, not just soldiers of war. I trust and respect him to follow every decision he makes, and no matter where it takes us, I will be by his side.”

**[Stripes]**

“I don’t mean to put a damper on the mood, but everyone knows that while his mind is still sharp, Lazlo is getting old, and he won't be around forever. We also know that he hasn't taken a wife, nor produced an heir to take over the Guardian leadership, as every previous Chief has. What will you do then?”

****[Logan]** **

“Follow his orders until his dying breath. Chief Lazlo keeps his personal life to himself. That said, I'm positive that he knows of his own mortality, and that I have every bit of confidence that he will have made the right preparations for when that time comes. Every Guardian, even him, knows that life is fleeting, and in our line of work, everyday may be the last.”

**[Stripes]**

“Remind me to skip the next recruitment drive. Sheesh. Well then, after that little morbid talk, I think it’s safe to wrap this show up. Thank you for your time Stalker Logan. Alright folks, I hope you enjoyed today’s episode! This is Stripes signing off, and remember folks, if you ever see those hovering bits of metal they call transports flying overhead, please don’t shoot them, they're the good guys, well most of them at least. Take care everyone!”


	46. Giving Thanks

I knew I still shouldn’t be mad at Holly. I wasn’t even that upset anymore, just a bit annoyed with her, but I was still making an effort to avoid her, for right now at least. I think I needed to cool down, plus I can’t even remember the last time I had a nice relaxing shower. Yeah, that should do the trick. 

Holly and Mark’s door was still closed, so either they were sleeping, or else they were… would they even leave without telling me? Come to think of it, what _did_ they do before I dragged them into this? Part of me wanted to knock on the door, to see if they were even here, but I hesitated. No, not until after I get a bit more relaxed. I think I just needed some alone time right now. 

I didn’t have any cleaner clothing than what I was currently wearing, so I would have to work with what I had. I grabbed a towel, one of the few clean things I actually owned at the moment, and went towards the showers. Since the workshop was near the shower room I checked up on Nate. It didn’t look like he'd moved an inch since I last saw him. I’ll check on him again after I get clean. 

The shower room had two doors leading into it. I guess I never noticed it before. There were two signs, one on each door. One said: ‘Buck’ while the other said: ‘Doe’. If there were _two_ rooms, why did Nate try to take a shower in the _same_ one as me last time? Did he… have feelings for me then? I opened the door marked: ‘Doe’ and then I remembered the tarp. The dividing wall between the two rooms was missing, in its place a large opaque tarp that split the room in half. No wonder he came in on me before. He was probably used to showering with two others in the bunker. 

I closed the door behind me and slipped out of my clothing, tossing them into a pile near the door. I turned around to check to see if there was a lock on the door, not wanting to be disturbed right now, and nearly jumped out of my own fur. At first I thought that Holly had somehow slipped into the room without me noticing, then I realized that it was simply a mirror. I should have known. My fur was a mostly auburn color, as opposed to her mostly tan. I'm actually surprised that they found an intact mirror like that. 

Since it was there, I gave my body a good looking over. I don’t know why but I half expected to find some dried filth stuck to my fur. Between the sanitation ‘experiences’ in the Burrow, falling into that cesspool of a pit, and then blowing up an entire sewage system, it was a wonder that I was clean at all. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but my eyes kept focusing on a single aspect of myself, the newest one as a matter of fact. My scar. It looked much bigger than I thought it was. The large oddly shaped oval went from the bottom of my left ear, almost touched my eye, and ended up around where my jaw connected. Just as Mark had told me, none of the fur had started to grow back. It was a cruel reminder that I nearly died, or at least was almost blinded. I ran my paw over it. It felt bumpy and foreign to me. I was told that I could easily have my skin grafted to allow for the fur to grow back, but to me, it’s a mark. Sure I think it’s ugly, but at the same time to bear a scar, either physically or mentally, reminds you of your own mortality. I needed that. I have friends who rely on me now, just as I rely on them. Hell, I even have a boyfriend, something I _never_ imagined I would have. This scar reminds me of how frail life really is, especially my own. It reminds me that I can’t be reckless anymore. 

I was starting to depress myself with my thoughts, so returned them to the reason I was standing here naked in the first place. A nice shower. I stepped under one of the shower heads and turned on the water. I had forgotten there was no hot water so when the freezing cold liquid hit my body, I nearly tripped on my own feet trying to get out of it. It was fucking cold! I said I needed to cool off, but not this literal! Still wanting a shower, I slowly stepped in and out of the stream of water as my body adjusted to the temperature. I _really_ need to do something about this temperature. I was kinda shocked that a genius like Nate hadn’t already fixed it. Good thing there's another genius in the house. I added it to my ever growing mental checklist of stuff that I really needed to take care of. It might make a nice thank you gift as well. They've been very kind to not only allow me to stay here, but Drake and Blanche as well. 

“H-hello?”

Was that… not again. What is it with that fox and wanting to sneak in on me while taking a shower? Of course, I really wouldn’t call that sneaking. 

“I thought I locked the door… guess I forgot.”

“Oh, I can wait, if you don’t want me here.”

“No!” the words came out much more excitedly than I anticipated. “I mean… no, I didn’t say that. You just surprised me is all. You can stay, but please lock the door. I just didn’t want Holly to barge in on me. Not until I cooled down a bit more. Speaking of which, why hasn’t anyone tried to get a hot water heater working here? I nearly became a bunny-cicle trying to take a shower.”

“Sorry. I've been… well I've been a bit preoccupied as of late. I keep forgetting it, but it’s not really a huge concern for us. We’ve gotten used to it.”

“Well if you want to keep me around, I need some hot water now and then. How am I going to prepare my coffee without it?”

“Well… we do have a stove and can boil water… if you like coffee I can make you some too.”

“Blah, no thanks. I actually don’t like coffee. It was more of a joke, really.”

“Oh, well it’s not that bad if you sweeten it up a bit. I think we might have some coffee and sweetener in the storage…”

“You don’t have to. Didn’t you… um, wanna take a shower? I figured that’s why you're here.”

“Yeah, I kinda… I fixed the tarp earlier, so… I’ll just stay on this side.” Nate seemed a bit distracted. Was he still not comfortable seeing me naked, even after last night?

“What, I show you mine and you won’t show me yours?”

“I-I… it’s… I just…” I think I caught him a bit off guard there.

“It’s okay, really. I was just teasing. You don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Plus, I’ve already kinda seen… you… naked.” 

“W-what? When? Did you… did I?”

“No silly. Remember the last time I was in these showers, when I kinda… slipped.”

“Oh… Oh! Yeah. I’m sorry, I should've reinforced the tarp better.”

“Don’t apologize, although… we really should put up something a little more permanent. And get that damn hot water heater working.”

“We… this wasn’t supposed to be a permanent home, it just sorta happened. Not too many places take kindly to foxes they don’t know.”

I was almost going to ask ‘what about Hope’ but then I remember that even a place that says they accept anyone, there were still those who viewed foxes just as everyone else did. I really hope that Mayor Swift changes their minds. It'd be nice for all of us to have a place to call home permanently. 

I heard the water turn on over on his side. I was starting to wonder if he simply wanted to be near me, and that was why he came into the showers. I love the fox but he can be a bit clingy at times. While it hasn’t bothered me enough to push him away for a bit, some alone time would be nice here and there. Still, it was nice to have someone who cared. 

It was quiet for a short moment before Nate broke the silence. “T-there was something I w-was… something that I-I had been…”

“Just spit it out already.”

“D-do you e-ever regret… l-leaving?”

Leaving? What did he… oh. “I don’t. Yes, I admit I keep thinking about it, but the only thing I ever had there was my mom and without her… there was really no reason to stay, especially with how those rodents treated us… rabbits.”

“W-what do you mean you… rabbits?”

“You see, in the… in that place where I used to call home, the rodent population had all the good stuff. They had the best jobs, the best food, even got the best pick of all the ‘salvaged’ goods from when people died. I never understood why, but they always looked down on us rabbits. Mouse, rat, vole, it didn’t matter the species, if they were a rodent they felt… superior to us in every way. When my job placement exam told me I was ‘destined’ to be a Sanitation worker? I had it. I knew I had to leave. Even if it meant instant death, it was better than putting up with that shit… quite literally in that case.”

“I-I’m glad you… left.”

“Me too. After meeting all of you, I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.”

“T-there was something else I-I wanted to a-ask you. Something more… personal. Y-you… you l-like me… right?”

“Of course I do. If I didn’t, would I have slept next to you… naked? Besides my mother and Onion, you're the only one I didn’t feel completely… embarrassed to be naked around. Plus, I have a feeling you see me more than just some naked girl, don’t you?”

“I-I… I do. I… I don’t know why b-but I like you for w-who you are, n-not what you l-look like. Not s-saying you're not b-beautiful! I just… you're different from most of the p-prey I’ve met. I-I… when I found out Mark was d-dating a… rabbit, I w-wasn’t sure why. W-what I went through… t-there… I wasn’t s-sure if it was a t-trick… but now, Holly is like a sister to me. I-I never… I never thought I-I would ever m-meet someone who could… love a fox like that. Until I met you.”

I think he was… crying. It was hard to tell, but even if he wasn’t, I could tell his words held a lot of emotion to them. I tried to think of something to say, but I couldn’t. There were some times that I simply had trouble forming the right things to say, and this was one of them. My mother told me that actions often spoke louder than words, and hearing him like this, after hearing what he had to say, there was only one thing I wanted to do. 

I slipped under the tarp much to Nate’s surprise. He was standing there completely naked. His russet fur was a much redder hue than my own, and his belly was a bit more creamier than my white fur. The one noticeable thing, however, was the fact that his tail had snapped right over his… lower extremities the moment he saw me. It was actually kinda cute. 

“W-what are y-you…”

“Shh.” I walked over and wrapped my arms around him. Both of our fur was soaking wet from the shower, but I didn’t care. I admit that I wasn't very familiar with a male’s… reproductive parts, aside from some of the medical books I read, and I had no idea how I would have responded if I saw or… felt it, but between his tail and his apparent bashfulness, I doubt I would have to worry about it just yet. I looked up at his face, not letting go. He was definitely very bashful. I could see the extra red hue in his face and ears. I probably was looking very similar. Last night it was much darker, but now? The lights were making everything easily visible. 

I felt his arms slowly wrap around me, seeming a bit hesitant. I gave him a kiss and just placed my head against his chest. Before I had been a bit hesitant myself, simply resting my body against his, but never really getting to know it. Now, with us both wearing nothing but our fur, I felt closer to him than I ever had before. Keeping him against me with one arm, I slowly moved my other paw over his chest. It felt… bumpy? I got a much closer feel and found… scars. I felt his body quiver a bit as I looked up at him. He looked… concerned. 

“These are from… what they did to you?”

He didn’t respond instantly, he simply stared at me with his eyes as if I'd just found out something he never wanted anyone to know, and in a way, I had. “Y-yes.”

I had to show him that it didn’t bother me. Honestly, it made me a bit angry, that someone could hurt another like this, simply due to their species. I gently rubbed my paw over his scars, and lightly kissed them as I found them. He had too many, more than a single mammal should have to bear. “I can’t change what happened in your past, no matter how much I want to, but I can promise you this, I will protect you from any harm in the future. I promise you.”

“I-I… do you k-know what a m-marking is?”

“Marking? What do you mean?”

“I-it’s a… a vow. A p-promise that a f-fox can make to… to someone l-like you…”

“Someone like me? You mean… like as your girlfriend?”

“Y-yes… it’s… I want to p-protect you, to make s-sure that y-you know I will b-be there for you, no m-matter what. It’s s-something that a fox does f-for their… life mate…”

Life mate? Does he mean… “Are you asking me to… marry you?”

“N-no! Well… It’s… d-deeper than that, it’s… you don’t s-sound like y-you…”

“I didn’t say that, it’s just a bit… sudden, is all. I… I love you but I am not sure about that kind of commitment, not yet. Before you go acting all mopey, I am _not_ saying no. I just… I need to think it over. That doesn’t change this, that doesn’t change _us_. Just give me… some time. Okay?”

“O-okay… but you s-still…”

I reached up and gave him a kiss. “Yes. I still love you. Now let’s go dry off. I think my fur is a bit waterlogged, and I'm hungry.” 

I held him for a moment longer before releasing him and heading towards my clothing. He remained on the other side of the tarp as I got dressed. I hope he wasn’t upset that I didn’t say yes to whatever this ‘marking’ thing was. Was it a fox thing? I remember vaguely about my mother mentioning something about rabbits and marking, but I never really paid too much attention to it. Whenever she started with: ‘If you ever meet a nice boy’, I tuned her out. Sure, I knew about the basics, but until now, I had no interest in it. Boys didn’t interest me at all, so I never imagined myself in the position to need to know those things. Maybe I should have listened to her more carefully, then I wouldn’t be so… awkward around Nate when it came to things like that. Thankfully, he seemed to be just as awkward as I was. I’m not sure I could like a mammal who ‘forced’ themselves upon me. Especially not after…

“Hey Nate? I haven’t seen Holly and Mark anywhere.” I needed to get my mind off of… things. I’d rather risk a teasing from Holly than have these… thoughts. 

“Probably visiting a trader? Yeah, I think I remember him mentioning needing more supplies.” I think he was just as eager to get his mind off of things as I was. 

“Well then… you mind getting some food for us? Especially Drake. I'm not sure when the last time he ate was. Hell, I don’t know when the last time _I_ ate was.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I have so little clothing, and most of it is so dirty I may as well place a bio-hazard sign on them. I’m gonna raid Holly’s wardrobe for something. I doubt she'll mind, and if she does, I’ll just tell her it’s her payment for those ‘pictures’.”

“Pictures?”

“It’s… never mind, long story. Suffice it to say, she owes me _something_. Is it okay if you get the food?”

“Y-yeah. I’ll get right on it.”

I didn’t see any movement, so I figured he was waiting for me to leave before he got dressed. Come to think of it, I didn’t see any extra clothing in here. Did he… no, he’s not the type. Knowing that Holly and Mark weren’t here, I just wrapped myself with my towel and grabbed my clothing. Onion has seen me naked, so I wasn’t worried about running into him. I had a feeling Drake wouldn’t care at all, especially since deathwings usually _didn’t_ wear clothing, and Blanche… well besides being another female, she didn’t seem like the one to care about such things.

I left the showers and first hit Nate and my room to toss these clothes aside. I did my best to dry off before wrapping a dry towel around my body before moving next door to Holly and Mark’s room. Despite him telling me that they weren't here, I lightly knocked at the door. For all I knew they had come back while we were cleaning off. There was no answer so I carefully turned the handle. 

“Hello?” I had opened the door slightly before quietly speaking. When there was no response I opened it fully. There was a small light on over in a corner near a small chair but otherwise the room was empty of anyone, so I started to look around. It took me a few minutes but I finally found where Holly kept her clothing. Her fashion sense was very similar to mine it seemed. Simple clothing that wasn’t too over exaggerated. I’ve seen some pictures of pre-war clothing for woman that made me wonder what purpose they even had. Not that raider ‘fashion’ was any better, but at least it offered protection. A short top and an even shorter skirt made no logical sense to me.

I found two articles of clothing that piqued my interest. One was a forest green button up shirt that complimented my fur very well. The other thing was something that I never owned before, a simple pair of shorts. They were black and had two large side pockets. Seriously, did _everything_ here have extra pockets? Still, I was so used to wearing pants that these might feel a bit better. Now for one last… here we go. I saw a couple pairs of purple panties. I gave them a quick sniff to make sure that they were clean, and when I was happy with it, I threw on the clothing. If she said _anything_ about me taking her clothing, then I'll simply have to remind her of the countless times she utterly embarrassed me with her teasing. 

Once I was properly dressed, I went to go check to see if Nate had gotten any food when I saw the light from the small lamp start to flicker. I was hungry, but the urge to fix it was taking over. One small distraction shouldn’t hurt. It’s not like I'm going to starve, although try telling my stomach that. Plus, the flickering was starting to bother me. 

I turned off the lamp and tried to remove the bulb and only after touching it did I remember that active bulbs were typically hot. Fuck! I didn’t hold it long enough to get burnt, but it still really hurt. Once it had cooled down enough I tried again. There was still smaller lights in the room’s ceiling, so I held up the bulb to check the filaments. They looked intact, so the bulb must be good. The housing where it screwed in was also looking okay so after screwing it back in, I checked the wire leading into the power source. A small spark of electricity showed me what was wrong. The cable had been starting to fray. I unplugged it as to not start a fire and left the room to go get some tape from the workshop. 

That's when I heard some kind of commotion. It was coming from the garage. Blanche better not be trying to do something to get her eaten again. I rushed over to the garage to find the door ajar. I heard the sound of Blanche yelling. 

“I fucking told you, ass-twat, she _gave_ it to me! Did you just…”

I slammed the door open, causing Blanche to stumble a bit. I was about to ask what the hell was going on when I saw Nate, backed up against a wall, fear dripping from his face. Blanche was looking pissed and started to shout expletives at Nate causing him to cringe. What the fuck had just happened? 

“What the fuck is going on?!”

“That ass-twat said I stole that booze! I kept trying to tell him that you gave it to me, but he fucking wouldn’t listen!”

“Put the swords away Blanche. Now.”

“He bared his teeth at me!” 

“NOW!”

I slowly moved over to Nate and gently grabbed his arm. He was shaking like crazy. I didn’t see any signs of wounds, so knew that Blanche didn’t hurt him, although I was honestly not sure if she would have actually, but I didn’t want to take any chances. 

“Nate, it’s okay, I’m here. What happened?”

“I-I c-came to b-bring food a-and saw h-her drinking m-my w-whiskey. I-I didn’t w-want to rile h-her up, b-but I h-have been c-collecting it f-for years, I-I thought s-she s-stole it.”

“Oh, I am so sorry Nate. I… I needed a favor from her and I saw you had so much of it I didn’t think you’d notice one bottle missing.”

“Y-you g-gave it to h-her?”

“Yes. I wanted to ask you, but you were asleep, and earlier in the shower, well I guess it slipped my mind. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“I… n-no. I c-couldn’t get mad at… you.”

I gave him a quick kiss to see if that would help calm him down. Plus what he said was kinda sweet.

“What the heck is going on here? We leave for a couple hours and it looks like everyone is at each other’s throats!” Holly’s voice startled me.

“Holly, Mark, you're back. Well, I think it was a bit of a misunderstanding. Could you two take Nate and help calm him down a bit? I need to have a little… chat with Blanche.”

I took Nate by his paw and guided him to the others, keeping me in between him and Blanche. After Holly and Mark took him and lead him out of the garage, I shut the door and turned to face Blanche. I don’t know what she was expecting, but I couldn’t tell if she wanted to attack, or run.

“Okay, look.” I started calmly, as to not agitate her any further. “I'm sorry that I never told Nate. I honestly figured it wouldn’t be a big deal, but what happened to put him in that state?”

“I was in here minding my own business getting good and drunk when he comes in here and the second he sees me, he starts yelling at me about stealing his stuff.”

“Okay, first of all, we both know that Nate doesn’t yell, at least not for something like this.”

“Yeah, yeah. He didn’t _yell_ , more like stuttered an accusation. I tried to tell him that you gave it to be, but I don’t think he believed me. He tried to take it back from me, but I refused. I ain’t giving back a gift as delicious as this. That cowardly cur doesn’t deserve something as…”

“ _What_ did you call him?”

“What the fuck! Let me go!”

Let her go… what she called Nate got me so angry at her, I didn’t even realize that I had scooped her up and was now gripping the small mouse in my paw. Of course right now, I didn’t care. I had her here, and she _will_ listen to what I have to say on the matter.

“You do _NOT_ call him that. You don’t get to, _NO ONE_ gets to. You got that?”

“I… You… are… can’t… breathe…” 

I loosened my grip enough until I heard her gasping to fill her lungs back up, but I wasn’t done yet. “I don’t know what you have been through, and right now I don’t care. You said you don’t like inflicting pain on others, but you just did it to Nate. Did you see his face? How terrified he was?”

“He… he bared his fangs at me!”

“He’s a fucking fox you bitch! They do that when they're _wincing_ from a threat. I’m from a fucking Burrow and even _I_ know that! You wanna know why he’s like that? Do you? He got fucking _tortured_ where he came from! His mother was _raped_ and _killed_. Yours just fucking abandoned you! I can’t imagine what he goes through, how he can even function with all that in him, and to me, that makes him a hundred times stronger than you will _EVER_ be. So don’t. Ever. Call. Him. That. AGAIN. You got it?”

“I… I…”

“YOU GOT IT!?”

“Yes…” Her voice sounded very… weak. 

I went to let her go and then remembered something. “You better not tell them that I told you about Nate and his mother, or else _I_ will be the one slicing _your_ throat. Got it?”

She simply nodded before I finally let her go and she scurried away from me. As I calmed down a little, I kinda felt bad about going off on Blanche, but at the same time… it kinda felt nice to get that off my chest. Although I'm wondering if and how that may change Blanche’s relationship with us. I don’t want to lose her, something tells me we'll need all the help we can get once we find those Legionary bastards. 

Blanche had run over to where Drake was. He was just staring at me. Shit, did he hear everything? Blanche and him were getting close, I really don’t want him to take her side on this. I heard Blanche’s voice start to echo through the garage.

“You big lug, why didn’t you try to help me? I almost died in her death grip!”

“Mouse. Dumb. Olivia. Fierce. Bunny.”

“Gee, thanks for the support you dumb lug.”

Fierce? Me? Did he really think that? I can understand if Blanche was a bit unnerved by me yelling at her, but to hear Drake say that to her? He… he wasn’t ever intimidated by me… was he? No. That can’t be. A deathwing is the most fierce thing out there that I know of. I don’t think a mammal, let alone a rabbit could overtake that from his kind. Maybe he was teasing Blanche. Now Holly's influencing a deathwing? _That_ I can believe. Holly’s teasing is notoriously contagious it seems.

I heard the door to the garage open up and I turned to see Mark poking his head in. 

“Olivia? Um… you have a… guest.”

A guest? Who the hell even knows we're here? Was it one of the Guardians? Do they even know where we are? “Who is it?” 

“It’s… North West.”

North?! How the hell did he find us here? Why was he even here? “Let’s go see what he wants.”

It was just Mark in the hallway, Holly must have been with Nate. Once I see what North is up to, I'll have to do what I can to apologize to Nate. If I had simply asked him in the first place, none of this would have happened. The front entrance was a short walk from where the garage was. I went to open the main door but Mark stopped me with his paw.

“What if it’s some kind of trap? You said it yourself, he wasn’t the most trustworthy mammal out there. He was also dealing chems with the slavers, for all we know the Slave Prince is trying to get back at you for basically bringing an army to his doorstep.”

“That's… a very valid argument, but I don’t think he’s that kind of guy. Sure he’s shifty, sure he’s a low life criminal…”

“You're not helping your case any Olivia.”

“But I don’t think he’s a bad guy. He _was_ the one who told you how to find me, right? I think he deserves a chance to at least explain himself.”

Mark hesitated but eventually took his paw off of my arm. I opened the door to see North standing there, dressed in his usual torn button up shirt, ragged pants and torn tie. Since his face looked like a burn victim’s worst nightmare, it was very hard to tell what type of expression he had, but somehow I knew it wasn’t one of malice.

“North West. What brings you here?”

“I… I have a present. For you. For… all of you.”

I was about to ask what it was when Mark nervously butted in. 

“Present? What kind of present? And how did you find this place exactly?”

“Well I kinda followed you. I wasn’t stalking you or anything! I tried to get your attention, but you must have not heard me, so I followed you here. As for the presents, well, take a look for yourself.”

We both stepped out of the bunker’s entrance and I think my jaw dropped when I saw the giant wagon filled to the brim with crates. A large robot was attached to it, one that I had never seen before. Unlike Onion’s levitator, this robot had two large treads that supported an even larger body. It had no arms, but had a very large flat, round head, and every inch of it was covered in transparent material. 

“What _is_ all that?”

“I'm a trader, but I’ve always done business for the sake of money, not caring about who it helps, or who it hurts. For the past two centuries, ever since I can remember that is how I worked. Hustling one mammal out of their money just to turn around and use it to hustle another, and I never once felt ashamed for what I did. After seeing you carr… Olivia, I felt… I honestly don’t know what I felt. There was something… different about you. Don’t take it too deeply! I'm not coming on to you or anything. You're a bit too… young for me. Even after I… stole those coins, I felt bad about it. I’ve _never_ felt bad about anything. Getting your friend, Nate was it? Getting him hurt, I never cared about it, or about him, but when I found out he was with you? A fox… and a rabbit… I don’t know what it was. Maybe I'm getting old, maybe my brain is finally about to finish rotting away, but when I found out you had been brought to Wild Times, something in me… snapped. I had to find your friends. I left in such a hurry I didn’t even get my payment, and I _always_ get my payment. I just… money wasn’t important to me. Not when you were in trouble.” He seemed… I don’t know if it was possible for a ghoul to cry, but it sounded like he wanted to. He was being truthful to his words.

“That’s… I’m sorry too.”

“For what?” North seemed genuinely confused when I told him I was sorry.

“I thought you were just some lowlife, a simple criminal out to make a pocket full of caps. You seemed… arrogant every time I met you. So full of yourself that I’m surprised you're not as big as an elephant.”

“Ouch. Here I open up my heart to you and that's how you respond?”

“Oh! No! I didn’t mean it that way, I just… I never expected to hear words like that come from someone like you. I… I'm ever thankful to you. I think we all are, even if they don’t show it. If it wasn’t for you I would…”

I felt Mark’s paw on my shoulder as he took over. “You said you had a present? What exactly did you bring us?”

“Food. Supplies. Medicine. I even rented a Carry-All Bot to help transport it. I wanted to say… I’m sorry. Sorry for hurting Nate, sorry for being such a ‘lowlife criminal’, and sorry that I couldn’t have gotten to you earlier. I heard what he… did to you. That… no one should experience something like that, and coming from me, I'm sure that’s a lot.”

“But how did you afford all of this?”

“Traded, mostly. I also have a large amount of caps that I keep hidden away, hoping to one day be able to move from this shit stain on the map and find someplace better.”

“Is there even such a place?”

“I… I don’t know. There are so many places in this _city_ that I can’t ever go to, and I don’t even know why. There are places that just fill me with… sorrow. I figured anyplace would be better than here, but is it really worth leaving when this is the only place I've ever called… home?”

“Yes, it is. I know this, they know this. If someplace is truly horrible, than the best thing to do is leave. It may be hard, but in the long run, it might be the best thing you've ever done, but you'll never know unless you try.”

“I… let me get these crates down.”

“Here, I’ll help.” Mark went to go grab a few crates. 

“I’m sure Drake can help, Holly too. Let me go get them.”

***

It took us nearly twenty minutes to unload everything and bring them to the storage area. Holly and Drake agreed to help, but Nate seemed very hesitant when I mentioned it was North. I figured he was still trying to recover from his run in with Blanche, so I told him to just rest. I gave him a nice long kiss to help, and that seemed to relax him, at least a little bit. 

There were at least thirty crates. When the last one had been unloaded, he gave an order to the bot to return to its owner. I had asked what would happen if someone tried to steal it, but he assured me it wasn't a harmless robot. North gave us a rundown on what each crate contained. Rather than being marked ‘food’ or ‘medicine’ it was marked in identification numbers. He said that many traders had their own form of identifiers in order to prevent someone from ‘tagging’ a more valuable trader for a potential robbery. It was actually a very smart move, and I was surprised at how organized North was as well. Each crate was filled so efficiently that I don’t think we could ever replace it in the same manner.

“I should be going now.”

“No, wait. You don’t have to leave, at least not yet. You went through all this effort to bring this to us, can’t you stick around to maybe enjoy it?”

“Ghouls don’t eat, at least most of them don’t. I knew a ghoul once named Amethyst who loved gorging herself, but I never knew why, especially since most of us don’t have taste buds, or even stomachs, to enjoy it.”

“Still, would it hurt to stick around, even for a little bit? You saved my life, I want to make sure that you know how grateful we are.”

“I… Well I didn’t have any plans, so, why not?”

“Good, it’s settled. Mark, you mind getting some of the food out and preparing it? After everything we’ve been through, I think a fest is in order.”

“A… feast?”

“Yeah. A feast. Now don’t go overboard, this stuff can last us a very long time, but I think we'll all be much happier with a full stomach.”

“A-alright. It's been a while since we had some real food. I’ll get Holly to help us. Nate’s a bit helpless in the kitchen. You know he once burned a salad?”

“A… salad? How is that even… you know what, I don’t want to know. Speaking of Nate, I’m gonna go check up on him.”

North was telling Mark how his identification system worked as they started to tear open crates. Holly was starting to carry stuff to the kitchen area in their room as I left to go find Nate. I assumed that he was in our room, and I had guessed correctly when I entered. He was sitting there on the bed just staring out into nothingness it seemed.

“Nate?”

He looked at me, his face still showing a nervous tension. “I-I’m s-sorry.”

“For what?” I moved over and sat next to him. 

“I-I shouldn’t have r-reacted that way. I j-just…”

“No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I never meant to hurt you like that. I didn’t realize that you were collecting that stuff. It was mostly the same brand, so I figured you found some production plant and took it all from there. I promise, it won’t happen again. Are you… if you're upset at me, it’s okay to tell me, I deserve it.”

I felt his tail slowly wrap around me. “N-No, I'm n-not upset, not at y-you. I was just… I shouldn’t h-have confronted h-her. I s-should have…”

I kissed him before he said something that he would probably regret later. “It’s okay. I promise. I also had a little… talk with Blanche. I doubt she'll try to say anything to you about it. She’s actually harmless. I… I promised her that I wouldn’t tell anyone, but after recent… events, I think it’s best to tell you. Promise me you won’t tell her, please?”

“I-I… I promise.”

“I know she seems like a small ball of vicious rage, and it’s mostly true, but there was one thing she told me. One thing that I think might help you feel more at ease around her. Despite her aggression, both physically and verbally, she told me that she hates pain.” Nate suddenly looked surprised when I said that. “She said she hates for her enemies to feel pain, so she basically severs their nerves when she kills them, making it so that they die a painless death. That… that actually made me respect her a bit. Sure her words can hurt, but she’s not trying to cause anyone any real pain. She may not be harmless, but she does care, in her own disturbed little way.”

“I… I didn’t k-know.”

“I promise I won’t let her have any more of your alcohol. She says that drinking is the only way to forget what ever happened in her past, but if it comes to it, I’ll simply buy her some.”

“N-no, if s-she wants some, s-she can h-have a l-little. I just l-like to keep t-track of what I-I have.”

“You're so sweet. You feeling any better now?”

“A l-little. I think.”

“Well, we have a surprise visitor, remember North West? He brought us a ton of food and supplies.” I felt him get tense again. “Are you okay?”

“H-he… he traded chems w-with those bastards… he was t-there!”

“He also saved my life. He told us that he was trading with the slavers, and while I don’t agree with that, if he hadn’t been, I wouldn’t… be…”

I felt his tail tighten around my waist. He wrapped an arm around me as he gently pulled me closer. “I-I… I don’t know w-what to think right now. H-he is responsible for giving the d-drugs to them that they… used on y-you. But he was t-the reason we s-saved you. I just d-don’t know how to feel.”

“You don’t have to be friends with him, you don’t even have to talk to him. Just… just be thankful for what he did, not hate him for who he is. I asked him to stay, at least for the feast. He… he spent nearly all of his own money to buy this for _us_ , so please, just show him a little gratitude, that’s all I ask.”

“I… I will. I don’t know if I-I can be near him, b-but I won’t try to p-push him away either.”

“Thank you. Now, let’s go see what’s cooking. I'm starving.”

***

They decided to set up the food in the garage so that there was plenty of room for this giant table that I had no idea where it came from. Nate told me that they use it here and there, but it’s usually stowed away in the storage area. On the table was a veritable buffet lined with all sorts of food. There were vegetables, _fresh_ vegetables, fruits, meats for the those who ate it. There were things I'd never even seen before. I grabbed some steamed carrots, blueberries, some wiggling substance that looked very bizarre but smelled delicious, along with a few other items that I wasn't familiar with. At this point, I didn’t care. It was fresh and that’s all that mattered.

“Hey Drake! We even got something for you.” 

Holly wheeled in a large crate that was partially opened. She took a large crowbar and finished prying off the top. I was curious as to what it was so walked over and took a small peak. Was that… oh that’s nasty. Drake seemed to like it however. He flew over to it and impaled its contents, two very large, and thankfully very dead spiders and lifted them up onto the rafters and started to dig into them.

“Drake! Not over the APC! I just cleaned it!”

Nate seemed in a better mood, at least when it came to certain things. I didn’t think he was over everything however. Every time Blanche came to get something, Nate seemed to distance himself from her. Hell, I think Blanche was trying to distance herself from me as well. Not once did we find ourselves in the same place, and every time I tried to make eye contact, she just moved out of range of my sight. It’s probably a good thing that she agreed to do some scouting with Drake. Some distance can help to alleviate these feelings between some of us. 

There was something else I noticed. North spent most of his time far away from everyone else. He was acting like Nate almost, trying to keep himself apart. I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable here, especially since he said he can’t eat. I finished my food and grabbed a paw-full of those blueberries and placed them in a pocket. These things were amazing.

I walked over to North and pulled a couple blueberries out of my pocket and offered him some. “Blueberry?”

“Pass.”

“So you really can’t eat anything?”

“Technically we can, but it won’t taste like anything and won’t provide us any nutrition.”

“So, how do you get your energy? Drinking?”

“We don’t need water either. Ghouls, well, we're ‘created’ by exposure to radiation, so the only thing that really helps us is more radiation.”

“So, wait, you _eat_ radiation?”

“Technically, yes. We can get rads from eating or drinking contaminated items, but it also can simply be absorbed through our skin. Or what’s left of it.”

“So, do you remember _anything_ from your past? From before you became a ghoul?”

“No. Well, not really. I often have these flashes. Not images, but feelings, as if my body remembers something. I haven’t had them for a long time and honestly had forgotten about them. Until…”

“You met me?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s so special about me? I’ve actually heard that a lot.”

“How should I know? You're not from my past, unless you're really two hundred years old and discovered some fountain of youth or something.”

“Afraid not. I’m only twenty.”

“Wait, your TWENTY? How the hell have you survived so well out here being that young? I figured you were at _least_ in your thirties, old enough to at least know better. Shit, you’re still a kid.”

“I'm not a kid! I’m just… well I’m a fast learner. So, what are your plans?”

“I don’t think I follow.”

“You said you spent your savings on this? Without that, where are you going to go? What are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure. Like I said, I think I'm getting too old for this. Ghouls may live much longer, but they aren’t immortal. Eventually the rot catches up with us and we either die or go… savage.”

“I never understood, why is it most of the ghouls I have met are savage, but others, like yourself, think and talk just like another mammal?”

“No one really knows. Some say it’s how quick our brains degrade, but others say that ghouls like myself keep a hold of a thought, or a feeling, and that's what keeps their mammality intact.”

“Do you have anything you're holding?”

“Hell if I know. There's nothing in my life that I can remember that would let me go on living. The only things I cared about was hustling, and even that seems to be falling apart.”

“Aren’t you ever afraid you'll… turn savage?”

“Every waking moment. There's not a day that goes by where I wonder _who_ will wake up in the morning.”

“Stay here.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Stay here North, with us. You… you're not the ‘low life’ I thought you were. You don’t deserve to live your life in fear of who you'll become. If it’s true that a simple thought can keep you in your own mind, then let us be that thought that lets you cling on to your mammality.”

“I’m no fighter. I use deception and tricks to survive. How will that help you?”

“Well, you said you know everyone, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Sometimes knowledge is more powerful than any weapon. We could use that.”

“What about your friends?”

“If I can get them to be friends with a _deathwing_ , a harmless ghoul such as yourself will be a piece of cake.”

“Oh, speaking of cake… I'll be right back.”

Well, he didn’t say no, so that was a start. I went over to where Nate, Mark and Holly were. I saw Onion zipping between everyone attempting to clean up any spilled food or drinks.

“Hey Onion, you're not our bus-bot, you don’t have to clean up after us.”

“Someone has to Miss. Plus, it’s not like I can partake in the festivities.”

“Well suit yourself. Hey guys, I kinda have some… news.”

“We know.” Holly’s quick response startled me a bit.

“You… know?”

Holly moved her eyes upward as she rotated her ears. “Rabbit, remember? Or have you forgotten?”

“No, it’s just… so you heard what I asked North?”

“Yeah. Nate isn’t too keen on the idea, but he did bring us this food. And if he's telling the truth, and he spent all his money on us, well…” Mark didn’t sound like he was certain of his own words. 

“W-we can’t just throw him out.” 

“Nate, are you sure? I mean, of all of us, you don’t seem the happiest with him being here.”

“H-he… he saved you. I may not agree w-with what he was doing there, but if he wasn’t… I w-wouldn’t be comfortable just k-kicking him to the curb like that.”

“If none of you mind. Now, I wasn’t planning on him simply crashing here forever. I figured that since he knows people, he can be our eyes and ears out there, especially in the more… unkempt places that we might not be welcomed at. Word of our doings seem to be spreading. Nate, you think we have the parts to make him a communicator that can send and receive encrypted messages?”

“Y-yeah, I should have the parts to do that.”

“Good. Once we're done relaxing, I want us to work on that. Holly, you think you and Nate can work on getting those guns installed on the APC? I have the feeling our next encounter with the Legionaries will make good use of them.”

“Yeah. We can work on it later tonight.”

“Good. Now, I asked… well bribed, Blanche to go with Drake and do some scouting for Legionary activities first thing tomorrow. Nate and I already got them geared up with a way to communicate with us. Now as for…” I was interrupted when North came back into the room holding two large boxes. 

“What are those North?”

“There are some things that are very difficult to get in the wasteland. These two are no exception.” He placed the boxes on the table. North then began to undo the knot from the twine that held the boxes together. Once he was done he lifted them both. “I wasn’t sure what anyone would like, so I got both of them. This is a carrot cake, and this is a double chocolate.”

“You mean…” I didn’t even get a chance to ask what I wanted to before Holly shoved me aside.

“Cake? CAKE! Oh, sweet cheese and crackers, it’s been forever.”

‘Sweet cheese and crackers’? What the hell kind of expression is that? 

“I take it you like it?” North seemed just as surprised as I was by Holly’s reaction.

“If I knew any other ghoul, you would be my favorite right now. Where did you get them?”

“It was from one of my regulars. He was a great baker, but a bit crazy. He kept on trying to sell me a book that doesn’t even exist.”

“What do you mean North?” I think the word ‘book’ got Mark’s attention.

“Apparently he thought that Random Den, the pre-war company that published the Jack Savage books, was about to release a seventh book in the series before the war started. He kept telling me he had a copy, but he refused to show me unless I paid him an exorbitant amount of caps. I’m smart enough to not buy something I can’t see.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying that there _might_ be another, never before released book in the series?” Mark was getting a bit excited. Honestly, I was too, although I still have yet to finish reading the ones I borrowed from him.

“Yeah. There's a branch of the publisher near the Hill Street Station, bordering the Rainforest District. I’ve been meaning to check it out for myself, but I never really cared enough to. Never liked those books, but I know it would fetch at least a few hundred caps if I found any of them.”

“Hey Holly, how long would it take to install those guns?” 

“Well ‘livi, Nate has most of the preliminary work done, so a day or two perhaps. Why?”

“Well, I don’t want to bring the fight to the Legionaries until we have those installed, and it'll probably be a little bit for Drake to finish scouting the area once they leave. Plus I'm feeling a bit cooped up here right now. How about Mark, Nate and I take a little field trip?”

“I don’t feel comfortable letting the three of you go out there alone ‘livi.”

“It will be the _three_ of us, we'll have each other. Plus, the three of us worked pretty well together when we went to rescue you Holly. So I think we can manage.”

“As long as you don’t decide to blow up any more sewer systems.”

“No promises Mark. What about you Nate, you up for a small trip?”

“As long a-as we stick near e-each other.”

“Alright, it’s settled. One more night to sleep off all this food, and we all head out first thing in the morning.”

I was feeling a bit happier. So far everything that's happened has been one death trap after another. It'll be nice to actually have a calmer mission to keep our minds sharp but our nerves loose. Plus it might be a good time to talk with Mark about something.

“Oh, ‘livi?”

“Yeah Holly?” 

“I’m… sorry. I didn’t mean to tease you with the camera, it was… I just can’t help it sometimes. Here, I got you a gift.”

Holly handed me a small box. “A gift? What is it?”

“Just open it. I hope you like it.”

I opened the box. Inside was a… it was a… “You didn’t have to.”

“I felt bad ripping your other one.”

“No, I mean you _didn’t_ have to. Where the hell is the fabric?” I held up the ‘nightgown’ she got me. Unlike the other one what was made of a solid opaque material, this one was made of lace, very _thin_ lace that held very little to the imagination.

“That… is not what I bought. I thought I got a green one like the one I… wait a second, is that my favorite shirt? It IS! Why are you wearing my favorite… Marki! She’s wearing the shirt when we…”

“Holly, calm down! Just… just let it go. It’s just a shirt.”

“ _Just_ a shirt? That’s the shirt I wore when we first… You know what? It’s fine.”

“Sorry Holly, I didn’t think…”

“No, it’s fine! You never had a lot of clothes. And it… looks good on you. But is… are those my…” She quickly grabbed me and drew my shorts back. “My panties?! You…”

I pushed her away and tried to fix my shorts before she tore those off too. “I haven’t worn clean clothes in weeks, and I couldn’t go around naked, so I kinda borrowed some stuff while you were away.”

“I… You’re right. I'm not mad, it was just… well a bit unexpected is all. I _knew_ that shirt looked familiar.” Holly quickly turned and grabbed a slice of cake. “Marki, you, me, and this cake. Bedroom. Now.”

Before Mark could object, Holly grabbed him by his tail and dragged him behind her out of the garage. I couldn’t help but smile. I got her at her own game, didn’t I? Okay Holly, we're even now. I decided to grab a slice of the carrot cake, something I haven’t had in a very long time.

“Well North, thanks again for the food and make yourself comfortable. As for me, I think I'll take their cue and have some dessert with my own foxy pillow. Come on Nate.”

Nate and I left the garage, mostly because I could still sense his nervousness being in the same room as both Blanche and North, but also all this food was making me a bit tired, and despite all the rest I’ve had the past day or two, I had the feeling that if we didn’t get our fill of it now, we may not get the luxury to for a while. I really hope that wasn’t the case, but I wanted to savor every moment of it, and savor it I will.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Max]**

“What the hell are _you_ doing here Stripes? And why do you have a… Oh… Oh HELL NO! You are NOT ruining this day for us!”

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning coming to you from the Grand Sandstone Tavern located within Sahara Square, and dangerously within Red-Neck territory!”

**[Max]**

“I’m asking again, what the hell are you doing here?! And why do you sound so hyper? You… Oh you had better not be riding high on stims again… ” 

**[Stripes]**

“Well Max, old pal, there are still a few who were curious about your little blind date with this lovely otter here but for some reason I slept right through your first date, so to make sure that didn’t happen again, I never went to bed! I grabbed a few of my triple strength espresso shots added it to my boldest coffee and here I am, fueled almost entirely by caffeine and ready to bring the readers a very exclusive interview! So, Celeste is it? What do you think about Max here? 

**[Celeste]**

“Oh, I take it you must be Max’s co-host. I’ve heard a lot of… things about you.”

**[Stripes]**

“Co-host? You must be mistaken ma’am. _He’s_ the co-host, I mean it is called _Stripes_ in the Morning after all.”

**[Celeste]**

“From what Maxy says, it sounds like he does most of the work while your off getting sloshed.”

**[Stripes]**

“That is most certainly _NOT_ true. Plus, it’s coffee before work, cider after work thank you very much. Anyways, can we get back to the show? So Celeste, tell me a little about yourself.”

**[Max]**

“As much as I'm going to regret saying this… It's best to just answer his questions, unless they're too invasive, or else he'll never leave us alone.”

**[Celeste]**

“If you insist. My parents are both traders, so I guess that makes me a trader too, although I’d much rather be enjoying the sights than off bartering some junk that was dug up on the side of the road.”

**[Stripes]**

“Not much sight-seeing to be had around here.”

**[Celeste]**

“You feeling okay? You're starting to not look too hot.”

**[Stripes]**

“Just a little headache coming on. Nothing much, but why is the world suddenly spinning? Right. So, as I was saying, how can you enjoy the sights around here, when most of it looks bleak and dismal?”

**[Celeste]**

“You gotta learn to look past the ugly to find the real beauty. Someone might see a crumbling building, but I see a metaphor about how no matter how much you get built up, all it takes is time to tear you down. That radioactive water around here? At night, during the calm before a major radiation storm, it starts to glow, making it look almost alive as the water ripples throughout.”

**[Stripes]**

“It’s nice to hear someone say there's still beauty left in the world. So, back to the first question, what you think of… oh, my. I’m feeling a bit…” _Loud noise. Feedback._

**[Max]**

"WELL! That was thankfully shortli-… Oh, oh please tell me he isn't… " _Sounds of rustling and a disgruntled groan._ "You ass… You unbelievable ass. You're broadcasting live to all and sundry, in the one place I find a measure of peace. Just… Ya just had ta ruin it didn't you. I'm sorry Celeste, didn't even think he'd know about my little salvation here. I'll just turn this off…"

**[Celeste]**

"Oooh I don't know… I actually thought it was kinda fun! You know, aside from the sleep deprived lump of pain now sprawled on the floor. And aren't you interested in hearing my answer, Maxy?"

**[Max]**

"Erm… W-well… E-equal parts yes and no? Eheh, oooh why do I have a feeling you're enjoying my discomfort far more than I'm picking up on?"

**[Celeste]**

"Maaybe because I am? Let's face it Maxy, you foxes are just _adorable_ when you're all flustered and uncertain. Just watching you on our first date was enough to convince me not to letcha go. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love it when your tail puffs up just. Like. That!"

**[Max]**

"You're doing this… Now. On live radio. Right then! Just so we're sure my mortification on air is complete. Let's get this done with so we can get back to a hopefully pleasant evening! We'll just pick up right from where Stripes left off and let you answer what you think about me so far."

**[Celeste]**

"Hmm, well I'll certainly say you have some… Understandable anger issues when it comes to your job. After witnessing the issue first paw I can certainly understand it. But what do I really think about you? I think you're a shy little puppy hidden under a gruff exterior. Just waiting for the right scavenger to come by and clean you up!"

**[Max]**

"Are you… You can't be… You're not serious are you?!"

**[Celeste]**

"HAH! Ooh I wish all you out there listening in could see my poor Maxy's face! Awww Max don't look at me like that! You know those puppy eyes of yours are lethal weapons with me. Hehehe! Oooh you're just too much fun! Honestly now though, you're a wonderful guy when not near your job and despite my quiet little nudges you refuse to bring it up much. Gives you that _mysterious_ stranger vibe and I _love_ it. Though now I think I can understand why you don't enjoy thinking about it. Ever think of an occupation change?"

**[Max]**

"Hey I thought I was asking the questions here. But well… Sometimes this pain in the tail makes me question whether or not I should've chosen a different profession. Like a bomb disposal expert. Better pay and fewer headaches all around. Siiince that's out of the way though, why don't you tell us a little bit about the trading life? I know it can be dangerous out there and hopefully it's not all there is."

**[Celeste]**

"Is trading a dangerous profession? Yes, yes it is. Would I trade it for being a house wife or some stuffy unappreciated secretarial position at a radio station? Not on your life… Well, not unless a certain Fox plays his cards right at least. But no, my parents mostly like to stick to the safer trade routes. Even ran up to the Meadowlands a few times. Though that's all but dried up no thanks to the Council. Otherwise it's a pretty boring nomadic lifestyle. Interspersed with moments of sheer terror and gunshots at random hours of the day and night. Remember folks it's always safer to travel in large caravans! I'm not joking. Raiders hate, absolutely _hate_ large groups of armed mammals. Max… Sweetheart you might wanna wipe that dopey smile off your muzzle before someone thinks there's something wrong with ya."

**[Max]**

"… I… Um… Right! Right… Sorry, just. Don't quite know what got me there."

**[Celeste]**

"I do! She's sitting to your left and grinning at you right now as you try to come back from day dreaming about her."

**[Max]**

"… Out of my head mammal… Anyhow folks I'm sorry to say but it appears the battery is getting low on this transceiver and I fear to even THINK of what Stripes was doing with this thing on the entire time it took him to get here. So for now we're going to have to bid you farewell. Catch us next week where I'm sure our producer will be out to chew our tails off if we don't find another mammal to interview. So as always send us a message of who you want to hear from! Really, Gary is getting desperate in hunting down new interviewees, and I'm worried my poor lil buddy is gonna work himself into a heart attack if you don't let us know who you all wanna hear from!"

**[Celeste]**

"Bye folks! Don't worry, I'll take good care of Maxy here and I might even let him come back! Maybe… If I can actually get enough of hugging his puffy tail. Which won't happen. Sorry folks this fox is mine now! By the way, who's Gary?"

**[Max]**

"Probably the only other mammal with a sane head on his shoulders at the Daily Caller, sets-"

_-Transmission Cut by remote battery indicator.-_


	47. By Any Other Name

We all got up the very early the next morning. After some breakfast involving last night's leftovers, we began preparing for the day's events. Nate, who was feeling in a much better mood, took Holly to go over some things with the APC. From the sound of it, I think he was afraid she’d somehow break it while we were gone. Mark worked with North to find the best directions between here and the publishers that would allow us to avoid any potential dangers. Blanche and Drake were also getting ready, although it mostly consisted of Drake waiting while Blanche drank. I swear, if alcohol ever disappeared from the planet entirely, she would probably die of thirst. That left Onion, who was really put out that he wasn’t going with me. 

“Miss, I really do object! The last time we were separated you got kidnapped.”

“I know Onion, but I need you here. Besides making sure nothing bad happens while we're away, you're the only direct link to us if anything happens. I’ve already told Holly that if you receive any sort of distress signal from us, she is to contact the Guardians immediately. If you go with us and something bad happens, she may not find out until it’s too late.”

“But Miss…”

“No buts Onion. You're staying here and that’s that. Don’t make me use the override.”

“You wouldn’t dare Miss. Would you?”

“Depends, are you going to listen to me and stay?”

“Alright Miss. I don’t like it, but it's the most logical course of action. Please do be careful Miss.”

“I always am.”

“Override?” Mark’s voice caught me off guard as I left the workshop where Onion’s charging station was at.

“Oh you overheard me? Yeah. It’s something that I installed a few months after I first built him. Before the learning algorithms had fully kicked in, he was a bit of a stickler for rules. Probably due to the fact that I used a modified Burrow-Tec algorithm multiprocessor segment, and I had forgotten to purge the secondary memory banks, which incidentally, contained the original Burrow Seventy-Six residency rules. I had done something, technically illegal, I'll spare you the details, and Onion was nearly about to turn me in. He said it was his ‘civic duty as Burrow-Tec property’. I had to have him offline for almost a week before I could finally purge all Burrow-Tec processes and let the learning software make him a bit more reliable. The override basically let me take complete control over his entire system, including speech and ‘thought’ processes with my Pip-Boar. I only ever had to use it once and he didn't like it. Not at all.”

“It felt like I was being possessed Miss. A quite unpleasant feeling.”

“Well, technically you were Onion.”

“I would rather not go through that again Miss.”

“And that is why threatening you with it _always_ works.”

The door to the workshop slammed closed. Did he just… slam the door on me? Maybe leaving him here _wasn’t_ a good idea. He better not pick up anything from Holly, or else I'll be forced to reformat his entire memory bank. Maybe a personality adjustment. He was doing a lot of cleaning last night, maybe I'll make him into the bunker’s personal maid. He would probably shock me an inch from death if I did that.

“So Mark, you get everything squared away with North?”

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be that difficult to get to. There's actually an underground rail line that leads nearly there. There’s only one problem, accessing it means we have to…”

“Oh, please don’t tell me. We have to go through a sewer, don’t we?”

“Afraid so.”

“Fuck! I knew it. How did I know you were going to say that. I left the Burrow to get _away_ from shit like that, and here that'll be the… third time I had to go through that… shit, since leaving the Burrow. You know what? Fuck you fate. Fuck you and whatever bastard you rode in on.”

“Um… are you okay Olivia?”

Shit. I thought I was thinking that to myself. “Sorry. Ever since before leaving, I always contemplated the meaning of life, and how some have told me that some unseen paw guided us through life, and that every single thing that happens to a mammal happens for a reason and is often unavoidable. Sometimes life really does feel that way, and it makes me wonder, was I simply destined to meet you all, or was it just a fluke?”

“That’s… no offense Olivia, but that’s surprisingly deep coming from you. I figured you followed your own path, especially since half the time it seems like you're just making it up as you go alone.”

“I don’t make it up half the time! I make it up at _least_ three-fourths of the time.”

“That's not unsettling at all.”

“Gee thanks. Hey, do you guys believe in the whole ‘fate’ thing?”

“That’s… well that’s a tricky subject honestly. Did I feel fated to meet Holly? Sometimes it feels like that, especially with her being the daughter of the Overseer. The thing is, fate isn't a one way street. If you believe you were fated to experience the good in life, then the bad was fated to you as well, and to think that it was fate’s paw that treated Nate how he was, to believe that everything that happened to him was destined to occur, no matter what, then no, I can’t imagine anyone being that cruel. Freedom, safety, now _those_ are things to believe in. Those are what Saint Marian taught us.”

“Saint Marian?”

“Nate and I’s patron saint. It’s… do you believe in any gods Olivia?”

“Gods? I… I never really gave it much thought honestly. Most nights my mother said she prayed for our safety and wellness before going to sleep, but I always thought it was just a figure of speech. I always had my nose in a book or my paws on tools to ever bother. I didn’t even start to wonder about this whole fate thing until a few months ago.”

“Well, I won’t try to force anything on you, just remember, whether it’s fate or religion, it's never simply a one way street. You have to take the good with the bad. Though sometimes, things get so bad that even you second guess your own beliefs.” Mark started to walk away before stopping to say one last thing. “Of course, no matter what you believe in, I'll tell you this. I think you were given to us for a reason, or more specifically, to Nate. With everything that's happened to him, I think you're the brightest light in his ever growing darkness.”

***

It’s been an hour since we left the bunker but Mark’s words still echoed in my head. I knew Nate cared for me, but did I really mean _that_ much to him? He’s known Holly and Mark his whole life, and they just met me a few weeks ago. How can I have become his ‘brightest light in the darkness’ in such a short time? Maybe whatever ‘aura’ Mayor Swift had to make me feel… odd around her rubbed off on me. Did something like that have a smell?

“Olivia? Why are you smelling your arm pits?” Mark sounded a bit confused.

“Nothing! I mean… oh look, is that the entrance there?”

“Why’d you have to go and find the craziest rabbit in the wasteland Nate?”

“At least she knows her way around tools. If Holly damages that APC…”

While Nate and Mark were arguing over Holly’s competency in the garage, I found my way to the entry hatch for the sewage system. I told myself that I would never have to deal with this again, but here I am… again. If fate really was a two way street, there better be a fucking gold mine on the other side of this. 

The door was stuck but with a bit of muscle I was able to turn the access wheel enough for it to swing open. The unwelcome smell of rotting waste filled my nose, causing me to gag. I nearly threw up before I was pulled back away from the entrance.

“Forgot to tell you. I dug these out of storage. Figured they would come in handy.”

Mark handed me a mask. It was large enough to cover my face. A giant ‘window’ of plastic allowed me to have a good view out of it. A small disk like object protruded out the left side. “What’s this?”

“A gas mask. They're designed to filter out any harmful chemicals, or in this case, hazardous waste. They also have the handy side effect of blocking out smells, although you need to adjust your breathing a bit. There's typically a higher resistance to airflow due to the filter.”

“You had me at ‘blocking out smells’. Now if only I brought my jumpsuit. Those things are usually water tight, but I left it in Hope.”

“The one Mayor Swift gave you?”

“No, the one from the… well I left it behind for a reason. Anyways. Let’s get this show on the road. I wanna get that book, if it even exists, and get back home.”

“You and me both.” I didn’t notice them stopping their bickering as Mark’s voice came from right behind me. “Although I think home to Nate is wherever you are Olivia. Ow! Did...Did you just hit me bro?!”

I felt Nate’s tail creep up on my back. 

“Okay boys, enough lollygagging. Let’s get these masks on. I want to spend as little time in here as possible.” 

Once we all had our masks on we entered the entryway to the sewer system. This entry was unlike the typical street top ones. This was a large door attached to the side of a large concrete structure. It had deteriorated beyond recognition so I had no idea if it was once a treatment plant or just an over sized entrance. Either way it was our only ticket to the subway system. The only other entrance to the tunnels we needed was deep in Gray Quill territory, and I’ve already dealt with those fuckers enough for one lifetime.

We kept quiet mainly due to how muffled the masks made our voices, but also due to the fact that Mark had mentioned sometimes savage ghouls lived in the sewage tunnels. I nearly slapped his ears off when he told me that. I may have gotten to like North, but those savage fuckers? They can burn for all I care.

Thankfully our trip was uneventful save for Nate nearly slipping into the river of filth flowing through the tunnels, we didn’t run into anything bad. It was only about forty minutes of careful walking until we reached the maintenance tunnel that connected to the main rail lines. I have no idea if it was smart, or stupid, planning putting these systems so close to each other, but it made things much easier for us. 

After exiting a set of double sealed doors we were in a very dark area. Oddly enough, the sewage had working lights, but the rail tunnels didn't. It only took a few moments before my eyes had adjusted enough to see, although with so little light, it was hard to make the proper adjustments. I may have developed a fox’s keen night vision, but you still need _light_ for it to work.

“Let me get in front of you to help you see…” Nate tried to move in front of me but I grabbed his tail. His subsequent yelp echoed down the tunnels. “Ow! What'd you do that for?”

I looked at him and pointed towards the edge of the walkway. He followed my arm towards where the rails should be, and instead there was a dark nothingness. “Freaky mutant bunny fox, remember? I think my eyesight is just as good yours now, ‘Mr. Chivalry’.” 

“Oh… I guess I forgot… thanks.”

I turned my Pip-Boar’s light on to get a better look around. Just as I suspected. Where the tracks should be was a very large hole, probably created during one of those quakes. I really hope no one was standing there when it collapsed. Then again, from the looks of it, I highly doubt anyone's been down here for a while. 

“That’s a deep hole.” Mark whistled before he said it.

“I’m sorry that I grabbed your tail like that.”

“It’s okay. It’s not every day you meet a mammal with multiple genetic types.” He was rubbing his neck a bit nervously as he spoke.

“If it wasn’t for the vision, I probably would too.”

“And you're not a freak.” Nate was nearly at a whisper when he spoke.

“Yeah, Holly actually came up with a clever name for you Olivia.”

“Don’t you start with that Mark.”

“What? It’s nothing bad. She just couldn’t decide if that made you a doe or a vixen, and then she decided that you're a doxen.”

I placed my paw in front of my face to try to drown out the groan I let loose. “I guess it could be worse. She could have started to call me a funny… _don’t_ you tell her that. Don’t you dare.”

“I promise.”

“You better.”

The giant grin on Mark’s face said otherwise, but maybe he'll forget by the time we get back. Now that I think of it, I _do_ have something that I wanted to ask him, and maybe that will help.

“Hey Nate?” 

“Yeah?”

“I need to talk to your brother about something, you mind scouting ahead with your Pip-Boar sweetie?”

“Yeah, sure.”

I turned to Mark and he had a very large smirk on his face. “What?”

“Oh nothing… ‘sweetie’.”

“Why did you…” I felt my face heat up tremendously.

“Now, what did you want to talk to me about that you had to send Nate away?”

“I-I… oh. Yeah. Well, yesterday while Nate and I were… talking, he brought up something about ‘marking’ me? What exactly does that mean? He was a bit nervous, well _very_ nervous talking about it.”

“That’s… he… really?”

“Yeah.”

“You're talking about Nate… OUR Nate?”

“Um, like I said before… yes. Why do you sound so surprised by it?”

“It’s… wow. I never actually thought _he_ of all mammals would bring that up. Ever. It’s just. You see, with certain mammals, like us foxes, it’s kinda like a… claim.”

“Claim? What, you mean he wants to make me his property or something?”

“No! Oh, no that’s not it at all! It’s… sorry, I'm trying to think of a good way to explain it. I’ll just tell you what I told Holly when I first brought it up. You see, yes, it is a claim, but not like claiming a bed to sleep in or land to live on, it’s more than that. In a fox’s entire life, they may never find the right person, but when they do, when they feel deep down in their heart of hearts that ‘this is the one’, they'll make a promise to that one mammal through their marking. The promise is steadfast, they'll be the one, and the only one for the rest of their days. They will protect them with their life, honor them, and forever stand with them. For Nate to even bring this up, to even broach the subject with you? It means that deep down, he knows he will never find another like you Olivia. You're his spark, just as Holly is mine. A spark goes even deeper than your own soul, it's like your very meaning to live. If a mammal loses their spark? Well, there may as well be no reason for living for them. To us, you are family, but for Nate to ask you that? You are more than family, you're his very reason for living.”

His reason for living? That… “I really mean that much to him?”

“You do. Holly and I have noticed it. Gradually at first, but just being around you has changed him for the better. He has a long way to go I'm afraid, but you've pushed him in the right direction at a far greater pace than I thought was even possible. I still never expected him to come out and ask you about marking. That’s a big step, even for him.”

“That’s… a lot to think over. What about the actual ‘marking’? Wait… he’s not going to… pee on me… is he?”

“NO! No, no, no. No. That’s a barbaric way of marking from the stone ages. Where exactly did you learn your biology? Actually, I don’t want to know, forget I asked. You see, foxes have certain glands that they basically use to spread their markings through caressing, nuzzling, and basically… well being very intimate. Rabbits have them too you know, just under the jaw if I remember correctly, but from what Holly tells me, it isn’t nearly as… bonding to them as a fox. Still, she did help contribute during it, rubbing her jaw all over my…”

“TOO MUCH INFORMATION! Too. Much. Information!”

“Sorry, got carried away there. It’s just… I'm not used to being separated from her like this.”

“We'll be back before she even remembers you left. Now, you said it was… intimate? How much? I… after the…”

Mark gently placed his paw over my shoulder. “No, it doesn’t have to be that way. Honestly, I don’t think he’d even want to be that way with you, not yet. Not that he doesn’t love you that much, it’s just… he’s always afraid of hurting others, and if for even a moment he thought that doing something would make you relapse back to what happened to you, well, you’ve seen him freeze up and whimper. He hates feeling pain, but he hates causing it to those closest to him, even if it wasn’t his fault at all.”

“I’ve noticed that. It’s… I wish there was something I could do to help him.”

“Like I’ve said, you’ve done more for him already than I think anyone could. Just keep… just keep being you. Just keep loving him. I think… yeah, I think he may eventually come around.”

I looked at Mark and saw tears start to fall. I wiped them away with my paw as he blinked and looked away.

“Sorry. I just never thought. He’s been through so much, I never thought he would ever recover. Thank you. For everything.”

I gave Mark a hug to help comfort him. I knew Nate was… well broken, but if this was how his own brother was reacting, then I really must be that important to him. I don’t want to feel pressured into accepting Nate’s marking offer, but at the same time, I want to help him as much as I can, and if this helps Nate that much… When we get back I'll have to sit down and talk to him a bit more… privately about it. 

“Did I miss something?”

Mark tried to wipe his eyes without Nate seeing as he turned. “No, everything's alright bro, we were just having a little… talk about something. Did you find anything?”

“No… are you… are you crying?”

“Me? No. Never.”

Nate then looked at me, more confused than anything, but before he could say anything, I quickly moved to him and grabbed his arm, giving him a kiss. Mostly because I knew that usually helped to distract him, but also, after hearing how Mark described Nate’s feelings towards me, he deserved to be shown my affection. 

“We all good? We’re all good. Now, you didn’t see anything on your scanners?”

“No, well, maybe.”

“Maybe? What do you mean, maybe?”

“The problem with these Pip-Boars is that they can’t perform multi level scanning. There were a few blips, but I couldn’t see or smell anything out of the ordinary, so they might be either above, or below us.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault Nate. I'm sure if there was a way to change that, you would've already done it. Let’s just make sure we keep our noses and ears… wait, did you hear that?”

“No, what was it?”

“Not sure Mark. Wait here you two. I'll be right back.”

“But…”

“I said wait here. Trust me.”

“We’re doomed.”

“You sound like Onion.”

I snuck away before they could say anything else, turning off my Pip-Boar light in the process. It was hard to make out, but I think it was the sound of… groaning? I couldn’t tell if it was a mammal or simply some loose material. I could have sworn I heard voices too, but they were so muffled that I wasn’t sure. 

The path ahead split into two. Straight ahead is where we needed to be going, but the branch to the right is where the sounds seem to emanate from. I checked my scanner and sure enough, there were two dots a little down that path, but if Nate was right then it might not even be on the same level as I was. Still, I had to be sure.

“I think I hear it now.”

“Fuck! Mark, don’t sneak up on me like that! Nate? You too? Didn’t I tell you to stay back?”

“Tell that to lover boy over here. He was afraid you’d run into trouble.”

“I-I…”

“Fine. Just stick close and I better not hear a peep out of you two.” How in the world does Holly deal with these two on a regular basis?

I kept the lead as they trailed a few feet behind me. As soon as we turned a corner I saw something illuminating the tunnel from a distance. It started out faint, but grew brighter as we neared its origin. This path must have been some kind of maintenance tunnel because it opened up on another rail line. Unlike the other one, this had working lights in the immediate area, and also unlike the other area, there was a large train car sitting on the tracks. 

“I think this is where the noise is coming from. Think anyone’s home?”

“I’d rather not find out.”

“Do mammals even live down here Mark?”

“Possibly, but it’s usually near stations, not this deep into the system. With the threat of ghouls, no sane mammal would dare to go this far.”

Ghouls. I forgot about them for a moment. “You think its… ghouls?”

“I’d rather not find out if it’s all well and good.”

My brain was torn between there being danger, and there potentially being someone in need. I thought I heard groaning noises, but they seem to have stopped. Maybe it was just my imagination? “We shouldn’t risk it. Come on, let's go before something bad happens.” I turned around figuring that they would have started to head back towards where we came but instead smacked my face right into Mark’s back. “What’s the deal? Why aren’t you…”

Mark looked at me with a very nervous look in his eyes as he traced a path with them to the ground. I followed until I saw a thin wire caught on… his… leg. Fuck. 

“It’s a trip wire.” Mark gulped as he spoke.

“Don’t move. Nate, keep an eye out.” I looked at the taught wire and followed it. One end connected to a nearby wall, so I traced the other side of it right to a pile of crates. Being careful not to touch it, I found what it was connected to. A very large shotgun. Who the fuck rigs a shotgun to a trip wire? I wasn't familiar with this type of weapon, although how different could it be? Pull the trigger and hope someone dies. This time, I wanted to make sure _no one_ died. 

I saw that the wire was wrapped in such a way that if wire gets any more pressure on it, the gun will fire. I tried to slowly move it, but in doing so I saw the tension of the wire increase. I was about to tell Mark to see if he could slowly move out of the way to release the tension but that's when I noticed that whoever set this up was smart. The wire that he was on was not directly connected to the gun, but rather to a small mechanical device that from the looks of it, will trigger the gun no matter if the wire is tightened or loosened. 

If I tried to move the gun, it will go off, if I tried to cut the wire, it will go off, and the direction it was pointing, it would be guaranteed to hit Mark, and since Nate didn’t want to leave his brother’s side, he would be in the line of fire as well. Fuck. I thought about potentially plugging up the barrel, but I may just end up adding another projectile to the fray. There was only one thing I could think of, and they were probably not going to like it.

I moved closer to Mark and Nate. “Okay, here's the deal. The wire is attached to a primed shotgun, and there's no way of disarming it without setting it off before it’s safe, so this is what I need you to do. As soon as I give the signal, move as fast as you can back into the tunnel, alright?”

“What are you planning to do?” Mark seemed skeptical about my plan.

“Oh, I have an idea. Trust me.”

“I really don’t like when you say that.” Now he seemed nervous. 

“I-Is there anything I c-can do?” The sudden nervous stuttering told me that Nate was getting very worried, although I had no idea if it was worry for me or his brother.

“Just run and make sure he gets into the tunnel. Just in case.”

“A-are you g-going to be…”

“I'll be fine Nate, I promise. Now, on my signal.”

“Uh, you haven’t told us what it is yet.”

“You’ll know. Trust me, you’ll know.”

Before I could get any more objections out of them, especially since I wasn’t sure how this would play out myself, I moved back over to where the gun was. I made sure that no one had spotted us, if there was even anyone here, the noises had stopped a bit ago, and then looked over to the brothers and smiled, winked, and said two little words. “Pip-Boar, kill.”

It took them a moment to realize what was happening but by the time the chemicals kicked in, plus the fact that I had been frantically waving at them that _that_ was the signal, I could see the tension in the wire decrease as Mark jumped out of its snare. At the same time I threw my back to the ground and kicked the gun with all my might, causing it to expel its contents towards the ceiling. B.A.T.S. was sure nice for allowing me to take things nice and slow, but apparently it did not do a damn thing about sounds, because the roar of the shotgun that close to me caused a small ringing in my ears. I wasn’t deaf, but it was still disorientating. 

I turned back to the tunnel to see one of their tails vanishing into it. I was about to follow them but I heard a noise that caused me to duck behind the nearby crates instead. It was muffled, but it was definitely a voice. I peaked over the crates just as the chemicals were wearing off. Out stepped a mostly black polecat. He started to look around as he was putting on a jacket, a jacket that looked a lot like… fuck! It’s a Legionary!

“Hey! Who goes there? I know someone set off my trap. Show yourselves!”

Fuck me. Why did it have to be a Legionary? Were there more? Damn it, why didn’t I bring bigger guns? I stayed there. Hoping he would just think it was an accident and go on his way. That would've been the best scenario, but the moment he started to move towards where the gun was, which just so happened to be where I was as well, I knew my luck wouldn’t be that good. 

“James! Get back here! What if it’s my crew looking for me?”

I had to adjust my position as he got closer, still waiting for my B.A.T.S. to cool down. I took a look at the new voice, expecting to see another Legionary, but instead saw another polecat with striped fur that had a color scheme almost identical to my own. She didn’t have a Legionary uniform on, rather she barely had anything on at all. A purple halter top and panties was all she wore. What the hell? Then I remembered the groaning noise…

“Pipe down sis! And get some damn clothes on! Those damn Quills won’t be able to find us here.”

“Well _someone_ set off your trap.”

“If you’d shut up I'll be able to figure it out!”

“Sorry, bro.”

Bro? Sis? Wait a second, if they're related, and the noise I heard were… I shuddered at the thought. That _ain't_ right. I had to do something, and fast. The others were probably wondering where the hell I was, and if this Legionary reported where I was, then we were royally screwed. Still, that other polecat seemed very familiar to me. Who did she remind me of?

“Ah-ha! I see you rabbit!”

He saw me? How the fuck did he… fuck, my ears. I could have sworn they were just flattened against my head. I really wish there was some kind of indicator on my Pip-Boar, I have no idea if sixty seconds had passed yet or not. I tried to look towards the tunnel, but I had moved into such a position that unless I stood up, I wouldn't have been able to see it. There was _one_ thing I could do however. I pressed a button on my Pip-Boar and slowly stood up.

“Don’t shoot!”

“Well well, what a cute little rabbit. Now tell me girl, how did you manage to find… well shit! Oh, this is gold! Cece! It’s the fucking bitch me and the crew were hired to apprehend!”

Fuck. How did he recognize me already? Was I one of the only rabbits in the wasteland or something? “I-I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Shove it cunt, I know _exactly_ who you are. Hell, I even have a picture.” He reached into one of his coat pockets and drew out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it with one paw, his other one gripping a gun that was pointed right at me, and held the unfolded paper towards me. It was a picture. Of me, or at least from my neck up. How the hell did he get a picture of me?

“I don’t know _who_ hired you, but what the fuck did I do to piss off someone that bad?”

“Fuck if I know. I ain’t paid to know things, I’m paid to kill things, although in your case, I’ll get paid even more if I bring you in alive. Although no one said you had to be in one piece. Hey sis! Didn’t you say you recognized that bitch as well?”

“That fucking rabbit? Yeah, that cunt killed Bailey and my partner… holy fuck, that’s her alright!” The female, now dressed in a black shirt with black jeans on, was now very familiar. She was there during my attack on the Theater. I thought I killed all those fuckers? Guess I missed one, and now it’s come back to bite me in the ass.

“Tell me, bitch. How did the Legionaries most wanted come waltzing right into the arms of one of their lieutenants, huh?”

It had to have been more than sixty seconds, it just had to be. “Well, funny story, first there was this _grenade_ , and then there were these to tiny little words: Pip-Boar, kill.”

I started to move before I even felt the chemicals take place. He fired off a round but it had just missed me. I really hope that Nate was listening in on my conversation. I also hope he got my message. Once the chemicals were fully integrated into my system I drew my gun and fired a round into his leg, causing him to buckle and fall. I wanted him alive. His sister? Not too much. I pointed my gun at her as I saw her in the air, her entire body twisting around her javelin as she readied to throw it. If I wasn’t in the middle of a fight, I would have been awestruck at the sight. I aimed my gun up at her and fired just as she was about to release. I was hoping to finish her off quickly, but even in my state of enhanced accuracy, she was moving just fast enough for me to hit her arm instead. She dropped like a rock, screaming, but not before tossing her javelin. 

I jumped out of the way but her aim had been faltered by my shot and instead of hitting me like she was probably planning to, the javelin impaled her brother right through the chest. Damn it, I wanted him alive!

“JAMES!! You… YOU FUCKING CUNT! I'LL KILL YOU!”

“Oh, shut the fuck up brother fucker.” I pointed my gun right at her head and fired just before the chemicals wore off. It was a clean kill. I… I will admit, I felt a little bad, basically making her kill her own brother, but it was me or them. While I _did_ wanted to find out who had hired those bastards to get me, part of me was afraid. I was afraid of it being another… Wild Times… all over again. I looked over the body of the Legionary. He wasn’t moving. He was already dead. I _was_ going to find out who sent them, but it will be on my own terms. Not theirs. 

“Olivia!”

I saw Nate and Mark running from the tunnel. “What part of _grenade_ didn’t you understand?” 

“ _Holly_ keeps the grenades, I thought you were warning _us_ about a grenade! That’s why we didn’t come sooner!”

Mark stopped at the Legionary while Nate ran right up to me and hugged me tightly, muttering ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again until I put my paw on his muzzle to stop him from talking.

“It’s not your fault Nate, it’s mine. I had just assumed that you guys kept some grenades on you.”

“I don’t think Holly trusts Nate with any type of explosives.”

“S-shut up Mark.”

“Still, I'm glad you two didn’t just try to rush in to help me. While I was hoping that the grenade would prove to be a distraction, adding you two into the fray might not have been the best idea, especially since they wanted me alive. I doubt he would have hesitated with shooting you two.” I saw Mark rummaging through the pockets of the Legionary. “Anything good Mark?”

“Ammo, some chems, a picture of… you?”

“Yeah, I have no fucking clue where he got that from. There’s no scar so it’s not recent, although that bothers the hell out of me, and worries me too. You saw those… pirates in Darkwater. They said they were hoping to sell me to the Legionaries. What if they got so desperate to find me that they start handing out pictures of me? The last thing I need is a bounty on my head with the entire wasteland trying to claim it.”

“I can picture it now. ‘Olivia the Typhoon, Six billion cap reward’.” Mark seemed oddly chipper saying that.

“Olivia the _typhoon_?”

“Eh, from a graphic novel I read. Sorry, got books on the brain right now.”

“Don’t you mean your brain is a book, bro?”

“You're sounding awfully comfortable despite the fact that your girlfriend just killed two mammals without any thought.”

“Hey! I gave it some thought. Like… six seconds.”

“I’m j-just glad you're alive.”

“It’s gonna take a lot more than that to take me down.”

I would say that it was me who kissed Nate, but honestly I think this time it was a joint effort. Mark nearly died from a trap, I almost got captured by the mammals we were hunting, nearly got skewered with a giant metal pole, and we were standing next to two still bleeding corpses. Why the hell was the mood so high right now? I guess we were just all glad to be alive. 

“You think they had anything of importance in there?”

“Hmm, perhaps Mark. Let’s go take a look. Maybe a clue to who hired him.”

We moved towards the train car that sat alone on the tracks. I wanted to go first, just in case there was another trap, but Mark insisted he go first since I had just been ‘drugged’ up twice by B.A.T.S. even though Nate and I both assured him it had no side effects like other chems, but the medical training in him must not have trusted any non-medicinal chem. I think Nate had enough of our bickering because he pushed his way past and went in first, before returning a few seconds later, his ears redder than anything I had seen before, and his cheeks were matching.

“You okay bro? What’s in there?”

“I-I-I.”

“Nate sweetie, you okay?”

Mark popped his head in, Nate still stuttering. This was not a fearful look on his face, more like… embarrassment?

“Ooh myyy.”

“What? What is it Mark?”

“You… yeah there’s nothing in here. Nothing important. Let’s go.”

What the hell was in there that made them look like they just saw a ghost? Much to Mark’s disapproval, I pushed past him and looked inside. Most of the lights were coming from half burnt candles, with a large multi-colored reflective ball hanging above a very large bed. On the bed were some ropes. Did they actually have a hostage at some point? I tried to find signs of struggle but all I saw were strange looking objects of different shapes and sizes. What the hell are these, weapons of some kind? I picked one up and it was a bit wiggly, and it had a strange smelling funk on it.

“What the heck are you doing Olivia? Put that down! Put. That. Down.”

“What _is_ it?”

“You… really? I'm so not telling Holly this, I promise. That little sis, is a… wolf’s… penis.”

I dropped it in shock at what Mark just said. “WHAT?”

“Not a real one! It’s… a sex toy, made to look like one…”

“How the fuck do you… no. I don’t wanna know. I said NO! And you will _not_ tell Holly this or else…” Then something he said hit me like a brick. “Did you just call me… ‘little sis’?”

“I told you, you’re family to us, so better get used to it. I think this is making Nate _very_ uncomfortable, so let’s get out of here. From the sound of it he didn’t know who hired him, and I doubt he’d just leave that laying around, and stop staring at the ‘toys’ Olivia.”

“I’m not staring!” I was staring. Why the fuck was I staring? I… I can’t even… why the fuck would two siblings have these things in their bed!? Why the hell was she nearly naked? Why… WHY? My head was awash with more thoughts and feelings than I knew what to do with. I stormed out of there, trying to clear my head. Nate was still standing there, red faced and in shock. I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him down the small ramp that connected to the car. Once we were down on the ground I think I shocked him with how forcefully I kissed him. It helped him get his mind off of things, I was hoping this would help to release my own… tension. 

“Better?” From the sound of it, I wonder if Mark knew exactly why I did that. 

“Actually, yeah. Sorry Nate.” It surprisingly did work, although that feeling of tension, it was… oddly stimulating. At least it was until it started to bring back memories I was still trying to erase. If that tension had built up much longer…

“S-s… for w-wha…”

“Being so forceful, but I… let’s just get going. You good Nate?”

“Y-yeah… I think.”

“Good enough. C’mon, let’s get out of this place.”

***

The rest of the tunnels were very uneventful, which actually bummed me out a little. When I first left the Burrow, it was one harrowing fight after another. Ghouls, giant insects, raiders, there were times I thought they would never stop, and I was kinda missing that. Yeah there had been those evil Guardian types with their plasma weapons, and those damn spiders, but up until these two, I hadn't seen a real gun fight, and the rush from it was still lingering. It was nice feeling like I had the upper paw again. 

“The trail ends here. There,” Mark pointed upwards towards a small maintenance hatch above us. The ladder leading up to it was large enough for us, but it was definitely not designed for anything larger than a wolf… and now I need to put my brain through the wash cycle again. Oh, I _really_ hope I don’t see a wolf anytime soon. 

Before anyone could start to argue about who goes first, I jumped onto the ladder and started to climb. It had to have been nearly two hundred feet before I reached the small hatch. It was similar to the one at the sewer where it had a wheel like device that I had to turn to open. Unlike that one, however, this wasn't loose at all. I wondered if this is where those two came through? I’m surprised we didn’t run into any other traps. 

There was a small bit of light coming through a filtered window on the hatch, but once it was fully open, I nearly lost my grip as I got blinded by the sunlight. I regained my composure and slowly peeked out, using my paw to make sure that my ears were against my head. Both my scanner and my eyes showed no sign of anyone so I slowly crept out of the hatch as the foxes followed behind me. Once we were out, I slowly closed the door, to make sure that no one suspected anything. Last thing we needed was to be scouring this place and get ambushed. 

Our destination was immediately in front of us. A giant sign read: _Random Den Publications_. The building was about two stories tall and a very box like shape. It looked more like a child’s toy than a building. Keeping an eye on my scanner, we approached the building. There was a torn poster on one of the walls. _Limited Time Only! Meet the One and Only, Jack Savage!_

“Wow, I would have loved to meet him.”

“You do realize he was a fictional character, right? It was probably just some actor.”

“Way to break my dream Mark.”

“Keeping your head in the clouds just means you have to fall at some point.”

“Maybe _you_ should write a book. Let’s try finding a way in…”

The sound of a gunshot distracted me. Part of me got mad that we were being interrupted from a potential treasure, while another part got excited at the thought of more action. Then there was a new part, one that I had felt for a little bit, but was growing exponentially. Keeping them, keeping Nate, safe.

“I see one dot on the scanner. It looks like it’s around back.”

“Were going to investigate, aren’t we?”

“You expect anything less?”

We moved towards an alleyway on the left side of the building. Nate was keeping extra close to me. He was probably still worried about what happened earlier, despite me telling him it wasn’t his fault. I really hope nothing ever happens that ends up _being_ his fault. That might destroy him. I'll just have to make sure that never happens. 

Another gunshot echoed through the passage, telling us that we were getting closer. Both shots sounded the same, so either there was only one person shooting, or two mammals had the same gun. For all I knew it was just someone practicing. I remember doing that myself with some bottles, what felt like a long time ago. 

I reached the edge of the alley and paused, waiting to hear another shot. When there was none, I took a glance around the corner. There, crouched behind a large dumpster was a rabbit. He was dressed in a black and white suit, the darkness of the fabric making the gray color of his fur seem much brighter. There was something… striking about him. I wanted to move and get a closer look, but I started to feel warmth on the top of my head. I looked and saw Mark trying to peak between my ears.

“Can I help you?”

“I wanted to… is that… no, it _can’t be_!”

The rabbit suddenly looked right in our direction. Fuck, he saw us. Without getting up from his crouch he pointed his gun right at us, but rather than trying to shoot, or even yelling at us to identify ourselves, he simply waved his gun and his head as if telling us to move closer to him. It could be a trap, but I had an odd feeling that he wasn’t any danger to us. At least not yet. 

“He wants us to go to him.”

“You think that’s wise?”

“No, but for some reason I don’t think he will hurt us. Keep your eyes and ears open though. Follow me.”

Nate tried to stop me by wrapping his tail around my leg, but I shook it off and gave him a stern look. I didn’t want to be mean to him, and I wasn’t angry, but he couldn’t always protect me by stopping me from doing something potentially stupid and reckless. It’s just who I am. Probably some other genetic mutation, cozying right alongside my foxy part. I chuckled to myself. ‘Doxen’. I kinda liked it. 

We were halfway towards where the rabbit was when he suddenly held up his paw, jumped up and fired into the distance over the dumpster before dropping down again and signaling us to get closer. Who was he attacking? There was no return gun fire, so ghouls maybe? Once we got closer I could see him in more detail. The tips of his ears were very dark, and he had three tiger like stripes on either side of his face in the same darkened color. Why did he look so familiar?

“You chaps from the Ministry? You don’t look like Agents.”

“Ministry? No, we're not… who are you?”

“Not my back-up? Damn shame. Well, looks like you caught me in quite the pickle here love. Let me introduce myself. The name's Savage. Jack Savage.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Now, it appears that some of you are still slightly confused as to a certain ghoul’s placement within the world. While I will not be revealing too much, stay tuned for a future official reveal, and trust me folks, you’re gonna like it. I did however, manage to get a chance to have a nice little chat with a one North West. Good day Mr. West, how are you fairing?”

**[North]**

“I look like a deathwings’s scratching post, just spent nearly every cap to my name, and unsure of what to do or where to go from here, but hey, it’s sunny out, so that’s a plus.”

**[Stripes]**

“It is a rather nice day, isn’t it? So, let me get right into it. _Why_ exactly were you willing to spend your savings on a random rabbit and her friends? You really don’t seem to be the generous type.”

**[North]**

“It’s complicated, so complicated that I don’t think that _I_ understand it. Olivia is a good kid, but generally good kids get killed before they have a chance to do any real good. Her? She’s a fighter, and not the usual type you find out in the wasteland, no, she’s more than that. She sees the real good in mammals, and even when she's in her most dire moments, she still fights not just for herself, but for others, even if she knows it’s the last fight she'll give. I respect her for that. It’s more than I ever have or ever will accomplish.”

**[Stripes]**

“I simply mentioned a rabbit and her friends, yet you not only knew who I was talking about, you also seemed to go into great detail about her, and her alone. Tell me, do you two have any connections, any at all?”

**[North]**

“I barely know the girl, I just know she means good, and has shown she's committed to that. When I first met her, I figured it was a phase. I could tell she was a Burrow dweller right away. Sure she didn’t have the fancy blue jumpsuit, and any moron can get a Pip-Boar if they know where to look and have the caps. It’s how she talked, how she moved that told me. I've met a few of them before, they never last. Every single one says that this world is crap and they want to bring it back to its glory days. The problem is, they're all talk and the moment they run into even the meekest of raiders, they're either left naked and alone, or dead. Usually the latter. I figured it would've been the same with her, but then I ran into her again, and again, and then I saw her get brought to Wild Times. Something in me just… it clicked, and I just had to do something.”

**[Stripes]**

“That brings me to two questions. First is this, _why_ exactly were you at Wild Times that fateful day? I can’t imagine a mammal such as you trading with such… deplorable mammals.”

**[North]**

“Do I enjoy working with slavers? No, no I do not. Up until recently, my only driving force was caps. Find or buy some junk, turn it around and sell it for a much higher profit. I admit, I have on multiple occasions sold someone something that was… not up to quality standards, but usually I try to deal with profit trades. Buy low, sell high. I tend to do a lot of traveling as well, gathering what I can, including whatever chemicals and such I can find that are still usable. That’s what I was doing at Wild Times that day, and that was what I had been doing. They get their supplies from whatever belongings their newly acquired slaves had previously, but the chemicals they use for keeping them in line? It was traders like me that supplied them. Now, before any of you goody-two shoes start to complain that I'm as bad as or worse than the slavers, let me fill you in on something. First, this world is cruel, and in order to live as long as I have, you need to be cruel at times. I don’t like slavery. It just feels… wrong. I do, however, like my own freedom, and if trading with them helped to keep that damn collar from my neck, then so be it. I'll also note that I didn't know exactly what the chemicals were for. They simply said to keep their slaves in line, so I didn’t push it, because at the time, I really didn’t care.”

**[Stripes]**

“That's… well folks, I have no words. While it sounds like he is one of the bad guys in that fact, he is right. Survival is key out here, and sometimes you have to do things that you never thought you would do in order to survive. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be any mammals alive to try to save.”

**[North]**

“Now look here bub. Just because I dealt with slavers doesn’t make me a ‘bad guy’. I knew some pretty honest slavers who simply wanted to survive like me. A few of them, like this one cheetah I know named Chucky, he's a pretty decent guy. Sure he helps round up slaves, but he told me he never liked it. He also tried his best to make sure that any slaves sold through him were not only fed well and kept safe, but even slipped them something that not every slave knows. You can buy your freedom. Chucky was a slave who was able to buy his own freedom. Now me? I would've high tailed it out of there and never looked back, but Chucky, no, he was a slave ever since he was a wee cub, so he didn’t have any family, had few friends, and really had no place to go. Since he knew the ins and outs of slave life, he used that to help as many as he could. This world is so cruel that I don’t think an army of Olivias would be able to put an end to it. Even if Wild Times has been burned to the ground, the Slave Prince, or whoever decided to take up the mantel would simply start again somewhere else. When you can’t stop something, it’s better to find a way to live with it.”

**[Stripes]**

“What if she _could_ end it?”

**[North]**

“I'd give her the clothing off my own back and be her faithful servant, but you know what? Even _that_ is slavery. Offering your life to another, no matter how genuine, that's slavery as well. Being tied to a dead end job with no future? Slavery. Being forced to be sly, under-pawed, and untrustworthy just because of your species or just being a ghoul like me? Slavery. No matter how you word it, no matter how much you sugar coat it, slavery always has, and always will exist.”

**[Stripes]**

“You seemed rather… well just now, you seemed different, like you were someone else, if only for a short moment.”

**[North]**

“I did? Yeah, sometimes I feel… probably just my slowly rotting brain. Look, I got things to do, how long are you going to keep me tied up here?”

**[Stripes]**

“I just have a few more questions, it won’t take long. Okay, so do you remember _anything_ about your life before your ghoulification? Like your occupation, any family members, even where you lived?”

**[North]**

“Nope. Sure, I get… feelings here and there, but nothing solid. I know I'm a fox, and I know from my getup I had a very bad taste in clothing apparently, but at the same time, I can't find myself parting with it. I had a picture once, one that I thought was me, but I tore it up into scrap. Seeing how I was, compared to how I am just made these past centuries even harder. I can’t even remember my own name.”

**[Stripes]**

“That’s a shame. Not knowing who you were, or even your birth name must be very hard on you, especially after all these years. Max, it looks like you have a question?”

**[Max]**

“Yeah. There's something that's bothering me to no end, and I do apologize for my wording, but why the Hell do you call yourself North West? That’s a direction, not a name!”

**[North]**

“Heh. You're not the first, trust me. Like I said, I didn’t even know my own name. The only thing I had was a torn tie with the monogrammed letters of N and W. It might have been a clue to my name, but it also could've been the name of the tailor that made it. Heck, maybe my past self stole it from someone else, I can’t imagine skills like mine would come so naturally to me unless it was already what I did. My first years as a ghoul were a bit fuzzy. I would wander around, and when others, those who didn’t try to shoot me on sight, asked my name, I started to say my name was simply N. Once I started to establish myself as a trader, things got problematic with simply going by a single letter. I’d tell everyone to just look for N, but then they would see traders with the name Nigel, Nate, Nick, or even females like Natasha, Natalie, and the like, and assume that's what the N stood for, despite no ghoul being present. They probably figured I was a slave, or a servant, or some piss-poor ghoul. Nine times out of ten, if a ghoul isn’t killed on sight, they're kept as servants, just a fancy way of saying slaves. Now, as for my current name. It’s rather silly, yet so very effective. Mooching off of another trader caravan is easy money, and I always planted myself south east of where a major one was set up. So, whenever someone told a traveler that there was a trader set up north west of their location? They end up running into a trader _named_ North West, and assume that was what the person meant. I’d do my business and then send them anywhere BUT towards the other traders. Sure that earned me a bit of ire from the other more… honorable traders, but let’s face it, where there's caps, there's a way.”

**[Stripes]**

“That’s rather… is it wrong to think of it both devious yet very effective? You sir, must be a genius among thieves.”

 

**[North]**

“Eh, I don’t like to brag, but I'll take that compliment.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, my time is running short but there is _one_ last thing I have to ask. You've been around for a very long time, so you must have met a lot of mammals in that time, am I correct in saying this?”

**[North]**

“Pal, I know _everyone_ there is to know.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well then, does the name, Nick Wilde ring a bell?”

**[North]**

“Um… nope, can’t say it does.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, it was worth a try folks. Thank you for your time Mr. West. So folks, that ends yet another After Show, and I hope I leave you with many of your questions answered, although I'm sure I've just opened a new can of worms. You know, I really don’t get that expression. Who keeps their worms in a can? I mean, bugs, yes, I can see that, I mean, I'm a herbivore, but I've seen some mammals eating Hungry Maw canned Bug-a-Do’s, but worms?”

**[Max]**

“Get on with it you single minded mammal!”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, sorry, trailed off a little. Well then folks, as I was saying, I hope you enjoyed this episode, and tune in next time as the story unfolds, the adventure continues, and perhaps we will have another special interview planned. So, until then, take care everyone! Now, what the heck am I supposed to do with this pineapple, apple, and two pens?”


	48. Savage, Jack Savage

Did he just say? No, it can’t be. It simply can’t! He’s a _fictional_ character from a book series hundreds of years old! If he was a ghoul, then _maybe_ I could buy it, but he looks just as young as us. The book covers never depicted his image, but it described him well enough. The grayish fur could have been on any rabbit, but those markings, those were not typical patterns. 

“Umm, can I help you?”

I didn’t realize that I had gotten so close to him. I was analyzing the details of his face, trying to find some kind of flaw. “Oh, um, sorry, it’s just that…”

“You can’t really be _the_ Jack Savage… can you?” Mark sounded both surprised and skeptical. 

“In the flesh. Now if you chaps aren't my backup, then this is simply too dangerous a place for some innocent bystanders.”

“Innocent? Look pal, I ain’t no ‘innocent’ rabbit. If you need help, I'm more than happy to lend it, it’s just that… are you familiar with… _Savage Seas_?”

“Savage seas? Well I have had a few rough tumbles on the ocean before. Why?” I could tell by his reaction that he really had no idea. 

“It’s just… oh forget it. Who are you being attacked by?”

“Those devious ne’er-do-wells, the Bristle-Back Boys. This building may look like a bookstore, but in reality it houses the Zootopian Financial Reserves’ largest stock of gold bullion. Nearly three billion dollars worth of gold sits three hundred feet beneath our feet. The Bristle-Back Boys were planning on taking it for themselves, and only I, the Ministry's top agent, stands between them and their goal.”

Bristle-Back Boys? I thought I knew of all the major raider gangs out here. If he was under attack, why haven’t I heard any gun fire yet? My Pip-Boar wasn’t picking up anything either, but there seemed to be a minor interference in the signal. I went to question him further but then Mark grabbed my shoulder, along with my attention.

“Olivia? A word please? We'll be right back Mr. Savage.”

“Be careful, this _is_ a battlefield you know.”

Mark and Nate led me back to the alleyway we first came into. “There’s something fishy going on here. The Bristle-Back Boys, they were in the fourth book, and this is the _exact_ event that kicked off the whole…”

I quickly placed my paws over Mark’s mouth to quiet him. “No. Spoilers! I still haven't read past book three, remember?” I then removed my paws from his muzzle.

“Oh, right, but as I was saying, if this _is_ straight out of the book, minus our interference of course, then that confirms my suspicion that he's not who he seems he is. I’ve read J.B. Flemink’s biography enough times to know that Jack Savage was never a real mammal. He was an amalgamation of multiple mammals that he knew in his youth. There’s no _way_ this guy is the real deal when he never existed to begin with.”

“Wow, you really like the books, don’t you?”

“I like to read anything really, but yeah, they're some of my favorite ones.”

“What should we do? You say he’s not real, but here we have a rabbit that looks, talks, and acts like the real deal. I highly doubt some random rabbit took the time to dress up as him and pretend to act out a scene from a book, especially with such gumption. There has to be something more to this.”

“I agree. You don’t think he’s under some hallucinogen, do you?”

“Not sure Mark. Either of you feeling odd or seeing things you shouldn’t be?”

“Nope.” Mark and Nate responded identically, although their responses seemed quick to say. Were they also remembering that facility where we thought… where I thought… NO! I will _not_ subjugate myself to those memories. 

“You okay Olivia?”

“I’m fine Nate. Just… thinking.”

“Um… I did find something kinda… odd.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

Nate moved closer to me and held up his Pip-Boar. On its screen were two lines. One was arcing up and down across different frequency levels, while the other one looked more like the heart rate of someone who took in way too much caffeine. The two lines intersected at points, but never lasted too long. 

“There's an odd signal nearby. Short range, low frequency.”

“Some kind of radio transmission?” Mark was trying to look at it, but from the sound of his voice he had no idea what it meant. To be honest, I was a bit puzzled by its meaning as well. I may love Nate, but there are times that I'm a bit jealous of his much more advanced technical knowledge. 

“You think you can sort it out Nate?”

“Probably… I mean, yes, yes I can. Just give me some time.”

“Okay, while you work on that, I wanna speak to Mr. ‘Savage’ for a bit.”

“Yeah, I'm a bit curious as well. You should stay back here bro, keep an eye on us.”

“But…”

“It’s okay Nate. We're going to be less than two hundred feet from you, I have my gun, and your brother is here. There’s obviously no one firing back at us, so I don’t think we're in any real danger here. Trust me, we’ll be fine.”

“You had to say ‘trust me’ didn’t you? Great. Maybe _this_ time we'll find out that Mr. Savage here is really some cannibalistic rabbit drawing us into a state of comfort just to have a nice dinner.” Mark didn’t see it, but I noticed it immediately. While I knew he was being sarcastic, I don’t think Nate did. His expression turned downward as he started to sink into a state of worry. 

I put my paw on Mark’s arm to stop him from speaking as I pointed my head towards Nate. As soon as he saw his brother, I think he realized the mistake he made. 

“I was just joking Nate! Nothing is going to happen to us. It’s just that whenever she says…”

“Stop Mark, just stop.” I grabbed Nate’s head and made him look at me. The worry in his face still remained. “Nate, sweetie, look at me okay? _Nothing_ will happen to us, alright? Your brother was just kidding.” I gave him a small kiss. I really needed to teach that boy the meaning of sarcasm. Maybe I should just stop saying ‘trust me’ as well. Mark’s right. My record with using those words isn't very good.

“I-If you k-know you will b-be fine…”

“Yes. I promise. Now dig deep into that signal. I want you to impress me.”

“Y-yes!”

Mark and I headed back towards where Jack was, and Mark suggested that we stay low like before, to at least keep up the illusion. I was convinced this wasn’t a trap. I don’t know how or why, but I just knew. Mark still seemed a bit skeptical with the whole thing. I was really hoping that signal could help shed some light on the picture. My luck it'll either be nothing, or we'll activate some kind of beacon to alert all the wasteland to where I was. 

Jack had shot off two rounds by the time we had gotten to him. I tried peaking over the trash bin to get a better look but he just yanked me down. 

“You trying to get yourself shot?!”

“I just… tell me Mr. Savage, why haven’t these Bristle-Backs tried to get closer?”

“These buggers are simply the advance party. They've probably already reported their findings and are simply awaiting the rest of their organization.”

“How _long_ has this attack been going on?” I guess Mark wanted in on the questioning too.

“Nearly two days. That’s why I had hoped you were the chaps the Ministry was sending. Haven’t gotten a lick of sleep since arriving.”

“Maybe you can get some shut eye while we keep a look out?” I was hoping to buy as much time for Nate as possible.

“No can do love. An agent never sleeps until his mission is complete. Plus I really haven’t felt that tired.”

Well shit. So much for that idea. I looked towards the alley. I really hope Nate was close to getting done. I worry about that fox sometimes, especially when he’s alone. He’s in no danger, but I don’t think he thinks the same about me. Despite feeling no ill will from Jack, and there not actually being any sign of aggressors nearby he should be fine, but I could tell by the look on his face he wasn’t. We really need to just have a time where we just open up to each other. To just sit down and let everything flow. I just wonder if there ever will be a good time.

“Okay Jack, can you humor me for a moment? Take a look, right now, and tell me how many of these Bristle-Back Boys there are.”

“Twelve. There was twelve when they arrived, and there are still twelve.”

“Please, just… maybe some of them left? Could you check again? If not I might just have to poke my head right…” I started to pear over the obstacle, purposely leaving my ears erect. 

Jack grabbed my shoulder and thrust me back down to the ground. “Stupid rabbit! We're in the middle of a firefight! You need to relax your ears before doing a foolish thing like that or else you're likely to get them blown off.” He sighed. “Fine. I'll look. But I doubt they left. They are a foolish lot.”

He folded his ears down the back of his head and gave me a subtle look that probably implied ‘see? This is how you do it’. If this really was Jack Savage, he’s a much bigger douche in real life. Still, I love the books. They bring a bit of mystery to an already action packed story. Jack just barely had his head over the dumpster before he shot right back down.

“Bloody hell! That was a close one. You see that? That’s why you don’t just go poking your head into oncoming fire.”

“But…” there were no bullets, no sound of gunshot. What the fuck was going on here? I checked my scanner, still no additional dots. I was beginning to think he was either drugged out his gourd, or simply crazy. I leaned over to Mark and started to whisper. “Keep an eye on him. I’m gonna go check on Nate.”

“Good idea. The fur on the back of my neck is really starting to bother me for some reason. I don’t like it at all.”

I slowly moved towards Nate. Despite there not being any danger, I felt it better to keep up the ruse until we knew what was going on. Nate was busy with his Pip-Boar when I reached him. 

“Any luck?”

“I… it’s very odd. Whatever it is, it’s a very strong sustained signal. But it’s local, as in within a few hundred feet kinda local. It drops off almost instantly about fifty feet away from this building. I think… I think it’s coming from inside.”

Hmm. I couldn’t make any sense of it, but somehow I got the feeling that this mysterious signal and Jack were related. I started to wonder if it was a Corpse Engine, but he moved too fluidly for it, plus Mr. Big’s bear didn't move its mouth when he spoke, and he definitely _isn’t_ a robot. Synthetic robotics like that are just a figment of science fiction. I already eliminated the possibility it was a hologram, and I highly doubt we were hallucinating. What’s the chance that we’d all have the _same_ hallucination?

“It sounds like the signal might be originating from inside. We really should take a…”

I heard gunshots, as in more than one. That can’t be good. Jack’s gun wasn't nearly as loud as Mark’s, but I can’t mistake that hand cannon’s sound. Were there really enemies? Why didn’t I see any gunshots or detect any hostiles? I really hope there isn’t some sort of chemical again, I do NOT want to relive that again. Any of it.

“O-Olivia?”

“Something's going on. I gotta check it out. Stay here and keep working on the signal. I'll be…” Nate grabbed my arm. His face was filled with fear, fear for me.

“I-I will… I n-need to come with you…”

“Nate. I need you to do this. There's something going on here, something that I don’t like and if it’s some kind of trap, and this poor mammal is caught in it, I need to make sure that we can free him and that no one will ever be caught in it again.”

“B-but…”

“No buts. You… I never wanted to admit this, but you are better suited for this job. I used to think I was the smartest thing out there, the best mechanic, the best programmer, but I didn’t even know a thing about my own Pip-Boar. You, you’re so much smarter than I ever thought I could be. Call it awe, or call it jealousy, but I think you surpass me in this. Yeah, I could get it done, but I highly doubt it would have been at the level you could. So please, figure this out for me?”

I could tell he was still nervous, but I saw a small smile creep up on his face. It was subtle enough that someone else would probably not have even noticed, but I did. Sure, I may have sugar coated it a bit, but it was true. I _was_ actually a bit jealous at what he could do. Being the best in the Burrow did not equate to being the best in the world it seems. One of these days I want _him_ to build a robot like Onion, just to see what it’s like to watch a genius at work from the outside. 

“Y-you really mean that?”

“Every word. That’s part of the reason why I think we make a good team. You and me? I don’t think anything is out of our capabilities.”

“I-I… promise me y-you will be safe.”

I gave him a kiss. “I promise.”

I think he was still reluctant to let me leave, but he wasn’t physically holding me back anymore. I gave him a smile before heading back to see what the commotion was. When I had left them, it was only Jack firing pot shots off into the distance, but now I saw Mark adding to the actions. I moved up next to him just as he dropped down from firing a few rounds.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

“Ghouls, the savage kind. I think all this noise Jack is setting off attracted them. He says he sees no such thing. I think this guy is just deranged.”

“I have Nate working on figuring out what’s wrong.” I popped my head up read quick. Four, five… “six of them.”

“I could have told you that!”

“Just making sure you're not delusional. We still don’t know what’s affecting Jack.”

“You got a plan, or you just going to make it up as you go along like usual?”

“Geeze, you sound just like Onion. Yes, I have a plan, or at least I had one. Wasn’t expecting _real_ hostiles. Let’s just say my new plan is just like Swiss cheese.”

“What?”

I looked at Mark and simply smiled. “It’s full of holes. Follow me.”

The ghouls were currently in the same area that Jack was firing into. For some reason he couldn’t see them just as we couldn’t see these Bristle-Back Boys. If we were going to be able to keep Jack safe while Nate figured things out, we needed to make sure that those ghouls didn’t reach him. 

The dumpster was next to a dilapidated fence, but only the wood near it had fallen apart. The rest of it divided the area between us and the ghouls, providing ample cover as long as we kept low to the ground. Jack tried to say something but I just ignored him. He was of no help to us right now in his current state. I just needed to find… bingo. 

“Wait here.” 

“What are you…”

I grabbed a large wooden crate. It seemed sturdy enough, so I dragged it over to the part of the fence that connected the next building. We were now about a hundred feet away from Jack. The fence was low enough for the tops of my ears along with a small portion of Mark’s head to stick out from, but not high enough to get a good shot. I made sure my gun was loaded and hopped onto the crate. 

I could now see the entire field unobstructed. The six ghouls were still closing in on where Jack was. I had eight rounds in my chamber. Let’s just hope this works. I took aim and fired at one of them. Not only did I miss, but I forgot one crucial thing. My gun was silenced. Fuck. I was hoping that I could draw their attention to get them closer. B.A.T.S. was a wonder, but it was still limited to my own range. 

“Mark, hand me your gun.”

“What? But I…”

“NOW!”

He hesitated giving me the gun. Was he afraid I was going to hurt it or something? It was a bit heavier than I imagined it would be once I finally got my paws on it. Still, a gun is a gun, right? I needed to draw them this way, and the noise that this thing makes sure will do the trick. I took aim, and fired. Fuck did that thing have a kick to it! Not only did it cause me to lose my balance, but I also fell back, landing ass first on the ground. It’s always the ass or the face. 

“You okay Olivia?”

“What the hell kind of gun is that?!”

“It’s a beauty, isn’t it? Why did you need it anyways?”

I got up, readjusted the crate and got on top of it again to see that my plan had worked. “To get their attention. Six undead bastards heading this way.”

“Technically they're not undead, they're very much alive, just highly mutated.”

“Zombie, mutant, if it can’t hold a conversation they need to die.”

“A bit aggressive towards them aren’t you?”

“Did I tell you how I fell into a pit of them?”

“Yes.”

“Well, what about the ones I met after leaving my Burrow?”

“You blew them up.”

“I'm sure I didn’t tell you about the ones that nearly killed me but I ended up using their skulls for soup bowls.”

“Yeah you… wait, _what_?”

“Gotcha. Now, I just need them to get a little… where's my gun?”

“You dropped it when you fell. Here.”

“Thanks. Okay. A little closer… just a… little… more… perfect. Pip-Boar, kill.”

Chemicals in, gun out. Six ghouls, seven bullets. Maybe I should have replaced that missing round, but I should be fine. I took aim at the closest one. Head-shot. Numbers two and three met with equal fates. Four I missed. I was being a bit cocky. Three ghouls, three bullets. Have to make them count. I got four in the chest, but it was still enough to drop him. I took my time with five, and managed to get a head-shot just as the chemicals wore off. Six I would have to rely on my own skill, one that I've been severely lacking in due to this device. I aimed and fired, but as I fired a loud crack went off in my ear. 

“Fuck! What the hell did you do that for Mark?!”

“You were hesitating. I had a shot so I took it. I figured B.A.T.S. wore off by now. I told you I didn’t like that thing. They say it doesn’t have any side-effects, but in truth it does.”

There was ringing in my ear, but I still managed to hear Mark’s words, albeit a bit fuzzy. “What’s that?”

“Lack of training. I’ve read how some mammals spend their whole lives under the effects of B.A.T.S., how they were crack-shots, but once it wore off, they couldn’t hit the side of a barn.”

“Yeah, I’ve kinda noticed that. Still, you could've at least warned me! My ear is still ringing.”

“Sorry, next time I'll… Jack? Something's wrong.”

I looked over to where Jack was and saw him holding his head, appearing to be in agony. We bolted over to where he was. 

“Jack! What’s wrong?”

“I… it hurts. It… hurts.” His voice was… different. Before he sounded very sophisticated, very gentle-mammaly. Now? His refined speech had vanished, replaced with a much rougher tone. 

“What hurts? What’s happening?”

“I… I don’t…” He suddenly stopped holding his head and stood up, as if nothing happened. He pointed his gun right at us. The pattern in his voice returned. “Oh-ho! Trying to sneak up on me, are you? You scoundrels will rue the day you messed with this Agent of the Ministry!” He pulled the trigger. He was close enough to kill us in a single shot. The sound of the gun fired as I winced, expecting pain. When nothing happened I feared the worse and took a look at Mark. He was unharmed as well.

“I shot you! Why are you still standing?” He fired again, and again, but to no effect. It’s like he was shooting blanks.

“Good question. Now if you don’t mind…” I jumped in and knocked the gun out of his hand, better safe than sorry, and grabbed him by the arms. It was easy in his confused state. “Now, tell us, why did you try to shoot us Jack?”

“You vicious Bristle-Back Boys will never get my secrets!”

Bristle-Back Boys? Why did he think… Before I could question him further, I felt his entire body start to convulse, causing me to let him go. He held his head again, dropping to his knees. 

“The… the pain! It… won’t… w-where am I? I… I had an interview… I… did I get the part?” 

Interview? Part? What was he talking about? Mark’s look told me that he was just as confused. I tried to ask Jack about it but he just grabbed his head and started to scream. Moments later, he went silent. His body collapsed to the ground, motionless.

“Jack!” I rushed over to his body, but Mark was there before me. He looked him over, but his face showed nothing but bad news.

“He's… dead.”

“How? Why? What the fuck just happened?!”

“I don’t…” Mark was interrupted by my Pip-Boar’s communication channel being opened.

“O-Olivia? Y-you… you n-need to c-come inside.” He was… was he crying?

“Nate? Where are you?”

“The b-building. Please, c-come here.”

I looked at Mark, but he showed concern. We left Jack’s body as we rushed around to the front of the building where the entrance was. The door was ajar so we pushed it open and went in. There were books, or the damaged remnants of books, scattered everywhere. A small desk had a computer on it, but there was no sign of Nate.

“Nate, where are you?”

“B-basement. T-to the left.”

I looked towards the left side of the room and saw a small staircase leading down. From the looks of it, nothing larger than a wolf would be able to fit here. This part of town must not cater to the larger species, everything we’ve seen was wolf size or smaller. There was dust everywhere, but in them were two sets of paw prints, prints that belonged to Nate. 

As we reached the bottom, I saw what looked like a small stage set up. There were posters and mannequins all featuring the visage of Jack Savage. Chairs were neatly arranged before the stage. Off to the left were two doors, and to the right was a single door that was open. Light was pouring from the opened door. I was the first in there and saw Nate, sitting on the floor, crying. 

“Nate. What’s wrong? What happened? Jack just suddenly…”

“Died… I-I… I killed h-him… I-I didn’t mean t-to… I d-didn’t want to…”

I knelt by Nate, placing my paw on his shoulder. “What do you mean you killed him?”

“I-I… I was s-searching for t-the signal w-when I f-found the source. I-it was some k-kind of c-control program… I… I didn’t w-want to… I…”

I didn’t understand what he was talking about, but he sounded devastated. I grabbed him and held him against me, his face pressing into my chest. “You didn’t kill him, he just… died.”

“Actually, he did.”

Wait, what? “What do you mean Mark?” 

Mark was hovering over a nearby terminal. “Well, he didn’t kill him, but… I think Nate saved him. Here, listen to this.” 

A recording started to play.

“ _Interview ten. Mr. Harold Hoppinsworth. Good evening Harold, how are you today?_ ”

A second voice started playing, one that sounded an awful lot like Jack was sounding right before he…

“ _I'm doing good. Real good. You don’t know what an honor it is to be called in for this interview. Jack Savage is a hero to me._ ”

“ _He’s a hero to all of us. Now, it says here that you don't have any prior knowledge with acting, am I correct in understanding that?_ ”

“ _Yes. But I'm a fast learner! I… I actually was a bit confused that you called me back. The application form asked if I had ever taken prior acting lessons. I didn’t want to lie, but I also didn’t think it was going to help me either._ ”

“ _Actually Mr. Hoppinsworth, you are_ exactly _what we're looking for. You see, actors are a dime a dozen these days. Unfortunately, they're incredibly hard to work with. Tell me. If you were to get the part of Jack Savage, how would you respond?_ ”

“ _I’d be ecstatic! I told you he’s my hero, right? There's nothing more in the world I would give to get this opportunity. Heck, I’d do it for free if asked… oh gosh darn it. I… I wasn’t trying to… this is a paying gig, right?_ ”

“ _Don’t worry Mr. Hoppinsworth. We pay. Sure it ain’t the celebrity level pay grade, but it still pays very well. You won’t have to worry about that. Now, you're perfect material for this. We just need to check your compatibility first. Right this way._ ”

“The message ends here, but there are documents. Apparently this place used some kind of machine that allowed a mammal, such as our ‘Jack’ here to be ‘programmed’ how to act.” Mark was reading it in a very troublesome tone.

“Programmed? A mammal isn’t just some computer.”

“It seems that it was temporary, that the user was only supposed to be under its effects while performing. This machine, it… he’s been kept alive for two-hundred and thirty-three years.”

“Two-hundred and thirty-three _years_?! Are you telling me that he’s been thinking he’s Jack Savage for that long?”

“It’s been playing the same chapter over and over. He… the computer was measuring his vitals. He… no this can’t be right. According to this he’s been dead for two-hundred and three of those years… His body was being kept alive by the machine, when Nate shut it down… he just… died.”

“But he sounded conscious for a moment!”

“It’s… the body is controlled by electricity. Small sparks keep our muscles moving, and our brain thinking. Without those sparks, the body is nothing more than a paper weight. The computer was simply keeping the sparks going. He… he would have never been able to live without the machine, and he was just stuck in the same nightmare over and over, for all of eternity.”

“I-I… K-killed h-him…”

That poor rabbit. Stuck re-living the same thing over and over? I wonder if he even had any idea of what was going on, or if he genuinely thought he was _the_ Jack Savage. “Nate. You didn’t kill him. From what Mark said, he died a long time ago. He was just… suffering, even if he didn’t realize it. What you did? You gave him the peace he needed. You saved him.”

“I-I… but I…”

“Shh. You're a good guy, you really are. I don’t know if this Hoppinsworth was conscious of what was going on at all, but think of this. He died a very long time ago. His brain? It was being fed by the computer, he was nothing more than a robot at this point. Sure he was still flesh and blood, but that’s not what makes you alive. Your brain, your heart, _those_ are what define your ability to live, and he lost them a very long time ago. You simply put an end to his eternal suffering. He’s… I bet he would thank you if he could. I really do.”

“You… y-you're not mad at m-me?” 

“For saving someone? No, how could I be?” I held him tighter as I gave him a kiss. Then something sharp started to poke me in the chest. “What is that?”

I moved back a little to see him holding something. It looked like… a book?

“It’s… I-I found it n-near the c-computer. I t-think it’s the…”

I took it from his paws and gave it a look over. The cover had no art on it, just two words: _Savage Ends_. It was the seventh book, never before seen, until now. I opened the book. The pages were a bit faded with time, but it was still intact. 

“We should give him a proper burial.”

I kept Nate close to me, doing my best to comfort him. Mark and I decided not to tell him how the rabbit seemed to be his old self for a moment before dying. It took so much to convince him that ‘Jack’ was nothing more than a dead puppet. If he even had the remotest idea that he was still alive? I didn’t want to see Nate like that, and I knew Mark didn’t either. 

The other side of the fence where Harold Hoppinsworth had thought he was Jack Savage holding back a group of Bristle-Back Boys, was an old playground. The play equipment was either broken or parts of it had been pilfered, but the ground wasn't paved. With a bit of ingenuity we crafted makeshift shovels and dug a grave deep enough to place Harold’s body in. Mark crossed the arms and I heard him say a short prayer before we filled in the grave. 

Mark had reluctantly suggested burying the book with Harold, thinking that it would be the best way to honor someone who got to live in the shoes of their hero, but it was Nate who suggested otherwise. He said that it would be more honorable to share the book, to make sure that people remember the hero he sought so hard to be, so we decided to keep it. I told them that Onion should be able to read it and create a digital file from it, then maybe we could share it with the world. There has to be other Jack Savage fans out there. 

Once we were finished we collected our stuff and left. We got what we came here for, but we never expected what a simple book would cost. I made sure to destroy the machine before leaving entirely. If this could control someone like that, in the wrong paws it could be a devastating weapon. There was one thing I noticed however, one thing that I was glad they didn’t, and that I would never tell them. Written on the back side of the main computer’s case was a word that I was very familiar with, one that drew up anger and hatred for what that word represents. 

Burrow-Tec.

***

Our trip back was uneventful. I had managed to calm Nate enough so that he was no longer stuttering. He stayed as close as he could the entire time, but I didn’t blame him. I was sure that deep inside he was still blaming himself for Harold’s death. I needed to get his mind off of it. I pulled him ahead, out of earshot of Mark.

“You’re still thinking about him, aren't you?”

“Yeah. I just… there had to have been some way to save him. Perhaps if I…”

“Look sweetie. You need to stop dwelling on it. Even if there _was_ a way to save him, his brain was long gone. Even with a program like Onion’s, he would have never been Harold Hoppinsworth, nor would he have ever been Jack Savage. He would just be a rotting corpse with a computer for a brain. What you did saved him. Jack Savage might have been his hero, but for one moment, _you_ were his real hero. So don’t keep remembering him as someone who died, remember him as someone you saved.”

“I-I… I will try. For you.”

“And you know what a hero deserves? A reward. You know that gift from Holly? The one she _supposedly_ didn’t mean to buy?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Well, once we get home, how about I _show_ it to you? A little bit of relaxation might be worth it after today. What you say?”

“Y-you d-don’t have t-to do it i-if you d-don’t want t-to…” His face and ears were starting to turn red, and his stuttering wasn't from fear or sadness anymore, but from bashfulness and probably a bit of embarrassment. 

“For you, I'll do anything to make you happy.” I gave him a kiss but was interrupted by my Pip-Boar. It was a message from Blanche. I stopped and let Mark get close enough to hear before answering it.

“Blanche? Everything okay?”

“‘Bout time you answered! Drake and I are heading back to the bunker, we’ve got BIG news.”

“What is it?”

“Big activity going on at the Legionary HQ. They're being attacked, and you won’t believe by who.”

“Who?”

“Those ass-twats the Red-Necks. Those fuckers are trying to burn their HQ down! I don’t know what those Legionary fuckers did to piss them off, but they're swarming that place.”

Red-Necks? Now that was very interesting. The wheels inside my head were spinning already. I had to make use of this information, and I think I had the perfect idea how. “Blanche, you and Drake meet us back at the bunker. We'll be there in about two hours. Fill Holly and North in on what’s going on. I have an idea.”

“You better not be thinking about throwing yourself into the fray, or you'll be the biggest ass-twat I know Olivia Springs!”

“Don’t worry Blanche, I have a plan. Trust me.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Today we have a very… interesting episode. There is a delay on a special guest, and for the life of me I couldn’t seem to catch up with anyone for an interview with everything that's going on, and then I thought about it, you know the one person that's always here for an interview? Me! Well, not exactly me, at least not this me, but my other me.”

**[Max]**

“What the hell are you blathering on about? You finally lost it, haven’t you?”

**[Stripes]**

“Me? Never. It’s really quite simple. There are two Cider Stripes in the world.”

**[Max]**

“Two? I can barely handle _one_ of you!”

**[Stripes]**

“Ahem. As I was saying, there are two versions of Stripes. There's me, the lovable zebra reporter, C.Stripes, and then there's the story's author, Cider Stripes, who is nowhere near as socially advanced as I am. He’s the brain behind the writing, and I'm it’s voice.”

**[Max]**

“And you’re both idiots.”

**[Stripes]**

“Now, to avoid confusion, my guest will simply be known as ‘Author’.”

**[Author]**

“My name isn’t Arthur.”

**[Stripes]**

“I said _Author_ , not Arthur. If there are any psychologists out there, I'm not insane, so don’t judge us.”

**[Max]**

“I’m no psychologist, but I sure as hell am judging you right now.”

**[Stripes]**

“Anyways… onto the show. So, _Author_ , while many of our audience may have already known, tell me, where did the stories inspiration come from?”

**[Author]**

“Well, I'm an avid Fallout fan. Before any of you say anything, yes, I have played the first and second ones, even tactics… I just never beat them… anyways, I have always wanted to come up with my own story on it, but never really had the inspiration, at least not from the games. My real inspiration came from a little story called Fallout: Equestria, by kkat. I read it, I loved it, and I tried to make my own additions to the world they created, but I always fell short. When the movie Zootopia came out, I saw it, I loved it, but I still didn’t think of the idea, and I had long since given up adding to the FoE world. Then, I saw a picture of Nick and Judy dressed up as characters from Fallout 4, and it hit me, it hit me so hard that I couldn’t think of anything other than that. I spent the next two months creating ideas, background, integrating both the movie and the story together while throwing elements from the games into it. After a while I had a bunch of chapters written, and then I started to post them for the world to see.”

**[Stripes]**

“And everyone calls me out for my fourth wall breaking, you see where I get it from folks? Now, what was your initial thought about how it would be received?”

**[Author]**

“Honestly? I was very nervous. I used to write a ton when I was a kid, but never really shared any of my stories, and the few I posted later on in life never really had anyone show interest in. Now, I will tell you one thing. I didn’t start writing this story for the sake of wanting a Fallout story. Sure, that was one of the reasons, but I have a bunch of ideas for an original story that I would like to get published, but I wasn't sure how my writing would be received, and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to do it in first or third person. Since I normally wrote in third person, I decided to give first a try with this. 

“Initially I didn’t get many hits, and despite all the effort I put into its background, I thought about stopping. Then I started to get positive feedback. People said they were actually enjoying my writing. Now, something you should know about me is this, while it might seem vain, or stupid, if people don’t show any interest in my work, I tend to abandon it. It’s almost as if the fact someone likes my stuff, is the only reason I keep going. Sure, I also am keeping it up for myself, wanting to know where it will go, and have been very happy with how it has turned out so far to a point that even if everyone stops reading it, I will still finish it, just for my own sake. Plus, I'm sure there are people out there who want to read it, but prefer reading it all at once.”

**[Stripes]**

“What about Max? How did he start playing his part in it?”

**[Author]**

“Well, one day I receive a comment about my story about someone having ideas of their own they wanted to talk to me about. I admit, I was very hesitant, and almost brushed him off with an apology about how I didn’t want someone else's influence. Boy am I glad I didn’t do that. Between him becoming my primary editor, and the inclusion of his characters, I feel this story has become so much more than it ever could have been.”

**[Stripes]**

“That brings me to another question. Did you anticipate this to be such an epic tale in terms of length?”

**[Author]**

“No, not really. I expected it to be maybe a few dozen chapters, and without Max’s additions, it probably would have been. I have SO many ideas, half of which are not even going to make it into the story. I don’t want to rush it, nor do I want to limit myself. When I created the story, I thought of the beginning, and the ending, along with a few events between, and am slowly linking them all together. When an event feels like it should happen, it will happen.”

**[Stripes]**

“What about Olivia Springs? Why a rabbit main character, and why a female?”

**[Author]**

“The rabbit was the easy part. Since the movie’s main character was a rabbit, I decided it would help people flow into it better. Gender was assigned later, although I'm sure part of me did it simply due to Judy Hopps being female as well. When I create a character, unless I have a set gender, I will pick the species and start to design their personality. Eventually I start to think to myself ‘He will’, or ‘she would’ and that's when I settle on a gender.”

**[Stripes]**

“What about her relationship with Nate Valiant?”

**[Author]**

“When I started, I didn’t even know if she would get into a relationship, and I didn’t even know what her sexual preference would be. At the time, it wasn’t really a focal point and figured what ever happened, would happen. Sure, I had thought about her and Blanche together, but that just turned into a friendship, and at one point I thought about her and Mayor Swift, but when Nate was introduced, that changed. They weren't going to be in a relationship at first, though that didn’t stop Max from constantly shipping the two of them jokingly. Eventually it just started to flow, and despite how quick it moved, it just felt… natural. I'm not one for simply injecting a relationship for the heck of it, I feel that makes them feel fake, and forced. I take my time and just let it flow and whatever happens, happens. 

**[Stripes]**

“How much influence does Max have in the story?”

**[Author]**

“When it comes to his characters? A lot. I'm constantly spamming his email with questions like ‘Would Nate do this?’ and ‘Would Holly do that?’. I do all the actual writing, and when it comes down to it, I make all the final decisions, but his suggestions and recommendations usually make it into the story, especially at times when I'm stumped.”

**[Stripes]**

“How much time do you spend working on this story?”

**[Author]**

“Way too much. I work an eight hour day nearly every day, yet I manage to do anywhere from six to ten hours of writing each day on top of that. I'm at the point where if I'm not writing, I'm thinking about it. Even when I had to take a break due to my brain getting burned, I was constantly coming up with ideas for when I started back up. Makes me wonder what will happen when this story is finally over with.”

**[Stripes]**

“Let’s just hope that doesn’t put me out of a job. How does ‘The Adventures of a Wasteland Reporter’ sound? No? Worth a shot. Got one last question for you, how would you feel about others expanding upon your work?”

**[Author]**

“Not only would I love to read it, but I also encourage it. This might seem a bit egotistical of me, of course interviewing myself is up there too, but I always wondered if anyone would. The best part of the FoE universe is the fact that the one story created an entire universe. Some of the spin offs were just as good, if not better than the original. Once this story started to gain momentum, I started to imagine others creating their own worlds, along with other artists creating drawing of their own interpretations of people and places. Now, I'm not telling, or even asking the readers to draw or write anything involving my little universe I created, but I would LOVE to see or read anything about it. IF anyone does happen to, throw a link on the comment/review sections of the applicable sites.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well that's all we have today folks. I know this episode was a bit of a mind trip, and I'm sure many of you will groan at the fact that I just interviewed myself, but I've been seeing many people asking about my creative intentions, so I figured, why not? I mean, what’s the worst that will happen, people will skip the After Show? It’s the story that's the most important. This little broadcast is simply a way to delve deeper into the world, and have a little fun along the way. So, until next time, take care everyone!”


	49. Out of the Frying Pan...

“You want to do WHAT?”

Holly didn’t seem to be happy with my plan. None of them did. 

We got back ten minutes ago and met with everyone in the garage. Holly had been putting the finishing touches on the guns while Mark was showing North the book that we recovered. We had filled them in on what happened, but once I mentioned what I was planning on doing, all eyes were on me, and not in a good way. 

“It’s simple really. With the Legionaries and the Red-Necks keeping each other busy, we'll just sneak into their base, get what we need, and be on our way. If we're lucky, we may not even need to engage in any combat.”

“You _are_ the biggest ass-twat in the wasteland! That’s suicide you know? Sure, their forces might be preoccupied, but you forgot about their automated defenses!”

“That’s what I got this baby for.” I held up the gun that Holly had put the finishing touches on. “Automated defenses means computer controlled, right? Well this baby, I really need to think of a name for it, is designed to fire projectile versions of my remote hacking modules. As long as they're near a connected signal, I can then use my Pip-Boar to bypass any defenses by either shutting them down or making them see us as friendlies.”

“But what if there are still Legionaries inside? I doubt they would send _all_ of them outside.” Holly was right.

“Between all of us, we should be able to handle anything they throw at us. We should send a message to Chief Lazlo informing him of our plans. Having Guardian backup might not be a bad idea, although I don’t want them there. We might be able to sneak in, but giant armor clad soldiers? They'll draw too much attention.”

“What about the big lug? He’s nearly as big as those Defenders.”

“You’re right about that Blanche, that’s why we'll outfit Drake with a Stealth-Boar. It should give him enough cover to get into the building, and with the APC we'll be able to make a quick getaway.”

“I know you really want to get at those Legionaries ‘livi, but them and the Red-Necks are two of the most ruthless groups out there. Between doing anything for money and burning anything just for the hell of it, I’m not sure if either side will even _survive_ a full on confrontation. And you want to put us smack dab in the middle of it? This goes way beyond your typical crazy ‘livi.”

“Holly, I get your concern. I know you're _all_ concerned, but this might be the best opportunity we have. Blanche knows the Legionaries better than any of us, Drake gives us both aerial support plus I think his claws can slice through pretty much anything, making locked doors seem like child’s play. Between Nate, Onion, and I we have our scanners to help keep us safe, and Nate and I will be able to crack any computerized hazard along the way. Holly, you have the firepower, and if any of us _do_ get injured, Mark has the supplies to fix us up and get us out of there. We all have a part to play and as long as we do it together, I don’t think we can fail.”

“What about me?”

I sort of forgot about North still being here. “You're probably not much of a fighter, are you North?”

“Not really. I’ve survived all this time through my wit and smooth moves. I can practically talk anyone into doing anything… not to you guys. No. You’d probably kill me before I got the chance.”

“ _Very_ reassuring keeping jerky face with us.”

“Shut it Blanche. I don’t want to drag someone along with no combat skills, but I do have something you can do. I don’t want to risk any of the Legionaries getting wind of our plan, so I'll need you to personally deliver this message to Chief Lazlo over in Guardian Headquarters.” I popped out a data disk from my Pip-Boar and handed it to North.

“What is it?”

“Our plans, plus a special frequency that Nate threw together. If anything happens to us, or if we need backup, the information on this chip will prove valuable to them providing help for us. Will you do that for me?”

“Yes. Yes I will. I don’t like fighting, so this will be a better use of my talents. Plus, I know how to avoid all the dangers of this land, unlike you, you crazy rabbit.”

“Thanks for the compliments North. Now, if you don’t mind getting a head start. I want them to have that in their paws before we reach the Legionaries.”

“Good luck carrots. Hopefully this won’t be the last time we meet.”

“Oh, you can count on that North.”

He left with the data chip as I turned to the rest of them, still looking a bit nervous about my proposed plan. “So we have Guardian back up out of the way now, feeling any better?”

“Not really ‘livi, but you're not going to change your mind. Are you?” I think Holly knew the answer as she asked the question.

“Nope. I’m as stubborn as they come.”

“Well if that’s the case, then we can’t have you running off unprotected. Me and the boys are in.”

“Gee, thanks for making up my mind for me fluff, but yeah, she’s right. We know you well enough to know when your mind is made up. Plus, someone has to be there to patch you up.” Mark sighed. “I better bring _all_ the medical equipment. Help me load the APC Holly.”

My eyes met Nate’s. He looked more nervous about this than anyone, but I can’t blame him. “I-I… don’t want y-you to do this alone.” He moved next to me.

“I’m glad I don’t have to.” I gave him a quick kiss. “Drake? Blanche? You with me on this?”

“Drake. Protect. Rabbit. Protect. Friends.”

I looked at Blanche who was sitting on top of Drake’s head. “Well ain't this fucking great. Was kinda hoping that at least _one_ of you ass-twats would see the stupidity in this plan… hell, who am I kidding. I’ve been looking forward to getting back at those Legionary ass-twats. Get me some more booze and it’s a deal.”

Why do I get the feeling that Blanche has taken alcohol more than caps for payment in the past? “Yeah, sure thing. If we pass any traders I'll make sure to buy you all you need.”

“Y-you… you can h-have some of m-mine.”

“Nate? You… after what happened before you're willing to just give her some of your own stuff?” I was actually caught by surprise when he said that. From the looks of it, I think Blanche was a little shocked as well.

“I-I’m sorry, Blanche, f-for accusing you.”

“You… what’s the catch? There _has_ to be a catch. No one says ‘no you can’t have it’ and suddenly turns around and give it to you. What you want fox?”

Nate’s tail started to curl around me. I think he was still scared around her. “Blanche. He’s not asking anything for it. He’s giving it to you out of the kindness of his own heart. Not _every_ mammal wants something in return. Haven’t you ever heard of an act of generosity?”

“No one’s ever generous out there in the wastes.”

“We're not out there, we're in _here_. Just take the gift and don’t forget our little _talk_.” I didn’t have to say anything else. Blanche let out a little squeak and flattened herself against Drake, trying to hide, even though his black fur made her white stick out tremendously. Nate’s tail loosened a bit as he looked up at me, slightly confused. 

“T-talk?”

“Don’t worry about it sweetie. Let’s just say that Blanche won’t be going off on you for a long time. Now, let’s go get her a bottle. I have something I want to talk to you about. In private.”

He gulped a little, probably unsure what I meant when I said ‘in private’. We grabbed a bottle on the way to our room and he insisted on getting three for Blanche. I was surprised at how generous he was, but I also wonder if it had to do with what I told him about her. I’ll have to keep an eye out for more of this stuff to replace it, especially since I was _kinda_ getting used to it. 

I asked Nate to go bring the bottles to Blanche. He seemed reluctant but I assured him that she wouldn't snap again. He didn’t even have to hand them to her, he could just place them inside the door and leave. I figured it would be a good show of peace between him and her if she saw _he_ was the one bringing the whiskey to her rather than me. I told him to meet me back at our room. 

As soon as he went towards the garage, I rushed to our room and closed the door. Holly’s ‘gift’ was still in its package sitting on the bed. I had something to tell him, something that I think he was waiting to hear, but I didn’t want to just say it. It felt more… natural to do it this way. Plus I _did_ promise him this. 

I slipped out of my clothes and threw on the gift. It was very loose, but the lace definitely showed more than I think I was comfortable with while wearing something. At least the panties were solid. I don’t know why, but I feel even more uncomfortable wearing _this_ in front of Nate than I was being _naked_. No, this is just too… I wanted to change but the door started to open. I quickly grabbed a towel and held it up in front of me. 

“Olivia? Y-you… are you okay?”

It was only Nate. I think part of me was afraid it would be Holly, although she hasn’t teased me any since that incident. I didn’t want to risk it wearing this around her though. 

“I-I’m fine. You just startled me is all. Close the door, and lock it. Please.”

“O-okay…” he did what I asked and then faced me again. “What’s with the t-towel?”

I could just quickly throw something on, I could just tell him to look the other way as I get changed, but… no. Even though I made this promise to try to ease his mind a little during that whole fiasco earlier, it was still a promise. I knew I was probably blushing in my face and my ears, but I dropped the towel, and Nate’s face started to mirror my own. He quickly glanced away. 

“I said I would _show_ it to you when we got back, plus I figured it might make what I have to say a little easier. Here, join me on the bed.”

I climbed onto the bed and patted it for him to come sit. I could tell he was still nervous and shy being around me, especially like this, and to be honest, I was still feeling it as well, despite everything. Part of me wondered if we had been moving too fast, that normal relationships don’t simply rush to this like it has between us. Then again, everything about what’s happening I don’t think is normal by any standard. Mammals die every day, and despite how much we try to protect ourselves, to protect others, at any moment one of us could just fade away into nothingness. We needed something to hold onto. A thought. A feeling. Something emotional, along with something tangible. I wanted us both to know real happiness before the wasteland tore that away from us. To some this might be moving too fast, but to the wasteland? It isn’t happening fast enough.

“Do you mind… taking off your shirt? Just the shirt! I… I don’t think I'm ready for… that, yet.” 

He looked a bit concerned, and confused. I don’t know if he even thought I was trying to elicit sex from him, but I wanted to make sure. I still didn’t trust my own body, or my mind, to go that far yet. He seemed hesitant to taking off his shirt, but eventually he gave in and tossed it to the side. I put my paw on his chest and gently pushed him down onto the bed as I laid my head on his chest.

“I… I like… listening to your heartbeat.” I glanced up at him, his eyes just watching me. “The first time I laid my head on your chest, I felt… safe. The beating of your heart, the gentle raising and lowering of your chest as you breathe, and the warmth of your body feels very… calming to me.”

I felt his heart start to speed up. His arms wrapped around me as his tail found my waist and started to gently tighten around me. “I… I-I never really… t-the only time I e-ever heard my heart was w-with B.A.T.S., but it… Mark says I have s-some kind of heart condition. It never b-bothers me, unless I a-am under the effects of that s-serum.”

“I thought it was supposed to be harmless to the user?”

“I-it is. We don’t know w-why it affects me like that. It’s p-probably the reason he doesn’t t-trust it.”

“Well, I’m no doctor, but I think your heart sounds… lovely.” I pressed my head against his chest a bit harder, listening to each rhythmic beat. I could fall asleep right now. I ran my paw through his fur, and felt all the scars that lay hidden from the world. “They really hurt you, didn’t they?”

His heart started to beat much faster as his breathing became more forced. He didn’t like thinking about his past. “I… I-I…”

“You don’t have to talk about it, not unless you wanted to, but I promise, as long as I'm here I'll _never_ let you get hurt like this again. You don’t have to be afraid of your past. Even if it comes back to haunt you just remember, I will be here by your side to drive it away.”

His heart and breathing started to slow a bit as I felt his arms and tails grip me tighter. I felt his head move as I glanced up. He kissed me, and I was more than happy to return it. 

“Nate? Remember when you asked me about the… marking?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Well, I've been thinking about it. Honestly I couldn’t _stop_ thinking about it this entire time. I had a little talk with your brother, and it… it sounds like a big commitment, one that I want to make sure you're not just jumping into without thinking.”

“B-but I _have_ been thinking a-about it. It’s a-all that’s been on my m-mind. I-I love you. We… we h-have traveled all o-over the wasteland. M-met so many mammals, but n-none of them ever looked a-at me and my b-brother like you did. T-they all saw u-us as just f-foxes. Y-you didn’t.”

Even speaking about something like that seemed to be enough to trigger Nate’s anxiety. “I love you too Nate, and I'm glad that out of all those other mammals, that it was _me_ who made you feel this way. I honestly never thought about relationships, or meeting the ‘right’ mammal, hell I thought about it so little that if someone were to have asked me if I was into guys or girls, I wouldn't have known myself. I'll be honest with you. I have no idea how any of this will turn out. I could be walking us into a trap again, or worse. I think we both need a sense of security within us, something that reminds each other that no matter what, we need to do everything we can to stay together. So, I think this ‘marking’, is the first step in getting that security.” 

“Y-you really mean it? You d-don’t have to if y-you don’t w-want to.”

“I want to. So. How does this work?”

“I… well, it’s…”

“Just tell me what you need me to do.”

Nate moved and leaned over to kiss me. I could feel him shaking a little, but I don’t think he was afraid, just nervous. To be honest, I was as well. I had no idea what was about to happen. Mark told me it went both ways, but how would I know what to do? I felt Nate’s tail flicking over my legs as he started to move his jaw slowly across the front of my neck. I remember that rabbits have their own scent glands in their chin so I… “ow!” I felt Nate nip me on the neck.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“Calm down Nate, it’s okay. Just surprised me is all. Here, let me…”

I slowly took off the nightgown. I had no idea what I was supposed to do still, I started to reach down to my panties when Nate stopped my paw. “N-no. You d-don’t need to. I won’t have t-to…”

“Thank you.” I didn’t want to do that. Not yet. I think that was what made me the most nervous about this whole endeavor, was the thought that Nate would have to do something, down there. The thought of me associating him with that boar scared me more than anything. I hated what he did to me, what he put me through, and I didn’t want that hate to extend to Nate. I couldn’t ever hate him, and I especially couldn’t let him see that hatred. 

He was already shirtless, but he started to remove his pants. Just as he told me to keep mine on, he left his underwear on as well. He started to gently rub the bottom of his jaw along my chest as I felt his tail move all over. I leaned my neck in and slowly rubbed the bottom of my chin on the top of his head. This felt… natural in a way. I started to smell a… floral smell. Violets? The smell was getting stronger, but it wasn’t unpleasant at all, it was actually quite… soothing.

I think instinct started to take over Nate as I felt him not shaking anymore, and his movements were less fidgety and more carefully planned. As he promised, he stayed away from my nether region, letting his tail move back and forth along my legs and feet. The pleasant smell seemed to fill the room. He kept switching between nuzzling, kissing, and gentle nips. The first few shocked me, but I was getting used to them. 

I suddenly let out a squeak and started to giggle, and that caused him to immediately pause. “That tickles!”

I expected him to react the way he did when he accidentally nipped me. I _wasn’t_ expecting him to rub his paws over my sides, causing the tickling sensation to build up. I tried to keep in my giggles, but I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I started to chuckle and let out squeaks and squee’s. 

If Holly heard any of this and tries to say anything, I will kill her.

***

I don’t know how long it lasted, but eventually we both fell asleep. He was still passed out next to me, his tail wrapped around me and one of his arms was draped over my side. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but the whole thing was actually quite pleasant. I don’t really feel any different than before, although I was feeling a bit more… complete? I felt at ease. I felt… like I needed to pee. 

Since Nate was a very deep sleeper, it took some very uncomfortable wiggling to get out of his grasp. When I was finally free, I threw on the closest thing to me, which happened to be Nate’s shirt. It was baggy, but long enough to hide my underwear. It was more like a short dress than a shirt to me. 

I rushed to the bathroom and relived myself. On my way back to the room I ran into Mark. 

“There you are. We're… is that, Nate’s shirt?”

“Uh, yeah. I had to go to the bathroom, and it was the closest thing to me… why are you looking at me like that?”

“He… you…”

“Before you say anything. No, we did not have sex.”

“No, not that. The smell… he… marked you, didn’t he?”

“Y-yeah. He… we did…”

“Wow. You guys move fast. I knew he wanted to but… I really didn’t think you’d agree to it this soon.”

“Well, since our little talk before, it's been on my mind. It was hard to think about anything else. I wanted to be able to have a clear head, and I also wanted to make a promise to Nate, that we will make it through this. It just felt like the right time.”

“Well, how do you feel?”

“Good. Very good. Happy too. Not just because it’s not weighing on me anymore, but I feel…”

“Complete?”

“How did you…”

“It was the same with Holly and I. Once we marked each other, we both felt complete. I believe that every mammal is born with a hole in them. They're left incomplete their whole lives until they find the one soul, the one spark that can fill that void. Once you fill that void with one who is meant for you, it will be very hard to live without that feeling. Welcome to the Valiant family Olivia. I’m proud of you… and for him. I never once thought he’d be able to fill that hole. You don’t know how happy it makes me to know he was finally able to.”

Mark continued on to where ever he was heading to as I made my way back to the room. Nate was still laying on the bed, fast asleep. We needed to head out soon, but I figured I could let him sleep for just a bit longer while I got ready. As I was putting my shirt on, the violet smell hit my nose. Was that his unique smell? Mark said that the mark was to say that a mate was taken. Does that mean that everyone who can smell me will smell that? 

Once I was fully dressed I went to go wake him up. “Wake up sleepy head.” I poked him a few times in the arm, tried to rock him back and forth, and then I remembered something I discovered earlier. Right in the middle of his sides was…

Nate shot up laughing as I tickled him awake. I’m glad he has a ticklish spot. It wouldn’t have been fair if I was the only one who did. 

“Good morning sleepy head. How you feeling?”

“Good. Very good.” 

I gave him a kiss. “Me too. Now, get dressed. The others should be ready to leave soon. We have a long trip ahead of us.”

“Right. I still need to do a few modifications on the remote turret… but I can do that on the way. Mark knows how to drive.”

“Maybe I can help you with that? I’ll bring my tools.” I grabbed my belt that I realized I hadn’t worn in a while. Things have been so hectic that the thought of needing tools was the last thing on my mind most times. 

Once he was dressed we both left towards the garage. Holly and Mark were sitting near the APC, and the moment she looked at me, the biggest smile crossed her face. Why did I think that Mark wouldn’t tell her own ‘spark’? I saw Mark lean over and whisper something in her ear, and she simply waved him back. Oh please don’t let Holly ruin this moment.

“‘Livi!” she got up and darted towards us.

“Hey Holly, I… oof!” Holly gave me the biggest hug as she ran right into me.

“Mark told me! Finally you're officially one of us!” He looked over towards Nate. “Didn’t know you had it in you, you big doof.”

“Gee, thanks for the encouragement.” Nate sounded rather chipper in his words, and was that a hint of… sarcasm I detected?

“Would you please…” Holly must have felt me struggle because she finally let loose her grip from me and stood back a foot. “Thanks, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t tease me about this. Please?”

“I promise I won’t.” I heard her whisper, “as long as Nate doesn’t let anything adorable slip.” Her voice returned to normal, as if she never said anything. She did realize I was a rabbit, right? “And I'm sorry. I’m sorry for having things get out of paw the other day. Sometimes I Just can’t help myself. I… it wasn’t until Mark told me how hurtful that was to you. I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”

“Yes. As you and Mark have expressively stated, I'm family now, and I can’t hold grudges against family. Just please, cool it on the teasing a little bit?” I decided to have a little fun myself, and spoke in a whisper that I _knew_ she could hear. “At least until I pay you back…”

“Did you just… ‘livi, you wouldn’t, would you?”

I just smiled at her as I went towards Drake and Blanche to see how they were doing. Nate went to the APC, and I swore I saw a bit of frolicking in his steps. Drake was on the other side of where everyone was working, and from the looks of it he'd just finished his dinner. Insect carapaces were scattered around the floor. 

“Hey Drake. You doing good?”

“Drake. Full. Bunny. Smell. Flowers?”

Shit, he can smell it too? “Um, yeah. Long story on that one. Where’s Blanche? I need to… oh there you are.”

Blanche was sitting on the ground, two of the three bottles already emptied. I guess she doesn’t know the meaning of savoring something. From the looks of it she was half asleep. Or half dead. Seriously, it can’t be healthy to drink that much!

“Blanche? You with us?”

“Oh, hey Olivia.” She let out a few hiccups before continuing. “Just having some breakfast… want some?”

“Um, I’ll pass. You going to be okay for this trip?”

“Yeah. Never better! Just give. Moment to. Drink. More.”

“You're starting to sound like Drake. Here.” I reached down and picked her up. She struggled for a moment before giving into my help.

“I’m, sorry Olivia. I. I’m not very social. I didn’t mean to hurt your fox, call him that. He’s not a bad guy.”

“I forgive you Blanche. As long as you treat all of us with the respect we deserve, I promise not to get… angry at you again. I’m sorry about that too. I feel bad about it.”

“You love him… don’t ya?”

“Nate? Yeah. Yeah I do.”

“Love stinks. Right big guy?”

Drake seemed to just shake out his wings and shake his head to let the fur ruffle a bit. I had no idea what that was supposed to mean. 

“You're very drunk Blanche. Here Drake, take her before she drinks anymore? The last thing I need to be dealing with is a sick mouse in the midst of an all out war.”

Since Drake was upside down, I gently placed her on the bottom of his jaw. He chirped and purred a little bit. I wonder what the deal between these two is? Part of me really didn't want to find out. A rabbit and a fox? Sure. A tiny mouse and a giant deathwing? I just can’t even picture it. How would they even…

“We're ready to head out Olivia.” Mark snapped me out of thoughts that I really shouldn’t be having about those two.

“Oh. Yeah! Right. Drake, you and Blanche follow us when we leave. Keep an eye out for any potential threats. We plan to avoid them if at all possible.”

“Drake. Follow. Drake. Watch.”

“Good boy. And… take care of Blanche, will you?”

“Drake. Protect. Mouse.”

“It’s a wonder that yours is the only name he seems to speak Olivia.”

“Yeah, although I have a feeling who the next name will be. So, we're all set? Let’s get moving!”

***

Mark informed us that the trip would take anywhere from three to five hours, depending on the conditions of the roads. We were planning on taking all the least used passageways, and he knew a few underground tunnels that were large enough for the APC as well. We needed to save our ammo and our energy for when we reach the Legionaries base. None of us knew what to expect. 

During the trip Nate and I switched between getting the remote system for the turret online. Apparently it can be hooked to his Pip-Boar to allow for short range control of one of the guns, which will be very handy for cover fire in case of an emergency. There were also small canisters that he was finishing installing. When I asked what they were, he said they were smoke canisters that allow for a more stealthy escape if needed. 

Holly spent most of her time looking over all of our weapons, making sure they were loaded, and fit for use. I never even got to perform a test shot of my special gun, which I decided to name simply the remote gun. I had six rounds made for it, so I'll make sure to make each of them count. 

We didn’t have too many obstacles on our way. Every time there was a potential threat, Mark would try to find a detour, or Holly would point the guns towards the onlookers. That usually dissuaded any aggression against us, although a few times we had to add in a deathwing to the equation.

There were two times that intimidation didn’t work. First was when we were underground and ran into a dozen savage ghouls. The guns made short work of them. Holly and Nate were both happy they worked. I got a little annoyed when I head Holly say: ‘it worked? Oh, I it actually worked!’. Didn’t she _test_ these things before we left? 

The second time was when we nearly got blown up disturbing a nest of Firebugs shortly after leaving the tunnel. Nate assured me that this thing could take the impact of a missile head on, but that didn’t really help alleviate the sensation when one of those fucking bugs blew itself up right next to us. Besides my rad detector going nuts for a few seconds, it felt like the whole APC was about to flip over a few times. Thankfully it didn’t, or else the meal I had before leaving would probably be all over the floor. Or ceiling.

Blanche, who was finally awake and somewhat lucid, informed us that we were approaching the area. The wind must have been pushing in our direction because I started to smell smoke wafting in through the one open top hatch… and burning… flesh… no. Not now. Please don’t do this to me now! I felt a paw on my shoulder. I turned to Nate, feeling like I was about to cry. I’ve probably seen looks similar to this on him multiple times, so I could tell he knew it on my own face. 

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s… the smell. It’s… every time I smell flesh. Burning flesh. It… ever since Beaverton…”

He hugged me. “It’s okay Olivia. I’m here, and remember our bond? I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“T-thank you Nate.” I kissed him as I realized that for once, our places were reversed. I had to do better. If he can persevere through everything he’s been through… I had to be stronger. 

“Here.” Nate handed me something. It was small and had straps on it. 

“W-what is it?” I found myself starting to stutter, trying to hold back the thoughts that the smell was causing. 

“A ventilator. It helps to block out smoke. And smells. Mark figured they may come in handy. It seems he was right.”

I took it from him and placed it over my face. Instantly the smell vanished. Unlike the gas mask, this one seemed to be outfitted with a small radio like amplifier. My voice seemed to echo as I spoke. “Thank you. I-it’s… it’s helping.”

He kissed me on my head, between the ears. “Guess it’s my turn to protect you.”

For a moment I forgot that we weren’t alone. It wasn’t until I heard Mark clear his throat that I was snapped back into reality. I looked towards him and saw that both him and Holly were staring at me, Holly’s visage a look of disbelief mixed with awe. 

“We’re here.” 

Mark stopped the APC and we opened the rear hatch and got out. We were parked on the side of a small building, but it was still large enough to cover our vehicle from view of those below us. We were on a small cliff overlooking what looked to be a small island with a single bridge connecting it. The bridge was on fire as a horde of Red-Necks pushed their way across it. 

“Looks like we're just in time.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Today we have a very special gust. Some of you may know him as the head of the Zootopian News Network site, and some of you may have also discovered this vast world through him and his team’s writings. Sure the ZNN doesn’t exist within the wasteland, and sure, the Savannah Caller _may_ have ransacked the old ZNN broadcasting studio and took it over as their own, but that’s all in the past now. So, let me introduce to you, the one, the only, Andy Lagopus! So Andy, may I call you Andy? Let’s start this interview off with a simple question, if this is hundreds of years into the future, how exactly did you manage to survive?”

**[Andy]**

“Thank you for that introduction, Stripes! And don’t worry about the studio- it was ransacked long before you were born. I think. To answer your question, it turns out that immortality is pretty cheap. All I had to do was pay some radioactive air the low, low price of my stunning good looks. For those of you who are listening in at home, imagine the most handsome arctic fox you can, then remove most of the fur and add some burn marks, and voila! Andy La-Ghoul-pus. My face is definitely made for radio these days, so it’s good to be on the air again! Even if my voice is more gravelly than it used to be. But I can live with that. For several hundred years, actually!”

**[Stripes]**

“So tell me, how did you first get the idea to create the ZNN? Did you have help or was it a singular effort?”

**[Andy]**

“Well, I was inspired by this horse I knew named Seth. Interesting fellow. Started a paper called Equestrians Daily, or something like that. It got big, so when I moved to Zootopia, I figured it might be fun to try making something similar. In the beginning, yeah, I was flying solo. But that didn’t last too long. A week or two into it, a wolf named Moony just walked into my office, sat down at my computer, and refused to leave until ZNN looked good. After that, more and more mammals just started showing up, and I just kept them around. They’re too awesome to let go.”

**[Stripes]**

“Out of everything you have done with the ZNN, what is your most enjoyable part of it? On the flip side, do you ever regret something about it? Something that if you could go back and change, you would?”

**[Andy]**

“I love how it’s grown and changed. It started out so small, and now… well, it’s amazing. I only wish I could do it full-time. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able to.”

**[Stripes]**

“I know that starting and maintaining a site such as yours takes a lot of effort, time, and even finances. Your team has steadily grown, through patrons you have earned the caps needed to keep it going financially, and so far it seems like you have done a bang-up job at it. You got any advice for some fellow mammals that would like to start their own endeavor such as yours?”

**[Andy]**

“Well it may sound cliché, but try everything! And don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially from people you see are more skilled than you at certain things. They can help make your wild idea into something truly special. And after all, strangers are just friends you haven’t met.”

**[Stripes]**

“Are you still looking for people to help expand your team? If so, what are you looking for? I figured after all you’ve done to help not only promote this world on your site, but also introduce me to a wonderfully artistic prairie dog, the least I can do is help with a little advertisement.”

**[Andy]**

“Well, for now we’re recruiting by invitation only, so if you want to join us, I’d recommend either doing something original, or something extremely well. If you can blow me or another member of the staff away with your work, then you just might get an invite to join us. And you’ve met Quirky, have you? That’s a funny story right there. He was a friend of mine before the war, so he’s just as old as I am. Lucky dog hid in a refrigerator when the bombs fell. Thought he was Indiana Bones or something. Ended up accidentally freezing himself until I was able to find a working hair dryer and thaw him out. Glad he survived that, I didn’t have anyone to draw things for me for the last hundred or so years.”

**[Stripes]**

“Hey! I’m the only one who can make fourth wall pop culture references here…”

**[Max]**

“You’re just mad that his was better than anything you can do.”

**[Stripes]**

“Shut it fox. Anyways, let me ask, after stumbling upon this engaging world, what were your first opinions on it? Be truthful now.”

**[Andy]**

“Hey, you pointed yourself out to me, remember? I had done a piece on a song by an artist named Dr. Dissonance, and you told me about what you were doing here. Once I started read- I mean, listening, I was hooked!”

**[Stripes]**

“There are plenty of colorful characters within the story, and while there are still more to come, so far who is your favorite and why?” 

**[Andy]**

“Olivia is amazing. Can’t get enough of her story. So far I think I relate to Nate the most. He’s smart, quick on his feet, innovative, and awkward and dorky around the girl he likes. He’s so lucky to have a girl who likes that.”

**[Stripes]**

“Hmm, it seems that I've run out of questions for you. However, from the incessant nagging from my co-host, it looks like he has some questions for you as well. So Max, what have you to ask?

**[Max]**

“So… Heard you're setting up shop and may be looking for some new hires…? Perhaps…? Hopefully…? _Muttering_ Oh please by every God in the Pantheons say yes…”

**[Stripes]**

“Do that, and I'll be sure to spoil the ending for you.”

**[Andy]**

“Hey, no need to break the fourth wall there, Stripes! Goodness knows you lean against it enough as it is.”

**[Max]**

“I have to ask why did ZNN stop? I mean you guys were a force in the wasteland for nearly fifty years after the bombs fell! Why only pick things back up now? And not just in radio, I heard you're looking to start a print edition up in Hope!”

**[Andy]**

“Funny you should ask. After the bombs fell I tried to keep the network together, but when the whole office has turned into ghouls, it’s only so long before someone goes feral. And then another. And another. It’s heartbreaking, and I couldn’t keep watching my friends turn into monsters. So, I found a safe place for them to live with lots of good, juicy radiation - an old burrow with a faulty reactor. I took all the ammo and caps they had in there, and sealed it up so that nobody can get in or out.

“After that, I wandered the wasteland for a while. But after a few years I started to get a bit bored. To pass the time, I wrote a guide to surviving in the wasteland. That was decently popular- I hear there are still a few copies floating around here and there. 

“Eventually I decided that if the wasteland was going to screw with me, I could screw with it. I took all the caps and ammo I could find and started putting them in random places. Containers, drawers, etc. So far, I think it’s kept things interesting.

“As for why I’m starting ZNN again… well, honestly, you guys inspired that. It’s been so long since there’s been a news station on the air that I figured there wasn’t really a demand for it anymore. But hearing your stories of the adventures of Olivia Springs, your interviews, and seeing all the hope she’s inspired in… well, Hope… I figured it was about time to get off my butt, go back to my roots, and do something awesome again!”

**[Max]**

“I have to admit, you seem very ambitious… Though uh… If you don't mind me saying… We could really use a better producer here at the caller… Our current boss used to lead a small time raiding group and… Yeah… Apparently some fox shot them up from range and it all fell apart for them. So uh… You interested by chance… ? Cause our current producer was Stripes' hire and fault and honestly I'd love to get through a day without being threatened with bodily harm or torture… Or worse…”

**[Stripes]**

“Hey! He was a cheap hire. Plus, it’s your fault for not cutting me off. You know how much business savvy I have when I've had one too many to drink. You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want. The show’s just about over. Got any parting advice or comments for our audience?”

**[Andy]**

“That’s an interesting idea! If the new and improved ZNN ends up taking off like the original did, I would definitely not be against some sort of merger between us. Especially if it means getting my old office back. For… sentimental reasons, you know? I totally don’t have anything hidden there that may or may not classify as “sweet loot”.

“For advice, I’d just like to say an old proverb that’s defined my approach to life recently. ‘You lift me, and I lift thee, and together we ascend eternally’. So go try helping others, lifting them up, and you may be surprised how high you end up climbing together.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well then folks, that's all we have for today. Tune in next time when I finally get around to paying back Max for locking me out of my black gold and precious cider. I will also be delving into some more details on one of the more dangerous raider groups, the Red-Necks. I hope it gets everyone… fired up. Take care!”

**[Andy]**

“Good luck with that! Stripes, Max, It’s been a pleasure to be on the show! Mind if I do the sign off?

“This is Andy Lagopus, and, as always, remember…

“Try Everything!”


	50. ...and Into the Fire

“So, how do we get down there Blanche?”

Despite the speaker in my mask, I couldn’t help the fact that my voice sounded very muffled. Everyone seemed to be able to understand me well enough, so I wasn’t really sure if I was just imagining things or not. Still, I couldn’t bear to take this off. That smell… I think I still had some issues to work out. 

“Two ways. First, we could always take the bridge. It’s quick, direct…”

“And full of Red-Necks. No thank you. What’s the other way?”

“You're not gonna like it. It’s dark, dank, smells like the inside of…”

“Don’t tell me. Please don’t tell me it’s another… it’s a sewer, ain’t it?”

“Got it in one Olivia.”

FUCK! I'm starting to hate those damn things. “Is there really no other way? Sewers and I are not the best of friends.”

“Well there _is_ a third option. Didn’t think you’d like it that much.”

“Anything has got to be better than another sewer Blanche.”

“We can swim. Through radioactive waters filled with things that I am told make a deathwing look like a month old cub.” Blanche sounded a little sassy saying that. 

“Sewers it is. Mark, got any waterproof suits in the APC by chance?”

“‘Fraid not. I got waterproof gauss if that'll help.” 

“Har har Mark. Fine. I guess I'll have to deal with it. Again. I swear, one of these days I'll invent some kind of levitating waste removal system so that there'll no longer be the need for those underground cesspools ever again.”

“And after the next rad-storm, it'll be raining radiation _and_ shit. Good thinking ‘livi.”

I wanted to tell Holly to ‘shut it’, but she was right. That was not my best idea ever. Plus it wouldn’t solve the issue of all the _current_ crap traps in existence. I sighed and shook my head. “Alright Blanche, lead the way. Will Drake be able to fit?”

“We figured we’d take the long way ‘round, and with that Stealth-Boar you gave him, if we get spotted, a simple flick of the switch will buy us time to take cover and meet you there.”

“Sounds like a plan. As for the rest of us, Nate will stick by me. I'll need you to keep your scanners on in case I need to use this gun to bypass any security. Mark, you and Holly take the rear with Onion. He'll keep his sensors up as well, while you two keep a look out for any potential threat we can’t pick up with the scanners. Once we get to that building we'll need to make sure we take it nice and slow. I want as little confrontation as possible. If we're lucky those Red-Necks will have drawn most of their forces away. Everyone got it?”

They all answered yes with an air of confidence that I didn’t think they would show. Either I was a good planner, when I actually had a plan, or else they realized there was nothing else to do and were simply giving it their all. Either way I was glad to have them with me. We made sure that all of our weapons were armed and ready. Before we moved out Holly handed me three objects. 

“What are these?”

“Shock grenades. I don’t have too many of these, but they may come in handy. They're very short range, but can either temporally subdue most mammals smaller than a rhino, or short out electrical systems. Be careful with these though, Nate has shorted his Pip-Boar a few times being too close to one.”

“It was only _one_ time Holly! Don’t listen to her. These things have a protective anti-shock casing on them. I had to field strip my Pip-Boar due to a sensor malfunction once, and she just so happened to be tossing one of them at the same time. Took days to get it working right.”

I took the grenades and put them in my bag. “Thanks. These might come in handy in a pinch. I’ll be sure to _not_ toss one if you happen to be working on your Pip-Boar sweetie.”

“Gee, thanks Buns.”

Despite the fact that we were overlooking a chaos of fire and bullets, I couldn’t help but smile at Nate, although I wasn’t sure if he could see it, so I gave him a slight bump on his side with my hip and he returned it with a small flicking of his tail on my backside. I knew that the marking was important to him, but I never expected it to _change_ him like this. 

“Okay, okay. _Who_ are you and what did you do to my brother?” Mark seemed both surprised and amused.

“Ha-ha bro. Very funny. I’m just… I’m happier than I ever thought I could be.”

“We’ve noticed. You sure had quite the impact on him Olivia, especially in such a short period of time.”

“What can I say Mark? I work fast.”

“It’s a good thing you two aren't the same species ‘livi, otherwise we'll be hearing the pitter-patter of tiny paws before the mission is even over.”

“Cottontail, did you just… why did you have to go there?” Mark had placed his head in between his paws, shaking it back and forth. 

“Y-you know Holly, I guess the same could be said for you and Mark. Only difference is the way you two go at it, we should have an entire bunker full of foxes, or rabbits, or… fobbits? Roxes? What you think Buns? Olivia, you okay?” Nate had an odd smirk on his face while Holly and Mark’s jaws were nearly hitting the floor.

“I… I think I'm ready to get shot now.” My face was burning, and I'm sure my ears were redder than all get out. 

“Beating Holly at her own game _and_ causing Olivia to get flustered? You really _aren’t_ my little brother, are you?”

“Younger by only a few minutes!” Nate made it sound like a few minutes made all the difference.

“Blanche, would you please lead the way? This conversation is making me feel a bit uncomfortable…”

“It’s making me feel like I wanna puke. Yeah, let’s go. Drake, that a-way!”

Blanche, still on top of Drakes head, moved slowly towards the entrance to the sewer system. While probably uncomfortable with it, Drake agreed to walk for most of it in order to keep our visibility at its lowest. That entire conversation was… I honestly don’t know how I felt about it. Not the part about how Nate was inferring that Mark and Holly had sex, and quite often. No, the part that was making me feel… odd was the thought of us actually having children. 

Back when I found out that there were traces of fox DNA within my own genetics, I thought nothing of it other than maybe getting some fox like abilities, such as my low light vision. Now there was the idea that, what if I still had the ability to reproduce with a fox. What if there was the possibility of Nate and I having children of our own? Would I even make a good mother? Could Nate take the responsibilities of being a father?

“You look like somethings bothering you.” I felt Nate’s paw take my own as his tail flicked my back.

“It’s just that… I know this is probably the worst time to be thinking this, but what if we _could_ have children? I mean, I'm technically part fox, so it's entirely possible. I just… would you even _want_ children, with… me?”

“C-children? With… me? I… I never r-really thought about it. No one ever really took enough i-interest with me to even be a possibility, but you know what? I think… I think that with you? I’d… I’d like that. I really would. The two of us, starting our own family? It'd be nice, it'd be… real. I think I’d like that.”

I took off the mask and despite the smell that it was protecting me from, I jumped up and hugged and gave Nate a big kiss. I really don’t know what's coming over me right now, but while it was strange, unfamiliar, and a bit uncomfortable, I didn’t hate it. I just wish I knew more about it. 

“Okay you love birds, should we go and see if the Legionaries have a spare bedroom for you two?”

“Oh shut it Holly.” I realized that I was not only still in Nate’s arms, but he was starting to struggle keeping me up. I didn’t realize I literally jumped into his arms. I set myself back on the ground and cleared my throat, as if nothing happened. “Ahem. Right. Onward to our goal. Continue Blanche.”

“Fucking ass-twats.” Blanche’s whisper was still loud enough for my ears to pick up. I didn’t say anything, feeling that we deserved that one. 

My brain reminded me of the smell of burning fur and flesh as I started to feel woozy and mentally distressed, so I quickly put my mask back on. After taking a few deep breaths of filtered air to get rid of the lingering sensation, I started to feel better. I really hope that I never have to deal with that smell again after this.

We moved much quieter, especially as we got closer to the water’s edge. The entrance was blocked by some rubbish, and that told us this should be a safe passage. With no sign of activity nearby, that means that the Legionaries either didn’t know about this, or didn’t care. Once we had it cleared off, Holly and Mark pulled back the metal plate that covered the entrance. It was large enough for us to fit comfortably, but much too small for Drake to fit. I looked back at Blanche and Drake and nodded my head, signaling it was time for them to take off and meet us on the other side. 

Everyone else, minus Onion, was taken aback by some foul smell that was emanating from the hole, but thankfully this mask was blocking that out as well. While I wished that I had some kind of waterproof suit right now, this mask was making the entire situation seem less… disgusting. Unfortunately for the others, it seemed that Mark only had two more masks.

“I could have sworn I had another one in here. Let’s see, how should this…” Mark was interrupted as Holly yanked one out of his paws.

“Nate’s bunny gets one, so _your_ bunny gets one too.”

“But I… fine. So, Nate, you want the other one?”

“It’s yours bro.”

“Are you sure? I really don’t…” 

“Put it on, or else I will force it on you.”

“Sheesh, alright Nate. You don’t have to bite my ear off.”

“Are you sure sweetie? You could take mine.” I went to take my mask off but Nate put his paw on mine, stopping the motion. 

“No. I can tell that the smell is bothering you, I don’t want you to…”

“Thank you.” I started to look through my bag. I thought I had… bingo. “Here…” I handed him a small piece of cloth, “it’s not much, but it might help.”

He held the small cloth up to his face. I could tell it wasn’t helping, but even not he seemed to want to put other’s wellbeing before his own. That's very sweet of him, but at the same time I feared that doing so would one of these days put his own life on the line. I don’t know what I would ever do if I lost him, especially now. 

Like most of the sewers, this one had a river of stagnant filth sitting between two very narrow walk ways. It was dark, so Nate and I turned on our Pip-Boar’s lights, but mostly for Holly’s sake, since she couldn’t see in the dark as easily as we could. It still felt weird comparing my fox like abilities to another rabbit. Sometimes I wonder if one of these days I will simply forget my own species.

There were no traps, guards, or other things to identify this as ever having been occupied by Legionary forces. I'll have to remember to ask Blanche about how she knew this way in to begin with. Either there was something she wasn’t telling me, or if even Legionaries refused to work in such horrid conditions like this. 

We finally reached the end of the tunnel and were greeted by a ladder leading up, along with a series of smaller pipes that kept going towards the Legionaries headquarters. The thought of just following them and popping up in the middle of the base occurred to me, but the thought left me just as quickly as it came when I realized that in order to do so we would have to _crawl_ through the filth in order to do so. I’ll stick with Plan A for now.

Holly went first and slid the cover aside and scouted the area quickly before signaling us to come up. Once we all were free and the cover returned to its original position, I inspected our surroundings. We had come up a few hundred feet away from the western side of the building. There was a giant chain fence that traversed all around the building. Guess I kinda over looked that before. It looked so… small from up there.

I could see fighting in the distance, and I heard the sounds of gunfire intermixed with screams. Giant pillars of flame shot out here and there. I turned to get everyone ready for the next stage of the plan but was jolted by the sound of a series of explosions. I glanced back and saw thick smoke billowing up in the distance. 

“Looks like the Legionaries are bringing out the heavy artillery.”

“Stop drooling Holly.” Mark sounded semi-serious with that remark towards his girlfriend.

“‘Bout time you showed up.” Blanche startled me as her and Drake came up to where we were. Thankfully there was a large amount of debris here to cover Drake’s arrival.

“You two make it alright?”

“Yeah, those ass-twats were too busy looking ahead to bother looking up. Probably good seeing as they're now packing boomers. Think I even saw a Nuke Tube among them.”

“Nuke… Tube…” 

“Holly! No!”

“But Marki! I always wanted one!”

“Quit the yammering you two!” Now was not the time for friendly bickering with us this close to the battlefield. I could feel my fighting instincts start to take over. “Now, what’s the best way in Blanche?”

“Well, those guys have the place locked down tight. Used to be a maximum security prison. Probably could tell by the giant fence. I wouldn’t go up and touching it either, they keep it electrified. Mines also dot the perimeter.”

“Electric fence? Mine? Why the fuck didn’t you tell us this before?”

“You didn’t ask. I _told_ you it was nearly impossible to get in.”

“You little… okay, is there _any_ weak-spot in their defenses?”

“Normally no, but with this shit-fest going on out here, it might buy us a small window. You see, there was a small flaw that those ass-twats never bothered to fix. When the gate opens, it shuts down the electrical grid powering the fences until it’s closed. They usually have guards patrolling during those times, but from the looks of it, they're either busy, or dead. Still need to worry about the mines though.”

“Got that covered. I’ve disarmed a few mines before, and now that I can enter into B.A.T.S. at will, it'll be so much easier.”

“Well Drake and I will be fifty feet behind you then. I don’t trust no one around explosives.”

“Thanks for the reassurance Blanche. So, that plan sound good to everyone else? We clear out a small spot of mines and wait until the power goes down then we cut our way through the fence.”

“If it’s that or the front door, then it’s as good a plan as any ‘livi, but if I see a Nuke Tube lying around…”

“Not sure I’d feel very comfortable sleeping knowing there's a live nuke in the same building as me Holly.” Not that I didn’t trust her, but nukes haven’t done this world any good. 

Once we were all agreed on it, we chose an area that looked the most obscured from any onlookers. There were sniper nests on the sides and the roof of the building, but a quick look through my scope showed that they were currently unoccupied. Probably because all of the action was going on in the front. It probably never occurred to them that someone might try to take advantage of this. 

Just as Blanche said, there were at least six or seven mines between me and the fence. I entered into B.A.T.S. and began the process of disabling them. With how long it took, I was only able to get two disarmed before the chemicals wore off. I was very patient right now, and felt it was best to let B.A.T.S. cool down between disarm attempts. I placed the two mine in my bag, thinking they may come in handy if we get ambushed. 

Suddenly my ears started to twitch. I heard… something. Something very familiar. It was a voice, a female voice and she was… screaming. She was screaming for help! Fuck! Was there an innocent civilian caught in the cross fire? She sounded young. Not a child, but probably closer to my age if not younger. I pulled my scope out and surveyed the area. I didn’t see anyone who looked like they needed help.

“‘Livi? What’s wrong?”

“You hear that Holly?”

“Hear what? All I hear is gunfire.”

“I heard someone… there it is again!” 

I moved my scope around, but I still couldn’t… there! I saw three large male giraffe surrounding someone. Their large bodies made it hard to see who it was, but it looked like they were tearing something off… another scream confirmed that the voice was coming from inside the encircled giraffe. Fuck! We were so close, but… I can’t ignore a cry for help. They were on the outskirts of the battle, maybe if I was quick.

“Olivia! The power is down!” 

Mark’s voice echoed in my head, but I couldn’t get the screaming out of my head. The cry of a woman, the sight of three males around her brought back… memories. Feelings of anger, of hate. In my head those three giraffe suddenly took the visage of that fucking boar, Eugene Baird. No! I couldn’t let another girl get treated that way! I will not stand for it!

“Olivia! Where the hell is she going?!”

I caught the trail end of Holly’s voice as I realized I was running. Running at break-neck speeds towards the cries for help. In my head all I could picture was me laying there naked, defenseless. Helpless, as that fucking boar had his way with me. I could still feel him. His breath burning my skin. Him… forcing his way into me. I… I will never let him, or anyone like him ever do that again, even if I had to hunt down every last rapist in the wasteland. 

My gun found its way into my paws as I got close enough to finally make out who was crying out for help. It was… a Red-Neck. One of the giraffe surrounding her tossed a large canister to the side as they closed the circle around her. Why the fuck were they doing this to one of their own?! That made me even angrier, and I didn’t think that was possible. 

“Hey fuckers! Leave her alone!” I didn’t even give them time to react. “Pip-Boar, kill.”

I planted one bullet into the head of the closest to me. He dropped like a stone before he could even respond to my threat. The second one started to crane his neck towards me but I landed a bullet between the eyes, dropping him to. The third one, however, managed to start a plume of fire that was heading right towards me. I dodged it, feeling the heat as the fire billowed past me. I let out two rounds. One in his neck which caused him to reel back in pain, and one right through the bottom of the head. From the way he suddenly stopped, I imagined it exited through the top.

I went over to the woman on the ground to see if she was okay when I heard gun fire coming this way. I turned and saw that the Legionaries that were nearby had spotted us. I heard one of them shout my name. I didn’t fucking have time for this shit. I grabbed a shock grenade and chucked it among them. It went off, causing all but two to drop to the ground, convulsing. I pulled out one of the mines and tossed it towards them. For a large heavy disk, it sure flew very far. I aimed my gun and fired, detonating it and causing the two standing to fall down, screaming in pain. 

“Olivia! What the hell did you… that’s… that’s a Red-Neck!” Mark, Holly, and Nate approached me as I was standing over the very scared giraffe laying on the ground. She was in tears and shaking like crazy. 

“Yeah, she is. Help me get her up.”

“Are you CRAZY? IT’S A RED-NECK!”

“So fucking what Holly?! She’s in trouble. Her _own kind_ just tried to hurt her and do who knows what to her! I don’t fucking care _who_ she is, she’s in trouble and we need to get her the fuck out of here! The missions over. Now give me a fucking paw!”

I shouldn’t be yelling at them like that, I really shouldn’t, but I could care less who this giraffe laying on the ground is. She was in trouble, and that’s all I needed to know. We'll sort things out later. She was six times the size of me, so there would be no way I could lift her on my own. 

“Hey. It’s okay. I'm a friend.”

“P-please, d-don’t h-h-hurt m-m-e.” Her voice sounded much younger than I think she was.

“We're not going to hurt you. I promise. We need to get you out of here. Can you stand?”

“I-I… t-they w-will… I-if I-I l-leave t-they w-will k-kill m-me.”

“It didn’t look like they were holding back any a moment ago. Please, let us help you.”

“I-I…” 

“What the fuck are you ass-twats doing?! Is that… it’s the fucking enemy! Why the hell are you standing around her like some kind of worried parent?!”

“She’s in trouble Blanche! The other Red-Necks were trying to hurt her!”

“Who fucking cares? One less Red-Neck the better!”

“I FUCKING CARE!”

“I… fine. I ain’t saving you when she turns on us. Drake let’s go and… Drake? What the hell are you doing?”

“Olivia. Need. Help. Drake. Help.”

“Why are you always taking her side?”

“Wings. Bad. Drake. Good. Olivia. Save. Drake. Help. Save. Long. Neck.”

“You are all fucking crazy! Now if you…”

Before Blanche could even try to move off of Drake’s head, he jumped into the air and grabbed the giraffe by the shoulders. She started to shake, either out of fear or trying to get free of this sudden ‘monster’ that appeared before her. I had to calm her down before she got them both hurt.

“He’s a friend. We're all friends, please, stop struggling and let him help.”

“I-I d-don’t… I-I n-n-need…” 

She was still trying to struggle, so panicked that her words were not making any sense, but then she seemed to calm down as I saw Mark had jabbed a couple needles in her arm. 

“Tranquilizers. She'll be fine. Now let’s get her out of here before any of us regret this.”

“Thank you Mark. Drake, take her to the APC, we'll be right behind you!”

“Drake. Fly.”

“Olivia… what about the Legionaries?” 

Nate hadn't said anything up until now. I felt his paw on my shoulder as he spoke. “I… I can’t help it. Somehow I _knew_ she needed help. I can’t explain it, and for some reason I really don’t think she'll bring any harm to us. I just couldn’t leave someone crying for help. It’s just…”

“It’s not in your nature. I… I understand.”

“Thank you Nate. Now, let’s get the hell out of here before I start to regret my decision.”

There was no way we could sneak back out through the sewers. Once we made ourselves known, many of the Legionaries seemed to be ignoring the onslaught of Red-Necks and were heading straight towards us. Apparently I was worth enough money for them to ignore the fact that their entire army is being burned alive. The bridge was our only hope.

Drake had taken to the sky and Blanche must have activated the Stealth-Boar, because Drake, and part of the giraffe suddenly vanished. Unfortunately she was so large, even compared to Drake, that the field did not completely surround her, leaving everything from the chest down visible. If this was any other situation, we would have all found it funny, but now, I just wanted us all to survive this. Even her.

“The bridge, it’s blocked by Red-Necks!”

Shit. Holly was right. There were at least seven giraffes guarding the entrance to the bridge. They were probably there in order to prevent any Legionaries from escaping. I may not have wanted harm to come to her, but these fuckers aren't helpless, but once I'm done with them, they'll wish they were. 

I came to a stop. “Guard my back, I need a moment!”

“What are you…” 

“Just do it!”

They all surrounded me, firing their weapons at the oncoming Legionaries. The Red-Necks at the bridge weren't doing anything, probably hoping that these other guys would finish us off. Flames might be a deadly weapon, but they don’t have the range that a bullet has. I took out the other two shock grenades, along with my smaller screwdriver and took off both of their housings. I grabbed two remote bullets and took the electronics out of the shells. I may not know much about how certain guns worked, but electronics I knew. I also knew how to overcharge something too. 

It only took me five minutes to do what I needed, and after I synced my Pip-Boar to the remotes, I was ready. I told them to move between me and any Legionary left as I faced the Red-Necks at the bridge. I gave them a very large smile that seemed to unnerve them a bit. I started to charge them, feeling as if I was running faster than a cheetah. I had a grenade in each paw and waited until I was just close enough to them before tossing the grenades. Two of them had let out a fire plume, but it died down when they realized that the grenades didn’t explode. They looked very confused until I pushed a button on my Pip-Boar. 

The largest light show I had ever seen erupted from both apple sized objects. It was as if a thunderstorm appeared from beneath the ground. All seven of them dropped, convulsing so violently that I heard, saw, and smelt them evacuate every orifice at once. I was glad I still had my mask on, because from the look of the smoke, I'm sure that the electricity was now cooking them alive. 

“Olivia, what did you do?” Nate sounded utterly surprised by what occurred.

“I overrode the safety buffer that controls the electrical discharge and rewired it so that it would amplify the discharge, rather than subdue it. I had to sync it with two of those remotes and detonate them through my Pip-Boar, otherwise they would have went off the moment I activated them.”

“You didn’t just kill them, you cooked them alive!” Mark was the one who chimed in this time.

“They would have done the same to us. Now quick, back the APC before more of these fuckers get to us.”

There were no Red-Necks or Legionaries between us and our ride, so we all ran as fast as our legs could travel. Onion kept to the back, keeping an eye on anyone who may catch up with us, but there was no need. Once we crossed the bridge, I heard a massively loud sound as I turned back to see a mushroom shaped cloud over the battle field.

“Those fuckers actually used one. Good thing they are miniature nukes, otherwise we’d be dead as well.”

“Watch your language Holly.”

“I think I deserve that Mark, after today. You really think this was the right thing to do ‘livi?”

“I know I'll come to regret abandoning the mission later, but yes. I… I thought they were going to rape her. I just kept seeing that… boar. I couldn’t let them do that to her. Not even a Red-Neck deserves that.”

“But you cooked seven of them alive, with a grenade designed to STUN!”

“It was a feeling, okay! Those fuckers didn’t… I just knew she wasn't like them. Don’t ask me to explain. I. Just. Knew.”

My heart was still pounding and bad images were still passing through my head as if a video playing on a loop. I had to get my mind off of this, so I went to see how the giraffe was doing. Drake had set her down next to the APC, and he had moved away from her, while Blanche was yelling at him. I thanked Drake for his help as I leaned over her. Either the tranqs that Mark gave her were wearing off, or else they never took hold fully in the first place because her eyes were open and it looked like she was trying to move her neck.

“Don’t move. You're full of tranquilizers, so just rest. You're safe now. My name is Olivia Springs, and you are?”

“J-Jasmine… R-Rothschild.”

“Well, Jasmine Rothschild, you just get some rest. I promise you that nothing bad will happen to you again.”

I knew that wasn’t a promise that I should be giving, especially in the wasteland, but I had to give her hope. Hope to some was just as important as money, more important than even their food, water, or shelter. Hope was what drives mammals to do better, to _be_ better. Not just for ourselves but for those around us. Most importantly, hope gives us a reason to live, and I wanted to pass that along. 

I just hope I made the right decision.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! We are coming to you live from what used to be the Palm Hotel and Casino, located in the middle of Sahara Square! Unfortunately it’s gambling and entertainment days are long gone, replaced instead by fire and despair. Today the Palm Hotel is known as the Charred Spire, home to one of the most dangerous and feared raider groups in the wasteland, the Red-Necks!

“Today I will be sharing with you a little more about these raiders. While they have been mentioned before, not a whole lot of details have been given about them, they were one of the more favorites to create in the development process. Whoops, seems like there are still a few bricks missing in that wall I shattered the other day… hey Max! Got a job for you.”

**[Max]**

"…Stripes…? Normally I'd tell you to shove it up your own ass but since you decided to blindfold me and drag me out to this 'great surprise' of yours I've been desperately attempting not to one, shoot you dead. And two, praying to every deity I know to let me get out of here with my tail preferably intact and my fur unsinged. Just remember Celeste is a better shot than I am and if anything happens to me? Oooh you're gonna rue that day. So get this over with before I leave you for torch fuel!"

**[Stripes]**

 

“Don’t worry, we will be fine. I think. It _is_ a little hot in here… anyways. Now some of this will be covered during future events, but I would like to just dump it all on you at once. Let us open the history books and go back some twenty years or so after the first nuke went off. Sahara Square was relatively untouched during the war, though I have a feeling the real reason was due to that angel with horns, Gazelle, often stayed and performed within the Palm Hotel, and I don’t care how evil you are, everyone loves her.

“Many mammals tried to take shelter in the sand and rock that made up the vast majority of that district, but not everyone was able to survive the high temperatures. Some mammals even tried to sabotage the heating units that bordered Savanna Central, but thankfully the Steel Guardians stopped most of it, but with the Tundratown coolers destroyed by the massive flooding, it still had its toll, which is why two hundred years later, the sands have slowly been receding. 

“What does this have to do with the Red-Necks you say? Well, the heat can drive some mammals mad, and such is the case with one family of giraffes that fled from their homes in Savanna Central. The very first Red-Neck was named Derek Cauhill, later known as Chieftain Cauh, probably because the former name sounds more like a lawyer than a raider leader, though to some there isn’t much of a difference, but I digress. 

“Chieftain Cauh’s parents were archaeologists who were working within the Sahara Square district. Ancient artifacts in the middle of a major city you may ask, but truth is, all these different ecologies were mostly mammal made, built on top of lands that were once home to our ancestors. Seems you don’t have to do a whole lot of prep-work to simply dump a few billion pounds of sand on the ground. Despite the effects of the war still settling, his parents were too engrossed in their work to stop.

“Now, they did find something, remnants of an old civilization, one that predated even modern knowledge of the Savage Ages. It seems that this culture worshiped the elements, but fire was one of the big ones. Sure, many might think fire worshipers are demonic, or enjoy to watch the world burn, and with the Red-Necks, this isn’t far from the truth, but many ancient cultures worshiped fire as not a bringer of death, but as the flames of life. 

“Now Cauh wasn’t as used to the extreme heats of the area as his parents were, and the heat slowly drove him mad. At the age of nineteen, he started to hear voices coming from the artifacts that his parents found, voices that told him that in order for the world to be renewed, it must first turn to ash. So what did he do? He set the entire site on fire, not only causing him major burns to his entire body, but killing his parents and siblings in the process.

“If you think the heat can drive you mad, imagine the sudden realization that you just killed your own parents? Your brothers and sisters? If he was borderline crazy before that, now he’s drowning in it. It was the voices in his head that ‘crowned’ him Chieftain, and it was those voices that told him to build an army of followers, so he did. 

“Now, today the Red-Necks are solely comprised of giraffes, but that wasn’t the case back then. Chieftain Cauh tried to recruit any species that would follow his lead. Tigers, lions, and bears oh my… sorry, I had to… anyways, no species was excluded from his rule, so why the sudden xenophobia today? It was quite simple really. It all started with his son, Jaru.

“It seems that not only does insanity pass down through the generations, but it grows worse as it does. Jaru was only ten or so when his father was killed by a disease that was eventually traced to a sickly trader, who happened to be a wolf. When Jaru was made Chieftain, his first order was to not only kill the wolf and his family, but he suddenly feared that another wolf would take away his mom, or infect himself, so he had every single wolf within the clan killed. When his mother died two years later from an infection after getting cut by some rusted metal? He blamed the bears who brought in the metal and had them all killed. Soon, he started to distrust any species other than his own. Because of this, most of the other species fled for their own safety. He became so xenophobic that he refused to even talk to another species, and had them killed for even trying to spread their ‘poison’ to his kind. 

“Unfortunately, by the time he died, there was so few giraffes that it was feared that the clan would die out, but his only two children, Felicity and Samuel, whom had inherited his xenophobic nature, did not want that. They took up the mantle of Chieftain together, and forbade any giraffe from leaving the clan under the penalty of death. They went so far as to even form the earliest versions of what are now called the Reclaimers. These teams were tasked with a single job, to go out and find other giraffes to integrate into the clan. They were given complete freedom. Kidnapping, slave purchases, many often found families with newborns and if the parents refused to join, they would kill them and bring back the infants. For decades this made the Red-Necks population boom. 

“Now, you might be asking, where is all the fire and brimstone? Well early Red-Necks did use fire weapons, but they were simple ones. Hoof-held flamers, incendiary grenades, whatever they could find, but they still used other weapons as well. It wasn’t until Chieftain Obadiah that the modern use of flamers were utilized. 

“It seems that before the war, many giraffes volunteered within the fire departments, which made sense since their necks could reach places that only ladders could. One of Chieftain Obadiah’s scavenged teams came back with a bunch of modified fire hoses that were designed for giraffes to use and had them modified to be adapted by flamer technology. The first ones were simply head mounted designs, but often many of Red-Necks complained that the fire’s bright lights so close to their eyes would cause blindness, and that often the flames dropped down and burned their faces. So, the Chieftain had his engineers come up with something better. 

“That's when the Red-Necks current form of fire-power was created. A jaw mounted system that allowed them not only improved accuracy, but also gave them the horrifying visage of some fire breathing demon. Unfortunately, simply mounting it under the jaw wasn’t good either. Between heating up the mouths, straps melting and causing the devices to fall, and other issues made them decide to make a Red-Neck’s weapon be a ceremonial gift, rather than a simple weapon. 

“To make that possible, once a Red-Neck reached a certain age, they had their entire lower jaw removed and replaced by one made of metal. It was done so delicately and so methodical that once it healed, other than the increased weight, it felt natural. Even their long tongue wasn’t impeded by it. To get your new jaw turned into a ceremony akin to becoming an adult. Once it was healed, the flamer weapon was fused to the jaw.

“Now, despite the barbaric ways of the Red-Necks at times, they're not dumb. Besides having the medical and technical expertise to replace an entire jaw, they were also able to use some salvaged tech to allow the fire control system to be controlled by mental implants. This technology was originally designed for the Steel Guardians, to allow more precise use of the Exo-Armor by their operators, but was abandoned due to it causing severe mental issues, issues that the Red-Necks ignored.

“Now that their history is over, let's get down to the nitty-gritty about the modern Red-Necks and their culture. Every Chieftain introduced new rules that they thought would better their clan, and while some were abandoned by future leaders, most of them made it intact. 

“Chieftains are always born of the current ones. To not bare an heir is to fail as a leader. Red-Necks still maintain their xenophobic ways, but they no longer simply kill anyone who isn't a giraffe, unless they're given reason to. They don't like dealing with outsiders, but often it's necessary for supplies and services. They do, however utilize other species in… different ways." 

“A long time ago, one of the Chieftains made a pact with the first Slave Prince, and ever since the Red-Necks have bought slaves from the current Slave Princes. Giraffe slaves were forced to integrate into the Red-Neck culture, or else they were killed. Non-giraffes were tortured to the brink of death, starved, tormented, and otherwise treated as if they were nothing more than property. This demoralized them so much that once they were begging to die, they were turned into living napalm bombs, and used to infiltrate and destroy towns and armies from the inside. They are so mentally broken that it is very hard to not have them press the detonator when the time comes. They simply want to be released from their horrible life.

“Red-Necks are not above torturing their own kind however. Killing a giraffe is not taken lightly, and they are often punished prior to that decision being made. From whipping to ritualistic burning, any giraffe that strays from their faith will be punished. The Reclaimers are tasked with tracking down any that do escape, and are brought before the Chieftain to either be punished through flame, or burned alive if they are found to be unable to abide by their rules. 

“Despite all of this, the Red-Necks are a very close and tightly bound group. They take family and traditions very seriously and any that mock it will face their flames of wrath. Due to the high respect for their own kind, many giraffe slaves are often happy to be bought by the Red-Necks. Slave giraffes, as long as they abide by the rules, are cut from their bindings, free to live life as an equal to the rest of them. Many wastelanders find refuge within the Red-Necks due to that as well. If you are a giraffe, you will find safety within the Red-Necks, and being one of the most feared raider groups helps to keep them even safer. Not even the Steel Guardians want to go hoof to hoof with them unless forced to. 

“Because of this, giraffes are also shunned in many areas. Sure they might not have the metal jaw that makes the Red-Necks stand out from other giraffes, but many people believe that if the Red-Necks were to attack their towns and villages, that any giraffe residents would rather join the enemy and live, than to stay and fight for their town. To be honest, giraffes are regarded almost as untrustworthy as foxes are to many mammals. Yes, there are exceptions, and not everyone feels that way, but it's almost as hard to make an honest living as a giraffe as it is for a fox, sad to say. 

“I, for one, have no bias over them at all. As long as you show trust and kindness in me, I will return that, regardless of your species. Plus, I have a thing for long, plush legs, and they have legs for miles… ahem, anyways, I think that’s all I the time I have for today’s show. It ran a little longer than I expected, but history has the tendency to do that you know. Tune in next time when I finally meet up with one Holly Kerrigan! I just hope she doesn’t try to shoot me this time… until then folks, take care of yourselves!”

**[Max]**

"You done? Great! Let's get the hell out of here before we're spotted and kil-ooh… Ooh great… Hiiii… Hi there… Um… Don't suppose you've heard of the Savannah Caller Radio show? Um… This is Stripes! You know famous host of Stripes in the morning! I'm sure he'll be glad to tell you ALL about us…! Now if you'll just excuse me for a moment."

**[Stripes]**

“What are you… oh, hi. Um, if you excuse me I will be… actually… excuse me miss, you single by chance? I have a soft spot in my heart for giraffes, so… hot! Hot! Hot! I take that as a no! MAX! Wait for me!”


	51. Of Mice and Atoms

We had a difficult time getting Jasmine in the APC without causing her too much discomfort. To us, it was a massive transport but the moment we had gotten her into it, we felt cramped, like some canned food. To buy us time Holly had used a couple grenades to take out the bridge’s supports, creating a very large gap that was keeping both Legionaries and Red-Necks on the other side. Even ruthless bastards were afraid to get dunked into radiation heavy water.

“There. That’s the best we can do. This thing wasn’t designed for a mammal of her size.” Mark still didn’t sound too happy with my decisions back there. I don’t think any of them were.

“Thank you. Now let’s get the hell out of here before they decide it’s worth more to swim after us.”

Everyone got into the APC and positioned themselves as best as they could. Mark continued to look over his new patient, checking to see if she had sustained any injuries. Nate was driving while Holly kept an eye out for anyone who followed us. She was ready with the turret just in case. Blanche and Drake took the lead making sure that our path was clear, although she wasn’t in the talking mood right now. I think the only time I'll hear a word out of her is if it was a matter of life and death. 

Jasmine was in and out of consciousness. Mark had given her tranquilizers, but he said he wasn’t sure of the correct dosage for a giraffe, so he gave her as much as he was comfortable to give without risking killing her. Apparently it wasn’t enough to completely knock her out, but left her acting very groggy and confused. At least she wasn’t crying anymore. I can’t stand seeing someone cry. Especially when I have no idea how to comfort them. 

“Looks like we're clear. Haven’t seen any Legionaries or Red-Necks in a bit. So, where we taking her?” Holly’s voice was filled with discontent.

“There are really only two places Holly. We can’t take her to the Guardians. Some of them are already a bit uneasy with me bringing a deathwing to their doors last time. Bringing a Red-Neck? They might just throw us out. No, I can’t risk any more of them getting uneasy with us, not yet. We may still need their help. There’s only one other place we can take her.”

“No. You better not mean…” Holly’s tone showed that she knew what I was about to say, yet still was surprised.

“We need to take her to the bunker. It’s the only place she can be safe enough for Mark to take that crap off of her.”

“What if she wakes up and she’s still a Red-Neck? What if she snaps out of what ever happened and tries to kill us? We don’t know anything about her ‘livi!”

“Is the bunker large enough to house a giraffe?”

“Yes, but you still haven’t answered my question.”

“We're taking her there, and that's final. I really don’t think she’s a danger to anyone. I… I don’t know how I know, I just know. Just like I knew Nate wasn’t a danger to Hope when I first met him, just like I knew Drake was different from the rest. I can’t describe these feelings, but they've been right this far, haven’t they?”

“Yeah. You have. It’s just… I’ve heard stories of Red-Necks abandoning their ‘kin’. Those flame loving bastards hunt down every single one of them. Whole towns have burned just to teach traitors a lesson. What if they track her to the bunker, or worse, what if they find out _who_ you are and take it out on Hope. The Legionaries may be ruthless, but they at least need to be paid to destroy a town. These… freaks won't bat an eye if they think they're just in doing so.”

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know that, but I still stand by my decision regardless. You know why I did it? You know why I abandoned our mission to save someone I didn’t even know? I'll tell you. When I heard her cries for help, they sounded genuine. They were _real_. I knew they were real because that’s how I felt, how I wanted to scream when that… boar did what he did to me. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing my cries, but inside they were deafening me. When I saw those three surrounding her, in my mind they all became him. I saw three Baird’s, all surrounding… I-I think I… snapped. The thought that someone else would be put through that torture. I still don’t know _what_ those three were doing to her, or were about to do, but it didn’t matter. Her cries echoed my past, and I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Holly moved closer to me and put her paw on my shoulder. “That’s deep sis. I… I didn’t know how deeply rooted those feelings were still. The way you and Nate have been together, the way he’s changed because of you, I think we were too preoccupied with him to see what was wrong with you. How long has this been going on?”

“I… a while.” I started to speak softer, not wanting Nate to hear. Not yet anyways. “Every time I think of Nate and I being… intimate, I get these feelings. I feel unclean, and I dread what I'll do, what I'll say if and when Nate and I…” I felt myself starting to tear. 

“You don’t have to continue. I think I understand. You love him, right?”

“I do. More than I thought I ever could.”

“Then just take it slow. I'm not saying the first time won’t be difficult, but you have to remember, he’s not that boar. If you keep bottling this up, the next time you snap might not end well for you.”

“I-I'll try. Thank you.”

“That’s what family is here for.”

I wasn’t sure if Nate overheard our conversation, but if he did, he wasn’t showing it. I know I need to talk to him about this, about a lot of things, but I was scared. I wish I could explain these feelings better, but I don’t even know if words can be used to describe half of it. What I told Holly wasn’t even scratching the surface, but she was right. The more I keep trying to hide these feelings, the worse it will be when they come bubbling up to the surface again. I think what I was afraid of most, was hurting Nate.

***

A little over an hour after we left, I felt the APC start to act jerky. I got as close as I could to Nate without stepping on Jasmine who had finally fallen asleep, to find out what was happening.

“Are we going over some rough terrain or something? This ride isn’t feeling as smooth as usual.”

“The damn core is overheating. I still haven’t worked out the kinks in the cooling system yet. If we don’t let this thing cool down, we might be stranded.”

“Alright. Find a safe place to pull over. We'll let it cool down before we keep going. How long you think we need?”

“Thirty minutes or so for it to fully expel the stored heat. Another fifteen would prevent it from overheating again too quickly. If I can find some shade, it might shave off ten minutes or so.”

“Well, make it so, Captain Valiant.”

We were in a small suburb with scattered buildings. Unlike some of the areas of the city I’ve seen, most of these buildings were dilapidated beyond repair. There were caved roofs, missing walls, and even a few of them that looked like they simply imploded on themselves. Nate found a building that he was able to carefully drive the APC in, giving it the shade he needed. 

“Is she awake Mark? I'm sure she wouldn’t mind stretching her limbs. This can’t be comfortable for her.”

“No. I can’t tell if the tranquilizers finally kicked in, or if she passed out from exhaustion, but she’s out cold. Her vitals keep spiking, so I should stay and watch over her. You guys go stretch a bit. We still got a ways back to the bunker. In the mean time, I'll try to get more of this… stuff off of her, but a lot of it looks to have been surgically modified to be a part of her body. I can only do so much.”

“Do your best Mark. I know that anything you can do will be an improvement and...Thank you for doing this despite the circumstances.”

“I still don’t fully agree with, or comprehend the situation, but I can’t overlook someone who’s injured. I promise nothing bad will happen to her.”

“Onion, you mind sticking here too? I doubt we'll go far, but just in case we should have a proper communication channel established between us.”

“I will be more than happy to Miss. Lately I have felt more of a burden than a help.”

“Oh don’t go acting that way Onion. You're still plenty helpful.”

“I didn’t mean it in any disrespect Miss, just stating the facts. When it was just the two of us, I had to be there to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid, and despite the fact you always managed to, I was still there to keep a watch over you. I think the Valiants and Miss Kerrigan have done a rather stand up job doing the same thing, and with a bit more gusto than I.”

“Guess I'll have to find something else for you to do. Maybe the bunker’s personal butler?”

“I object Miss! I already find myself doing that as it is!”

“Okay, we'll hire a maid to take over for you then.”

“That’s not what I meant Miss!”

“I know Onion. Just giving you a hard time.” Teasing Onion like that often helped to clear my mind, but I think it'll take a lot more than that to do it this time. If I don’t do something soon, I think it'll end up giving me a migraine. 

Nate, Holly, and I left the APC. It was around two in the afternoon, and the sun was directly ahead of us, beating it’s hot rays onto the surrounding area. Why was it only ever sunny when I wanted some fresh air? I bet you anything if we were to suddenly get attacked, the sun would suddenly find a cloud to hide behind. At least it isn’t raining, although it might help me cool down a bit.

Drake landed near the outside of the building. Blanche must have wanted to stretch her legs as well because she jumped down from Drake’s head before he went into the building, probably to cool down. He’s had all the air he needs. A little cooling relief from the shade was probably nice for a change. 

“Why the fuck we stop?”

“The APC was overheating. Nate says we probably need to wait at least thirty to forty minutes before we can move again. Figured we could use the break. Did you two see anyone after us?”

“Nope. Soon as you guys left, the Red-Necks went back to killing those Legionary ass-twats. What the hell happened to the plan Olivia? I almost thought we’d be able to pull off the impossible!”

“The plan changed. Someone needed help and to me that took priority.”

“How many of your friends are in danger because of those Legionary fuckers, and you stop to save a fucking Red-Neck? You’re gonna get us fucking _killed_ one of these days Olivia! Do you really want that on your conscious you fucking ass-twat?”

“Don’t start this, not now. I need to cool my head.”

“If it wasn’t for this big galoot not wanting to leave your side, we would have been gone _ages_ ago! You know that?”

“I said not fucking now Blanche!”

“No, I can’t fucking take it! You’ve endangered us one time too many! You are constantly throwing your own life on the line, pulling us into situations so dangerous I wouldn’t believe if told, even if they had substantial proof! You need to pick _one_ thing and see it to the end, not gallivanting all over the fucking wasteland trying to make friends with everyone you come across. That’s why I don't fucking have friends, the last time I tried he got himself fucking killed!”

“I can’t fucking help it Blanche! How many times do I have to keep saying that! I. Can't. Fucking. Help. It!”

“Well you better learn how before you get us all killed you fucking bitch!”

I felt my brain snap under the pressure again. In less than a second I had my gun out and aimed at Blanche. I didn’t feel in control. Part of me was so fucking pissed off right now that I just wanted to shut her up the only way I knew how to, but another part of me was trying to cling onto whatever scrap of mammality I had in me. I felt my grip tighten as the dominating side moved closer to victory. 

I wasn’t sure if I could pull the trigger, but I wasn’t about to find out as I felt a grip on my shoulder and a black paw plucking the gun out of my own paws. It was Nate. I felt my body tremble as I started to fully comprehend what had just happened. My body _knew_ what it was doing, but my mind still hadn’t figured it out. Until now. 

“Holly, could you take her back to the APC?” Nate sounded oddly calm, especially for him.

“Nate, what are you…”

“Please?” 

“Oh, what now? The coward finally standing up for his _girlfriend_?”

“Shut the FUCK UP Blanche! Just. Shut. UP! You want to have it out right fucking now!? HERE?! I'll not have it anymore! …”

Nate sounded angry. Angrier than I ever heard him. The sound of his voice trailed off as Holly led me back inside the building. I could still hear snippets of what Nate was saying, and I had yet to hear anything from Blanche. My whole body was still trembling from what I almost did to Blanche. I still didn’t even know if I _would_ have done it. I didn’t feel in control anymore.

“‘Livi, sit.”

“I-I… I almost…”

“You know, I've _never_ heard Nate yell like that. I didn’t even know it was in him.”

“W-why did I… I a-almost…”

“Shh. Just sit here, and relax. Breath deep breaths. What's been going on in that head of yours?”

“I-I don’t… I don’t know. I feel… I feel as if _I_ am the one who’s been broken. The problem is, I can’t even remember what I used to look like before I broke… I just feel… useless.”

“You are not useless Olivia. You have done so much good to so many mammals. You are the strongest, bravest, and kindest mammal I have ever met. Ask any of us and we'll all agree.”

“B-but what if Blanche is right? What if I end up g-getting us all… killed?”

“I still have mixed feelings about Blanche honestly, but she’s proven to be an ally to us, despite her… demeanor. I have a feeling you weren't the only one with pent up emotions, and both of you just so happen to erupt at the same time. Just give her some space and I think things will go back to normal. Or maybe she’s just getting sober. She seems… happier, drunk.”

“Heh. Yeah, she does, doesn’t she? Maybe you're right. Nate was acting a bit… unlike himself. I should go make sure they haven’t tried to kill each other yet.”

“You think you'll be okay ‘livi?”

“Honestly? No, but I feel a bit better. Just… keep me away from any guns for the moment. Just in case.”

“That’s not too reassuring ‘livi.”

“I’ll be fine Holly. Trust me.”

“Now I _know_ I should be worried.”

My head was feeling a bit clearer honestly. It was still a long road to me being back to my normal self, but as long as I had my family to help me, it'll be a road I won’t fear to tread. When we exited the building all I saw was Nate standing there, staring out into the distance, my gun still in his paw.

“Nate? I’m feeling a bit better… what about you?”

“I-I… she’s gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean, gone?”

“S-she said she wanted to take a walk. She s-said to tell you that she d-didn’t know when… or if… she'll be b-back.”

“Oh sweetie. I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into this, and I didn’t want you to see this… side of me. I… will you forgive me?”

“F-forgive you? For what?”

“For snapping. For yelling. For threatening one of us. For putting you all in danger over and over again. I am so very sorry.”

I felt tears building up again, but they didn’t fall as Nate grabbed me and hugged me close to him. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m sorry for not helping you more with your own problems. I… heard you and Holly earlier, about… _him_. I don’t think any less of you, and I don’t blame you. No matter what happens between us, I will be there for you, and I will never do anything to hurt you. I will protect you from… everything.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry to have to put you though that.”

“Geeze. _You're_ sorry, _he’s_ sorry. Just kiss already.”

Nate and I chuckled a little. We stood there in each other’s arms and kissed for what felt like forever. Just this simple act made the feelings of remorse and pain disappear, even for just that moment. We both knew those feelings within us were gone, but I hope that we would have time to battle these daemons soon. Together.

“We really should go find Blanche. Besides feeling like I owe her even a small apology, I would feel bad if anything happened to her due to my snapping. Drake? Stay here and watch over the others. We'll be back shortly.”

I didn’t see him anywhere, but I heard a small growl of understanding come from the building. I wonder if he heard what transpired? If he did he either didn’t care, or more likely, knew me well enough to know nothing serious would happen. Or maybe he had found a nice comfortable area and was just too lazy to do anything. 

Nate led us in the direction that Blanche went. While the buildings were far apart from each other, there was a tremendous amount of debris everywhere. From the looks of it, I think it was bits and pieces of the surrounding homes. I wonder if an explosion was triggered near here? A large enough one could have produced a shock-wave that would explain it. 

I saw a large sign that read _Zootopia Botanical Park_. “Botanical Park? What’s this?”

“Mark told me about these before. Before the war broke out, there were a few public parks that had a tremendous amount of exotic plant life. Trees, flowers, even certain fruits were all planted, donated from foreign ministries as a sign of peace. Zootopia was the first major city to try to abolish the hate between predator and prey. I would have loved to have seen something like that in person.” 

I wanted to tell Holly that we were already here, but then I noticed the trees, or should I say, shriveled corpses of trees. There was a large brick wall separating us from the park, but one of the trees had fallen down, taking part of the wall with it. I walked up to the fallen tree, a tree that looked more red and brown than one should and knocked on it. It sounded hollow but felt like a rock.

“They're all petrified.” Nate sounded surprised as he went over and touched one.

“Petrified? What, like scared?”

“No, as in turned to stone. Read it in one or Mark’s books. Apparently some living organisms under the right conditions can undergo a process that replaces the cells with minerals, basically turning it to stone. What ever happened here must have escalated the processes. I’d love to show this to Mark. He would probably get a kick out of it.”

“Well we could… you hear that?”

“No ‘livi, hear what? And why is it you're starting to hear things I can’t?”

“Shush. There it is again, it sounds like crying. It sounds like… Blanche?”

“Blanche? Crying? I didn’t even know she had the capability to.”

“Now I feel really bad. Come on, let's go find her.”

There were no objections as I started to follow the sound. It wasn’t a very loud or heavy crying, more like a small weeping. It was coming from the other side of the wall so I carefully climbed up the stoned tree trunk and crawled over it to the other side of the wall. Nate and Holly followed behind me.

It didn’t take long to find the source of the crying. One of the tree’s had a very large hole in it, and inside it was a small white ball of fur. Her back was facing me, so I didn’t want to spook her, but before I went to say anything, I heard her talking very quietly. 

“I-I was afraid. That’s not the first time I ever yelled at her, but she… scares me. I think it might have just made it worse.”

Who was she talking to? At first I thought that maybe she was talking with Drake over her communicator, but that idea was dashed the moment I heard another voice. 

“If she scared you so much, why yell at her like that?”

“I couldn’t help it. When I'm upset I either drink or yell, and I didn’t have any booze. I’m… I'm actually too scared to go back to them. To her.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing I found you. Come meet my brothers and sisters. I'm sure they will be just as fascinated by you as I am.”

Who _was_ that? I was starting to get a bad feeling about this. I had to interrupt. “Blanche?”

She nearly fell out of the tree before facing me. Her voice just then was very subdued, but now she was speaking like her typical self. “What the fuck are you doing here? Following me? What part of wanting to be left alone didn’t you get?”

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I… scared you.”

“Aw hell, did you hear that? Look, I’m sorry I snapped back there, but you keep acting so _stupid_ when it comes to listening to your heart rather than your brain. That’s why I stopped listening to mine a long time ago.”

“I know. I'm a stupid bunny, but even a stupid bunny needs friends to help show them their error. Whether you like it or not, I still consider you one.”

“One what?”

“A friend.”

“So, is this her?” The unknown voice spoke again. I still couldn’t tell where his voice was coming from.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Is there someone with you Blanche?”

“It’s…” Blanche started but the voice cut her off.

“My name is Julio Mouscedes, and I'm a Brother of the Atom.”

***

Julio Mouscedes was a small brown furred mouse that made Blanche look tiny in comparison. He was wearing a long yellow robe that covered him from his neck to his feet. He talked very calmly as he showed us to his home deeper in the park. He had invited Blanche to a special festival that would be commencing soon, and while he said outsiders were typically not welcome, he would make an exception for the friends of a special lady. 

I had no idea what he meant by Blanche being special, but he seemed to talk to her in an almost awestruck voice as if he just met the woman of his dreams. She told me that she was trying to hide just in case I did come to find her, and that's when she ran into him. She wouldn’t admit that she was crying, but he seemed more than eager to act like the ‘hero’ to a lady in distress. 

The petrified trees were thick around here, but we eventually came to a clearing. In the center was a large crater where small mouse sized houses had been constructed around it. Inside the crater was a much larger building. It was a simple looking building. Square with an angled roof and a single tower rising from the left side of it. What was caught me by surprise was what I saw on _top_ of the tower. It was a miniature nuclear bomb.

“Olivia… it’s the… Order…” Nate was whispering nervously. 

“Order?”

Holly decided to chime in. “As in the Order of the Atom. A bunch of wackos that worship nukes. Some of them are harmless, simply spouting dribble about their ‘god’ Atom, while others have tried to… forcefully convert non-believers. These are not good folks to be around.”

“I don’t trust him, but he hasn’t shown any aggression yet. I wanna keep here a bit longer, make sure nothing bad happens to Blanche.”

“Even after everything that happened between you two?”

“We may disagree on most occasions Holly, but she’s still one of us, and she will be one of us until she chooses to leave on her own free will.”

“Well, you're the boss ‘livi, but the moment I think we're in danger, we are grabbing that mouse and high tailing it out of here.”

“I won’t argue with you on that.”

We had trailed behind them a bit so had to catch up, but it wasn’t long before Julio asked us, that is Holly and I, to stay here while he went to tell his elder about his guests. From the looks of it, they were all mice, or at least all the ones I saw. At least seven of them, wearing various colored robes similar to Julio’s, had stopped what they were doing and were simply staring at us.

“‘Livi? Take a look over… there.”

I looked around but wasn’t sure where she was talking about, but then a quick grab of my head with her paws showed me just what she was talking about. It was a large statue, nearly as tall as me. It was made out of what looked like scrap metal that had been melted and reforged into an oddly familiar shape. It wasn’t the fact that it was shaped like a mouse, it was the fact that it was painted in a bright white nearly identical to Blanche's. The most disturbing part about it? The statue’s tail. It was missing.

“That looks like…”

“Blanche.” I knew exactly what Holly was about to say.

“Yeah. That’s rather… odd, don’t you think?”

“Tell me about it Holly. Look, here she comes.”

“Well… this is, odd.” Blanche sounded very confused, but not in a bad way.

“What? That they have a giant statue of you?”

“No… wait, what? What the fuck? That’s… not right, but that’s not what I was talking about. I’ve heard rumors of these Order creeps, but turns out this is simply a village trying to get by. Julio told me that they had been able to grow crops up until a few months ago, but they suddenly died for no reason. They were about to have a feast to appease their ‘god’, and he kinda invited me.”

“That’s a bit… forward of him, isn’t it?” This was making me more and more uncomfortable.

“That’s what I thought! Apparently these guys worship _two_ deities, Atom, and Veve. From what he tells me, Atom gave life to all beings, which I think is a bunch of malarkey, and Veve was supposed to create the life that sustained the life he created. And guess what? It seems I have the striking image to this Veve deity. That’s why he wants me to stay for the feast. He thinks it will bring them good luck.”

“You sound rather, calm about this. You didn’t say yes, did you?”

“I didn’t want to! But I was also…”

“You were afraid of returning to us, weren’t you?”

She sounded very quiet as she spoke. “Yes. I agreed to it shortly before you found me, and just like a contract, I feel obligated to see this through.”

“There's something about this whole thing that's making the fur on the back of my neck stand on end. Do you trust him?”

“Not as far as I can throw him. I was starting to change my mind until I saw, them.” 

Blanche pointed towards a smaller grouping of houses. There were a bunch of children playing. Unlike the adults, they weren't dressed it robes, but rather what looked like fabric loin cloths. They were also thin. _Very_ thin. I think they were malnourished. 

“Julio said they haven’t eaten in days, and if the crops don’t return, they may die. I don’t give a fuck about the adults, but I can’t let children suffer like this.”

“Have they tried trading?”

“They don’t have anything to trade, not like anyone would want to. Most traders avoid the Order like the plague.”

“We have food and supplies in the APC. Can’t we just give it to them?” Nate had been quiet this whole time, but I think the thought of starving children was getting to him too. 

“Tried that. He said the elder refused, saying it would go against their belief to just accept help from outsiders.”

“He would rather let his own people die than ask for help?” I was starting to feel angry again.

“The guy’s old, like _real_ old. Hell, he may even be my great-great-great grandfather for all I know. Look, Julio thinks that my very presence will help them tremendously, and when it doesn’t magically make food appear, he agreed to sneak some supplies in for the children. Will you please help?”

I couldn’t let children suffer like this, and I can tell that none of them wanted to either. “Of course we will.”

“So, will you stay my White Princess?” 

I nearly choked when I heard what Julio called Blanche. “ _Her_? A princess? Have you even met her?”

“Oh shut up you ass-twat.”

Even Holly found it a little humorous. Nate however, was not laughing. His face bore a very concerned look on his face. I think he was concerned over the children. I took his paw and held it in mine and whispered. “We'll make this right, I promise.” I felt his paw squeeze mine, but he didn’t respond with words, just a simple flicker of his tail on my back.

“Yes, I'll stay. Is there room for my friend?”

“Regrettably no. The festivities take place in the church, and they are simply too large to fit. Plus, other than yourself, my Princess, outsiders are not welcome for such holy events as this. Please do understand.”

“Yeah, I get it. Give us a second, won’t you?”

“Of course. Take your time and when you are ready, meet us in the church.”

Julio bowed to us and went towards the large building in the crater. I reached down and held my paw out and Blanche jumped onto it. I held her up between the three of us so we could discuss our plans. 

“Do you trust him Blanche?”

“I don’t know. You said you had a ‘feeling’ when you saw Drake, that Red-Neck, and… me. What did it feel like?”

“I wish I could tell you, but I don’t think there are words to describe it. Why?”

“Because I think I'm getting the same thing. I’ve never felt this and it scares me.”

“Just follow your heart. Remember, you still have it, no matter how much you refuse to use it.”

“Yeah, yeah. What will you guys do?”

“Head back to the APC and prepare some supplies. I doubt Mark will mind, especially to help some children. Plus I'm sure Drake is getting worried about you.” 

“Heh. That big lug would be lost without me. I’ll radio you when it’s safe to bring the supplies. Oh, and Olivia?”

“Yeah Blanche?”

“Tell anyone about this, about how I… shared my… _feelings_ , and I will slice all of your throats.”

“Aaand, welcome back Blanche.”

“Now get the fuck out of here!”

That strange feeling in me was yelling at me to not leave her alone, but she’s an adult, she can make her own decisions, and it sounded like it was important to her. By the time we got the supplies together, the APC should be cooled down and we can simply drive it over here and drop it off at the wall. From the sound of it, their elder wouldn’t want to see us bring the food, but maybe Julio will call it an ‘act of god’ or something. 

Worshiping an atomic bomb. I think that’s the craziest thing I've heard so far.

***

When we arrived back at the APC, I went to check in on Mark and Jasmine. Mark told me that when she woke up earlier, she first freaked out being in an unknown and confined space. It took him a while to calm her down, and ended up having to sedate her again. She wasn’t completely unconscious, but was acting very groggy.

“Hey Jasmine. Remember me?”

“Urgle… ghurt?”

“I have no idea what you just said, but I'm a friend. Olivia Springs, remember me?”

“Bunery, savherd me?”

“Yeah, I saved you. You keep resting until you feel better, but please remember. We are all friends. We want to help you.”

“Theryk york.”

I think she said thank you, but whatever sedatives Mark gave her were definitely working as intended. We told Mark about the Order and at first he showed signs of disgust, but the moment I mentioned the malnourished children, he instantly offered to bring them whatever supplies we had. I told him about Blanche and the festivities and I think the doctor in him was saying we needed to expedite food and medicine now, but the religious side of him, I think that’s what was keeping him from just simply running to them. He once told me that sometimes prayer is the best you can do. I still think that’s a bunch of malarkey, but who am I to simply extinguish one’s beliefs. 

I left the APC to go talk to Drake about Blanche when my Pip-Boar beeped. Was it over already? I looked down and horror filled me. It wasn’t her messaging me, it was her _communicator_ messaging me with the distress signal that her link was removed… the link in her tail… FUCK! 

“Olivia! Onion just…” 

“I know! Fuck. I _knew_ we shouldn’t have left her! Drake we need to…”

Drake was not much on technology, but I think he knew what this meant. The device I gave him was beeping erratically. I had made sure to link theirs together along with the Onion and our Pip-Boars. He knew she was in trouble. 

“Quick! Get in!”

We rushed into the APC and Nate hopped into the driver's seat and bolted towards the park where we left Blanche. He didn’t even bother trying to get around the buildings, he simply plowed right through them, causing a few to nearly collapse on us. Once we reached the wall he still wouldn’t stop. It’s a good thing this was built like a tank. 

Once we reached the clearing Nate slammed on the breaks and we piled out. There were no sign of mice, children or adults. It looked like a ghost town. I darted towards the church. I was just about to tear off the roof when I noticed something. On top of the church there had been what looked like a bomb. It was gone.

“Blanche’s tag was last detected over in this direction!” 

I followed Nate as he lead us to the far edge of the town. When I first laid eyes on this place, I thought they built the town in a crater. I was wrong. This was ONE crater. The edge of the town overlooked a much larger one. As I reached the edge my radiation detector started to go crazy. A thin greenish yellow mist was drifting over the edge of the larger crater. I peered down into the mist filled hole and that's when I saw her. Blanche, right at the base of the drop off, surrounded by two dozen Order members. Children, adults, I think the entire village was there. 

“Blanche!”

I tried to jump into the crater but Nate held me back. 

“Let go! She needs my help!”

“The radiation will _kill_ you Olivia!”

“I don’t care, I need to help her, she’s in trouble!”

I heard Blanche call out. It might have been faint to the other’s, but I heard it loud and clear. 

“Olivia, don’t try to help me. I’m already…” she coughed a few times. “The rads here are too strong. Don’t be a stupid bunny. Just… leave.” 

It was then that I saw something else. Nate wasn’t letting me go no matter how much I struggled. Even Holly was starting to hold me back. I had to do something… Blanche was tied… to the nuke. What the hell were they going to do? WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY GOING TO DO!?

“Olivia, stop! Please, please don’t.” Nate’s words were starting to get drowned out by my clouded mind. I had to do something. I had to. I saw movement down there. The mice were holding up something… 

“Nuke Grenades! Nate we need to get her out of here!”

“Mark! You need to help!”

“LET GO OF ME! I NEED TO HELP HER!”

I forced my legs out from under me, knocking both Nate and Holly down in the process. I ran towards the edge. If I activated B.A.T.S. I could get in there, free Blanche and get out before anything would happen. I started to jump and then felt a sharp jab in my back. Then another. I fell flat on my face. 

“Get her into the APC!”

I turned my head, trying to see what happened and saw Nate, holding two needles. “N-Nate… why d-did…” I heard a beep from my Pip-Boar but I couldn’t move my arms. Then I saw a shadow above me. 

“D-Drake…”

Despite the fact that Nate had sedated me, it took all three of them to get me into the APC. I wanted to kick, I wanted to fight. I had to help Blanche. I… I wanted to tell her I was sorry, I wanted to tell her I didn’t mean to yell, to point my gun. I wanted to thank her for helping. 

A large explosion sounded, followed by twelve smaller ones. The armored vehicle started to shake as the shock waves impacted it. I think I heard Nate yell something as I felt everything start to move. Then I heard a roar. No, a scream. I could barely move myself, but I managed to look out one of the small windows to see Drake flying straight up into the air, screaming. 

Then everything went black.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Now, today’s chapter was a bit… well, I am sure it was very unexpected by all of you. Today’s episode will not be impactive on the current events, but rather a long overdue interview in order to… calm the mood before these next few chapters. Let’s just say that Olivia will be having some rough times ahead after the past few events, although not necessarily all bad. 

“Today, we finally catch up with one Holly Kerrigan! So far it seems I've caught her in a good mood since she has yet to shoot me. You're not going to shoot me, are you? Err, I mean, how are you doing today Ms. Kerrigan?”

**[Holly]**

"Well… Both of those outcomes depend on how far off the reservation you go _this_ time. I also can't help but notice that your minder isn't here today. YOU didn't get him killed did you? Cause he at least knows how to not push my buttons."

**[Celeste]**

"I think I can explain that. This drunken idiot here decided it'd be a _GREAT_ idea to kitnap my boyfriend in the middle of the night and drag him straight into the center of Red-Neck territory. So Maxy is spending the day relaxing in the safest place possible in the wasteland. Took a fair bit of convincing on my part though… And no Stripes, you're not gonna learn where it is. Ever."

**[Stripes]**

“Are you even _qualified_ to be my co-host? I don’t even remember inviting you… let me guess, Max took the liberty? I’ll have to… not the face! Okay, okay. Sheesh. Anyways, since we are on the subject of… shooting mammals… I gotta ask, where did your obsession with all things that shoot and go boom come from?”

**[Holly]**

"Hmm… No Idea. I just really like the way firearms look and feel in my paws and I love the sound of an explosion. It's the third most satisfying feeling I know."

**[Stripes]**

“Third most? I would probably be pushing it ask what the other two are, wouldn’t I? I’ll save that for a another time, maybe when I have a suit of armor on… Now I know the answer to this will be coming up later on in the adventure, but since a few have brought it up, how did you and Mark Valiant end up a couple? What exactly do you see in him to stick with him for so long?”

**[Holly]**

"Later in the adven… _What?!_ The hell do you mean later in the adventure? WHAT adventure?

**[Celeste]**

"Max explained this to me… Apparently Stripes thinks this whole world and everything that's happening to us is just some big scripted story being written by none other than said insane equine. It's just… Easier to roll with it for now. Apparently questioning him too much on the subject sets off some creepy logic fallacy in his head and he goes all blank and haunted looking, then starts berating you for… 'Going off script' I think is what Max said."

**[Holly]**

"Riiight… Well… Mark and I met young, like… Really young. Our mothers were almost the best of friends and would always meet without the Overseer knowing. My mom had a lot of friends in security back then so she could easily slip off without him ever finding out… Though… When Mark's mom started to really ramp up her opposition to the Overseer it just… Stopped. The meetings, the play dates, all of it just stopped. I couldn't go see him anymore and it left me feeling, not well… Not empty but incomplete. We were always rough housing whenever we met and it was always so much fun to hang around him. Didn't know what was going on until after Mark's mom was… Was murdered. I really, REALLY wanted to go to him after that, but my mother said no. It'd be far too dangerous because those two kits were being constantly watched. I made up my mind then and there. I'd join security so I could see my best friend again and protect him. Mom supported me whole-heartedly when she learned my reasons why. I think she was the one that put it into the overseer's head to let me join up too. And our relationship just kinda grew from there.

**[Stripes]**

“That is a rather… disheartening story. I apologize for that question brining up any bad memories. I am anything but inconsiderate. Now tell us, what's your opinion on Olivia Spring’s most recent… break down? What do you think of her emotional state all together? Are you at all worried that one of these days she'll snap and end up hurting herself or her friends in the process? Are you even prepared for if that ever happens?”

**[Holly]**

"Are… OF COURSE WE'RE WORRIED YOU STUPID MORON! 'Livi is a part of our family. Family protects and cares for family. Right now she hasn't even had a fucking chance to start confronting what's happened to her! We're fucking terrified of something happening. She's important to us, she's even more important to Nate and we'll be damned if we let her slide any further! So BACK OFF on her before I _DO_ shoot you!"

**[Celeste]**

"Best to back off Stripes… _Now_. I really don't think it'll be smart to push her on that. Like, EVER again… Now _really_ I see why Max is so grouchy whenever it involves you

**[Stripes]**

“It is my duty to bring _all_ the news no mater how painful. However, it is also my duty to make sure I live long enough to bring the next news story, so I will refrain from that question. For now. Now, let me ask you this. It seems that you tend to do a lot of teasing. Sure most of it is harmless and rather amazing, often giving the mood a bit of a well needed lift, but occasionally, it tends to either back fire or get taken too far. What happened to make you like that? Is it some kind of subconscious defense mechanism from your time in the Burrow, or is it just who you are?”

**[Holly]**

"If you _must_ pry you oaf. It's a coping mechanism. Nate and Mark were always so sad so I _had_ to find a way to keep their spirits up or it would've ended up with all three of us on a slab in the burrow morgue. So yeah… I Tease because it's the _one_ thing that can help put a smile on my fox's muzzle and that in turn puts one on mine."

**[Celeste]**

"You are SO catching a bullet from one of us by the time this interview is over. How Max _hasn't_ shot you dead yet is a wonder to me."

**[Holly]**

"You and me both, sister."

**[Stripes]**

“Well, if he shot me, he would be out a job, now wouldn’t he? Plus, I have… ahem… the power to kill off _any_ characters so… um… yeah, just ignore what I just said. It’s nothing really. Ahem. Now, I do apologize for taking this too far, but the truth must be told no matter _how_ much it hurts. Ms. Kerrigan, do you ever look back on your past, see everything that has happened both inside the Burrow, and over the years since you left, and wonder if it would've been better to just have stayed there? Be honest please.”

**[Holly]**

"FUCK NO! That burrow was _HELL_. The Overseer was a monster and all the prey there were all too happy to listen to his disgusting ramblings on the dangers of predators. I was disgusted ever living in that place and I will NEVER let myself or my boys ever be dragged back there without a HUGE reason to do so."

**[Stripes]**

“Never say never Holly. So… Let’s turn the dial back a bit and get into some questions that aren’t as likely to end up with me having an extra hole in my body. What are your opinions on all these different mammals that Ms. Springs keeps adding to the group? First there was a deathwing, especially after you were nearly dinner for them, then, while not exactly a companion, there's a ghoul, a Mr. North West. Then an insane mouse, though please tell me your feelings before… recent events, and now a former Red-Neck. Do you agree with everyone she picks up along the way? Or do you think she is just some lonely collector trying to make up for years of not having any friends or family to fall back on?”

**[Holly]**

"… Look, I'm done answering personal questions, especially pertaining to 'Livi and her choices. When it comes to other mammals she has a better than average sense of who they are. I trust her. Drake has been wonderful and Nate adores that Deathwing. As for the others… Time will tell, and she will never be lonely again. NOT as long as we have anything to say about it. She is OUR family."

**[Stripes]**

“Was hoping for some more… detailed information than that… you can put the gun away! I promise to change the subject… So, Nathan Valiant has changed since meeting Ms. Springs, and changed for the better we all can tell. We can tell that you've adopted her to your little family, that you even consider her a sister. Seeing their relationship unfold right in front of you, I have to ask, do you ever feel even the tiniest bit of jealousy towards them and their ever growing relationship? Be honest, please.”

**[Holly]**

"Of course not! Nate deserves to be happy and she's the greatest thing that's ever happened to him. Why in the hell would I be jealous of her… Aside from the fact she can eat fish. That's the ONLY thing I might just be the tiniest bit jealous about."

**[Celeste]**

"She… She can eat fish? Oooh I need to share some recipes with her if I ever get the chance to meet her!"

**[Stripes]**

“I am sure they will be… fin-tastic. No? Okay then, last question, I promise. During that time when Mr. West brought all that food, and you nearly exploded in delight at the mention of cake before proceeding to drag your boyfriend to some private chambers, I want… no, I need to ask. Do you have some sort of… cake fetish? Your boyfriend has tons of books, is there some kind of food fetish book among them that we should know about? Something like the… Caramel Sutra or something?”

**[Holly]**

"… That's it. You've got ten seconds to start running. Starting right. Fucking. Now. Ten… Nine…"

**[Celeste]**

"Oooh she looks serious… You'd better start running. I think she really means to shoot you this time. Though you know what they say. You can run Stripes, but you'll just die tired. Ta ta now."

**[Stripes]**

“I’m a zebra running is my thing, and… and your still counting. You’re serious aren't you? She is, isn’t she?” *chugging sound* “Caffeine boost don’t fail me now! This is Stripes signing off, tune in next time when I…”

**[Holly]**

"Three… Two… ONE! YOU AIN'T RUNNING FAST ENOUGH YOU BASTARD!!"

**[Stripes]**

“Eep! When I tell the tale of the Order of the Atom.” *gunshot* “Until next time folks!” *multiple gunshots*

**[Celeste]**

"Well folks… I think that about wraps up this little piece. Sorry again that my Maxy couldn't show but he really needs a break from that zebra and don't worry. I'll make sure the vengeful bunny doesn't kill him… Maiming on the other paw? That is an ENTIRELY different matter. Ta for now folks! OH! Before I forget though, Max always enjoys hearing from you 'wonderful' mammals out there in the wasteland so if there's something you wanna know or someone you wanna hear more from don't ever be afraid to send your request in! Unless it's something horrendously stupid… Then you'll be called out on air and horribly humiliated, probably in front of all of your raider friends. Have fun now! I think Holly just caught up with Stripes so I've gotta go make sure she doesn't kill him!"


	52. The Trouble with Tribulations

Trees. There are so many here. I don’t remember ever seeing one up close like this, yet now I find myself surrounded by them. Was this a dream? It had to be a dream, yet it feels so… real. I reached out to touch a branch when something green appeared. A bud, the basis of a tree’s leaves. These trees were naked, but the buds started to appear, like small dots, all ready to be connected into something bigger. 

Leaves. As if some unknown orchestra was playing, all the tree buds bloomed open in a rhythmic pattern. Everywhere around me life started to show itself, a sea of green flooded my surroundings. It was beautiful. I reached out towards a leaf and dragged my paw across its surface. It felt alive, teeming with energy. 

Flowers. I smelt them first. An intoxicating array of violets and lavender. There were other smells, but those two stood out the most. Just as the leaves had appeared, so did the flowers in a dance of harmonious excitement. It was breathtaking. I had no idea where I was, but I didn’t want to leave. Not yet. 

Colors. Just as quick as they appeared, the flowers soon withered away, their petals covering the ground like a blanket of snow. It was sad to see them leave, but in their place, a new show began. All the leaves that were once green started to change colors of their own. Green to yellow. Yellow to orange. Orange to red. It was as if a rainbow had landed right on top of this field of trees. 

Fall. The leaves started to turn brown, falling from the branches. They coated the ground, completely shrouding the petals that were there moments ago. It was sad to see the flowers and leaves fall, but the branches had their own beauty to them. Wooden arms pointed in every direction, branching off left and right. Up and down. It was as if there were no limit to where they could go. 

Sounds. I took a few steps, wanting to see the different shapes of the trees when a loud, yet satisfying crunch occurred beneath my feet. The leaves had dried to the point that they were brittle. The slightest touch caused them to break into a million tiny parts. I lightly walked through the clearing, listening to each sound as my foot hit the ground. Soon I found myself picking up speed, trying to create my own music in the crumbling leaves. 

Cold. A sudden chill blew through the now lifeless trees. They weren't dead, at least from what I’ve read. They simply… sleep through the winter, to be reborn again year after year, for decades or even centuries. I envied those trees. To be able to rest, to know that no matter what, you will wake up again when the time is right. 

Noise. I heard the trees creaking as the cold winds started to pick up, causing the trees to all sway, as if dancing. Everywhere I looked, trees were moving as if the wind was coming from all directions. It was getting colder. I felt myself shudder from the chilling embrace. I needed to find shelter. I ran into the trees.

Lost. Where was I? Every time I tried to escape the bitter wind through the tree’s, I ended up back in the clearing. North became South. West became East. No matter what direction I picked, I always wound up back here. I was lost, and alone. The bitter winds started to chill me to the bone, leaving frozen strands of ice on my nose and muzzle. I needed to get warm. 

Decay. I tried to wrap myself in the leaves that fell moments ago, but they were gone. In its place was a body. It… was me. I stood here, but I also lay there on the ground, naked. The fur on my chest… no _its_ chest was gone, in its place a large scar going from the base of the neck down to the…

Rot. I saw the skin on the body start to peel back, as if roasting in a fire, but there was no heat, only bitter cold. The eyes disappeared deeper into the skull. Fur looked as if it was melting off. The skin boiled and bubbled. What was going on? Where was I? Where am I? I tried to look away, but no matter where I looked, there I was, looking at my own rotting body. I couldn’t escape it.

Move. I had to move, I had to get away but I can’t! My mind kept shouting: ‘Move! Move! Move!’ but my body wouldn't respond, it was as if I was running in circles. _Move_. Where? Where can I go? _Move_. I want to! I need to, but I can’t! Where do you want me to… no. My mind wasn’t telling me to move, it was telling me _it_ was moving! The body on the ground before me has rotted, bits of flesh still lingering on discolored muscle. I felt sick, knowing that moments earlier I was looking at myself as in a mirror, but something still remained. The torso. The scar, along with the shaved area still looked fresh, it still looked… alive. I finally saw the moment. It was as if the body was still… breathing. No, not breathing, but it was moving, as if something was… inside.

Escape. I wanted to escape, but I couldn’t as I watched something else trying to escape… from inside my own body, my body that was laying at my feet. Rhythmic pulses were pushing along the scar line from beneath the skin. It wasn’t my body, but watching it made me start to feel it. To feel the pushing, to feel the pain. It was as if my own body was mirroring that below me. 

Tear. I felt my skin burn as I saw the scar started to separate, both sides of the skin tearing from each other. I had to look down at my own body. I could feel it, but I saw no signs of movement, saw no foreign entity trying to escape from my own flesh, but it felt so… real. It was hurting. I felt my heart on fire, my blood starting to burn through my very veins. I fell to my knees. 

Emergence. I tried to look away, but it was always there. I tried to close my eyes but it was as if my own eyelids were missing. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. The cold surrounding me seemed to be shutting my body down bit by bit, everything but my eyes. And my ears. Unable to look away I could only watch, watch as two small paws emerged from the body, one at a time. They pushed and scratched at the skin, my skin. I felt every moment, every scratch. 

Death. I smelt it in the air, the choking stench of it as I saw a face emerge from my own body. No. It can’t be. I wanted to run, I wanted to cry, I wanted to… say I’m sorry. I needed to tell her that I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean any of it. I wanted to…

“You killed me.”

No! I didn’t! I… why can't I speak? I needed to tell her that it wasn’t my fault, that I tried to save her.

“Why did you abandon me?”

I didn’t! I… I didn’t want to… I tried… I tried…

“Why won’t you say you're sorry? Why won’t you cry for me?”

I… want to… I can’t speak. I can’t cry. I can’t even move. I felt frozen, any heat within me sapped by this never ending wind. I just wanted to… die. Oh please, if I could bring her back by giving my own life in exchange, I would do it. I would rather I suffer for an eternity than let anyone experience the same. I just wanted to tell her…

“You killed me, and now I'm here to return the favor.”

Would it give you your life back? Taking my own, would it ease your suffering? I wanted it to be true, to know that I could simply trade my own life for another's, to let them live through my death. As I saw her brandishing her swords, I just wanted to lean my head back, to give her the freedom to take my own life in exchange for hers, but my head fell. 

Warm. I felt a warmth run through my body. Was it blood? No, she was still standing there, as if frozen in time. Why did it feel so warm all of a sudden? The winds died down, the chill faded with it as my body warmed up as if the new day’s sun arrived, but there was no sun, it was dark. 

Light. A small flicker of light started somewhere in the distance. She still stood there, the tiny mouse holding a sword in each paw, looking as immobile as I felt. She didn’t speak. She didn’t move. She just… stared at me. Her eyes locked into my own, hate, anger, betrayal. Sadness. They all filled her eyes like an ever changing painting. 

Heat. The warmth got hotter and hotter, and soon it felt as if my entire body was on fire. The flicker of light in the distance got larger, brighter. It moved with a mesmerizing motion. The flickering swayed back and forth as it grew in intensity. It grew larger, and closer… and hotter. 

Flame. The trees were on fire. The roaring of the flames and the cracking of burning wood created a cacophony of noises that under any other circumstances might have been almost enchanting, but they approached me fast, and I was still unable to move. The mouse in front of me was still motionless, but the anger and hate in her eyes disappeared and was replaced with… fear. 

“We meet again.”

That voice… no, it can’t be! I tried to look around, but my neck was locked into position. The sound of the flames surrounded me as the smoke finally reached my lungs. I tried to cough, but I couldn’t, the burning embers and blackened soot began filling me up, burning me from the inside. 

“I have been looking for you. Oh, you’re not alone? We can’t have company, it would just be rude.”

A large hoof came crashing down on the mouse, crushing her. Blood and guts flew in all directions. No. NO! I… I couldn’t save her… again… why can’t I protect my friends? Why can’t I be the hero everyone thinks I am?

“That’s because a ‘hero’ is only a fairy tale.”

What? Did he…

“Yes. I can hear you. Poor, poor Olivia. Look at the mess you’ve made. It would have been much simpler if you had just died.”

I… I wanted to… my friends…

“Oh, yes. Your friends. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about them.”

What was he… no. Please no. All the trees had burned down to the ground, all but five. Tied to each tree were my… friends. 

Drake. The boar walked up to him, smiling. He didn’t speak as he started to cut off the skin of his wings. He was frozen just as the mouse… no, I can’t forget… just as Blanche had been. He didn’t even fight as the boar finished cutting off the wings. 

“That will teach him to fly away from me.”

Holly. He walked up to her, and took the knife and held it up to her feet and began to saw. She didn’t scream, she didn’t cry. She was motionless. She just let him cut off her feet.

“That will teach her to run.”

Mark. The boar moved to him next as he cleaned off the knife. He grabbed one of Mark's arms and began to saw at his wrist. Just like the other two, Mark showed no emotion to being injured as the boar finished cutting off both of the paws.

“That will teach him to help.”

No. Please no. All this worry over Blanche, and I forgot the one, the only one who gave me the reason to live, the reason to survive. Nate. Please don’t hurt him. PLEASE!

“Oh, don’t worry, your time will come soon enough.”

He used the knife to rip open Nate’s shirt, and started to scrape the fur off of his chest. Unlike the others, I could see Nate starting to cry. I felt myself starting to as well. I… I couldn’t let him hurt Nate! I tried to move, but I couldn’t. I was still motionless. I could only watch. 

He then stabbed the knife into Nate’s chest, slowly cutting a hole. Once he was done, he stuck his hoof… into Nate, and pulled out his… heart, still beating. 

“This, will teach him to love.” He held the heart up to me, beating faster and faster. “He loved you, I think more than you could ever have loved him. In the end it doesn’t matter. You couldn’t save him. You couldn’t save any of them.” He clenched his hoof and crushed the heart, splattering me with Nate’s blood.

“Like I promised, it’s your turn now. I _am_ a boar of my word after all.”

I felt the knife enter my chest. The moment it pierced my heart, I felt it rupture, but it didn’t bring death, it only brought… pain. Anger. Hatred. Love. Fear. Hope. Sorrow. Life. 

“Oh my. Looks like now _isn’t_ the time. Pity. Soon Olivia Springs, soon. Then I will have my prize. Remember, no matter how much you try to protect them, eventually you will fail, and when you do. I _will_ be there.”

Fuck you. FUCK YOU! 

The boar disappeared. My friends vanished. I was left alone again. The fires roared as they got closer and closer. I felt my fur burning. I felt my skin boiling, but I wouldn’t die. I will NOT die! I will live. I will protect my friends no matter what. Protect them from harm. Physical harm. Emotional harm. Mental harm. I will make sure they never get hurt again, even if I have to bear it all.

The fires started to recede, but the smoke thickened. I was finally able to move as the smoke began to fill my lungs, causing me to choke. I slowly stood up. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t care. All around me was death, decay, ash. All, but right ahead of me. The smoke parted ways as I slowly dredged through it all. I felt as if I were going to suffocate, but I can’t die, not yet. My friends needed me, just as I needed them. Without me they'll have to bare it all, and I refuse to let them have that burden. 

I walked towards the light at the end of the clearing. I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t care. Just need to take one more step. Just… one… more… 

Step.

***

I woke up with no air in my lungs. I felt as if I was about to die until my body responded by a sudden intake of air. My breathing was heavy as I tried to fill my lungs. It was a nightmare, one that felt more real than any of the ones I've had in the past. I even woke up feeling as if my lungs were filled with smoke and ash. 

“O-Olivia?”

I was laying in a bed. It was one of the beds in the bunker. I was home. I felt my eyes start to water as I remembered the nightmare. I looked over at the voice and saw Nate, sitting on the edge of the bed. The flood gates in my eyes ruptured as I lunged into him, pressing my head into his chest and crying harder than I ever had. 

He said no words, rather placed his arms around me and held me as I let it all out. I tried to talk, but I couldn’t. I was just happy he was here. That he was alive. It was a nightmare, but nightmares weren't real. They were unharmed, that fucking boar was nowhere to be seen, and Blanche…

“S-she’s d-dead… I-I k-killed h-her…”

It was the most I could get out, as the never ending tears were still flowing. Blanche… Why did I have to threaten her? Why did I have to snap at her those times? If I had only been nicer, kinder to her, maybe this would never have happened. Maybe she would still be… alive. 

I felt Nate’s tail start to wrap around me, but it felt as if he was hesitant to. “N-no… it w-wasn’t your fault…”

“B-but I could h-have saved her! I s-should have.”

“It was too dangerous ‘livi. If we didn’t hold you back when you tried to run down there, you’d _both_ be dead.” Holly’s voice told me that Nate and I were not alone.

Nate slowly pushed me back from him and looked into my eyes. I could see the hurt in them. The fur on his face was wet from tears of his own. “It… it w-wasn’t your fault… I couldn’t s-stand h-hearing her yell at y-you. I… s-snapped at h-her. I s-said things I d-didn’t know I could s-say. I t-think I… s-scared her. T-then she left…”

“No Nate, it wasn’t… it wasn’t y-your fault.” I had to wipe the tears from my eyes, everything was looking blurry. “T-that wasn’t the f-first time I… yelled at her. I… almost… hurt her.”

“What are you talking about ‘livi? I know you two had some verbal outings before, but I figured it was like that for everyone she knew. She wasn’t the most… sensible type.”

“N-no… I… she… it was back right b-before North s-showed up with that food. I had made… B-Blanche, a communicator. W-we were talking when she called Nate a… coward… a cowardly c-cur. I… I think my brain b-broke then. I s-started to yell at her, and n-never noticed my own arm g-grabbing her… if she hadn’t started to struggle… I was squeezing h-her so hard, she… she couldn’t b-breathe. If she n-never tried to g-get free, I-I w-would have… b-but I still d-did. I-I killed h-her…”

I thought that by now my body wouldn’t have any more water left for tears, but I was wrong. They started again, nearly as hard as last time. The memories of me yelling at her, of me _gripping_ her like that. I had started it, and I had… ended it. I survived nearly drowning in radiation filled waters, I could have survived that crater… 

“No, t-that's not… that’s not you. You wouldn’t…” Nate didn’t sound sure of his own words. 

“‘Livi, you’ve… changed, and not in a good way. What's going on in that head of yours? You went nuts during that Legionary fight, just to save a… to save Jasmine? Then you tried to get yourself killed trying to rescue Blanche. I know you want to help people, but you can’t keep trying to get yourself killed in order to do it.”

“I…” I’ve been told that before, that I can’t help anyone if I'm dead, but… “I-I just c-can’t help it…”

“Yes you can ‘livi. I know that you need to be quick on your feet in a fight, but if your head is constantly clouded, you'll never be able to see your own follies. What you did to those three Red-Necks, it was quick and clean. You should never make your opponent suffer. The ones on the bridge? I can still hear them… scream. You… you burned them alive with those shock grenades. They suffered ‘livi, suffered more than they should have.”

“But they would have done the same to us!” I didn’t mean to yell at Holly, it just happened.

“Olivia! Calm down! _This_ is what I'm talking about! Your emotions are everywhere. You, you're acting like…” Holly trailed off, but from the look on Nate’s face, he knew what she was going to say.

“Me.” Nate said it so solemnly. 

“No, I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just that… we’ve, that is Mark and I, noticed… changes with you as well. First it was the good kind of changes. Since you and ‘livi have been together, you’ve been… happy, but recently you’ve showed a side of you that… scares us. When ‘livi was taken, the way you… slaughtered those mercs. You would've killed North if we didn’t hold you back. Then you yelling like that at… Blanche. It… it didn’t feel like it was you.”

I felt his paws start to grip tighter on my arms. I looked at him but he quickly glanced away, but not before I saw new tears forming. His tail loosened, as if he was about to move away, but I grabbed his shirt with one paw and used the other to force him to look at me. We were both wrecks, and we showed it. 

“I’m s-sorry, that I keep putting you in these s-situations Nate.” I wasn’t sure if I had stopped crying, but if I had, my own voice seemed have triggered it once again. “I… I brought this pain to you. I never t-thought that it'd affect y-you like this. P-please, don’t try to bear t-this… I can tell y-you're already hurting.”

“B-but if I didn’t yell at… s-she would b-be alive…”

He kept trying to look away, but I kept bringing his eyes back to me. “S-she… she didn’t leave because of you, she j-just… she was right, _I_ and I alone did this to h-her. I put her, I put all of you in danger. My nearsightedness due to anger and… f-fear, clouded my judgments, and got her killed. It almost got you all… killed.”

Nate’s emotions still seemed on edge, teetering between acceptance and denial of what happened. He still wanted to look away, but I felt his tail tighten ever so slightly. There were small nuances in his movements, small details that I wondered if this had happened before he marked me, would I have even picked up on it? We were closer than ever, but I was afraid that my actions would drive us apart. 

“These are n-not yours alone to bear, I… p-please let me… I don’t w-want to see you h-hurting…”

“I can’t let you Nate, I w-will not let you, you’ve already done e-enough for me.”

“I can do more, I c-can bear it for both of us. I can…”

“Just let me fucking do this! I… I couldn’t…” I could feel it coming, but I don’t think I was trying nearly hard enough to stop it. I expected him to cower back, to release me and just run away, but he didn’t. He sat there, tears still falling as he gripped my arms, as if trying to keep me here. Or keep himself here.

“Olivia!” Holly’s voice sounded like an explosion that caught us both off guard. “You two keep throwing the blame around so much that soon, I don’t think either of you will be strong enough to carry your own troubles, let alone each other's. Is there something you're not telling us?”

There was. Something that while I think they may have noticed, they didn’t know the true extent to. I've been trying to hide it, bury it deep within my own mind that I had hoped one day it would just vanish, dissolve into nothingness, leaving an empty void to be filled by something better. I've known Nate long enough that I should have realized by now, that isn’t how it worked. 

“Y-yes… it’s… Baird…”

Just the mention of that name seemed to bring about a fire within Nate’s eyes. I felt the tips of his claws start to indent my skin as what looked like a small snarl formed at his lips. I think he knew I noticed because just as fast as it happened, he snapped out of it. I think that must have hurt him. 

“I… I didn’t want to tell you this, I t-thought that by hiding from it, I could finally es-scape it. I was wrong. His… face. I saw it when I killed those Red-Necks. I see his face when I s-sleep. I hear his voice when I think. I feel both terror and hatred towards him. I… I'm afraid that one day I'll just wake up and you'll all be g-gone, and I'll be back there… with _him_. Thinking about everyone else is the only t-thing that keeps me functioning.”

Nate pulled me to him as I felt his head come to a rest between my ears. Both his tail and arms were tightly bound to me, and while at first my own arms felt limp, I soon started to return that feeling he was giving me. 

“Oh ‘livi, I didn't know. We… we knew that his influence was still with you, but I never imagined how deeply it was hurting you. You can’t just bottle up emotions like that. You need to share them with those who can help you face it, like us.”

“I-I know, but I was… I'm afraid. So much good has come into my life, can you even imagine knowing that you might just wake up to find it was all a… lie?”

“I'm far too familiar with that feeling. More than you know ‘livi.”

I felt Nate loosen up as we both turned towards her. I could tell that it came as a bit of a surprise to him as well. 

“What do you mean Holly?”

“This is something that I haven’t even told Mark, but I think this situation calls for it. I’ve told you about where we came from, about how my own father was the…” she looked towards Nate before she started to talk again, “well, you know that story. I always hated what he did. I loved Mark, and by extension, Nate as well. They were more family to me than he ever was. Despite all the bad things that happened, I know my life could never be better staying with them, and that’s why every night when I go to sleep, I'm afraid. Afraid that this is all a dream and that I will wake up back there and find out they… you and Mark… will be, dead. The thought of you two, and now you as well ‘livi, never existing, it fills me with such fear.”

“Y-you…” I don’t think Nate could comprehend what she said, nor a response to it, so I interjected with the first thing that popped into my head.

“H-how do you live with that?”

“By doing exactly that. I live. Mark and I share everything, our duties, our burdens, our love. Yes, I'm sure that he has secrets just as I've never told him this, but they're so far and so few that their existence doesn't burden either of us. If we tried to carry each other’s entire weight this entire time, I’m not sure we would have ever been able to muster the courage to leave our home.”

“B-but what about… me?”

“Oh Nate, you… I won’t say it’s been easy. We knew you were hurting, and before you met ‘livi, we never thought you would be able to really live. We, now please don’t take this the wrong way, we love you an' all, but we've tried our best to remove your own burdens from you. We could never truly live bearing your entire emotional weight, just as we knew you would never be able to find your own peace. We hoped, and we prayed that eventually you’d find a way to shed off that weight, and when Mark told me how you and ‘livi were together, I felt as if our prayers had been answered. I can’t picture _anyone_ else better than her for you Nate. That's why you,” Holly turned her eyes on me, “and you, need to learn to share your burdens. I'll admit, there's a much greater weight between the two of you than I think Mark and I will ever know, but in order for either of you to live your lives to the fullest, you both need to let things go, and take whatever is left and share it, equally.”

“I…” Nate started to talk, but slowly, as if he was trying to think of every word before saying it, “I have secrets, too.”

“No offense Nate, but Mark and I always figured, we just were too afraid to ask. We hate seeing you depressed, and were afraid that if you sunk so deep into a depression, you may never come back.”

“I think… you're right Holly. I need to get things off my c-chest. This weight has been killing me all t-these years. I…” his eyes met with mine as I saw he was no longer crying. He showed fear still, but it was starting to wane. “I’m afraid too, afraid of being… alone. I was always afraid of losing Mark and Holly, but n-now that you're here, that fear has b-been amplified. I’d be lost without them, but I don’t think I could _live_ without you.”

“I… I think I feel the same about you sweetie. I’ve never felt happier since meeting you, and can’t imagine ever being without you. Not for a second. I think that’s why I try so hard to protect you, I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose anyone.”

“I keep trying to do the same, there are…” he took a deep breath and tensed, as if bracing himself for an impact. “There are… feelings that I used to have… that I still do. I, sometimes I just don’t care if I live… or die. Back in the b-b-burrow…” I could tell that it took most of his energy just to spit that word out, “it was much s-stronger. I… I was hurt, abused. I was told I was w-worthless. If it wasn’t for my brother…”

He started to cry again, his body shaking as I held him close to me, as if trying to keep all of his pieces from falling out of place. I wanted to kiss him, but I wasn’t in a good position to, so I just placed my head on his chest. “You're not worthless. Not to me. To keep those thoughts, those feelings to yourself and still be here, still be alive? That is true strength.” When I felt his trembling start to subside, I slowly pushed him back and leaned up to kiss him. “But I don’t want you to ever think that again. I love you, and I don’t ever want you to think that your life is meaningless. As long as I live, as long as Holly and Mark live, you will always have meaning.” I pulled him close again and whispered, “I don’t think I could ever live without you, either.”

We sat there for a few seconds before I felt another presence. Holly had wrapped both of us in her arms as I think I heard her start to cry as well. We were one giant fuzzy ball of a mess, but it was our mess to share. I had to stop thinking about protecting others and think about myself. Neither Nate or I could risk losing each other, and in order to put this aside, to be able to share our burdens, we need to face both of our demons, together, as a family. 

Holly finally let go and stood back, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry, I just… I never knew how you felt Nate, how you both felt. You two were really meant for each other. We knew it already, but now, now I see how true it really is. When Mark and I got together, we both felt as if we filled each other’s void, but compared to you two, that was a pebble in a canyon. When I say you two complete each other, I really mean it.”

I chuckled a little bit. Holly, the big tease of a rabbit actually sounded a bit jealous I think. Either that or surprised at what she said. Either way it was a nice turn of events to have someone else confirm what I hoped was true. The problem is, while I do indeed feel a void has been filled, I couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t truly filled, that there was something else lingering just enough that prevented the pieces from fitting just right. 

“You two feel any better after this game of show and tell?”

“I think I do.” I was sure of it.

“I-I… yes, I think I am.” I think there were still things that Nate was hiding, but we’ve already been through enough. I didn’t want to push it, plus I could tell that he was much better than before. I gave him a long kiss to help emphasize that I wasn’t mad at him from earlier. I don’t think it was possible to ever stay mad at him.

“Aren’t you two just adorable together. Last time Mark and I had a make out session like that, well… good thing you two have your clothes on.” I think she just winked at us.

Nate looked over and gave her a look, one that I think told her to ‘knock it off’, but I had other thoughts. The first thing that popped into my head was Nate, or rather, his body. I… every time I was naked, or I saw him naked, thoughts popped into my head, thoughts that I couldn’t describe. They were more like urges, the wanting to be with Nate at a much deeper level than we already were. That’s when the image of Baird always crept in, turning those pleasant thoughts into a waking nightmare. I could already feel his hooves grasping at my thoughts, causing my buried fears to surface. I needed forget, I needed to escape, I needed to…

“Nate? I… I think I’m…” I sighed, not really knowing how to ask this. Or how he would even respond. “There is still something in me that’s missing, or rather, a presence that continuously haunts me, something that I'm afraid will consume me again if I can’t rid myself of it. I think… no, I know that you are the only one who can help. Will you… help?”

“I'll do anything for you.”

“I… well… it’s.” Thinking about it was a bad idea. The more I thought about it, the stronger the feeling got, and the bigger the risk of _him_ taking over. I just had to do it. 

“What are you…” I caught Nate by surprise as I shoved him down onto the bed and started to kiss him, much more passionately then I think I had. 

“Whoa! I was just kidding ‘livi! You… you're…” For a moment I forgot that Holly was still in the room. “I think I hear Mark calling. Yeah. You two, um. Wow.”

I heard the door close and I took a small glance around to make sure we were alone before I started to take my shirt off. 

“Olivia what are you…”

“I love you Nate, more than I ever thought possible, but something still haunts me, that same something that has clouded my judgment one time too many. I… you said you'll do anything for me, right?”

“Y-yes. Yes, I would.”

“Then make love to me Nate.”

“I…” I put my paw over his mouth before he could say anything to ruin this. 

“I need this, and a part of me thinks you need this too. I’ve, well this has been on my mind, but every time I think about me, and you, I keep picturing that… boar. I need to stop seeing him and start seeing you. You are not him, and you will never be him, and I think in order to finally bury that, I need to experience this on my own accord, to associate these feelings with someone I love, not someone I hate. I need to have this void to be completely filled. By you.”

I moved my paw away from his mouth, but he didn’t try to say anything more, instead he reached up and kissed me, then whispered, “are you sure?”

“I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”

I could tell he was still nervous by this. I was too. This was something that we never experienced before. Back at that place, my virginity was torn from me, stolen by someone I despised, but here lay the mammal I loved and while biologically I was no longer a virgin, emotionally, this was new, and I think I was ready. 

After a few moments we were lying together, naked. I kissed him as I moved my paws along his chest. Every time I did that, I had felt his scars and it reminded me of his experiences in his own Burrow. This time, I didn’t think of them as simply an accessory to his past, but rather, a part of him. To have kept his sanity, to be alive after everything he’s been through, after everything he’s held onto and buried. These are not a reminder of bad times, these are badges that tell me he’s experienced hell and survived. If he can survive his past, I can survive my present, and together we will survive everything that comes our way. 

While he was still experiencing hesitations, he slowly seemed to be overcoming them as he not only returned my kissing with an equal and even greater passion, he started to caress me as he slowly moved on top of me. That’s when it triggered. I started to see images of… _him_ appear. It was as if my mind couldn’t tell if that was a fox, or a boar on top of me. I felt a panic start to brew deep within me, and I tried all I could to suppress it. 

“O-Olivia? A-are you… w-we can stop…”

I closed my eyes and focused on Nate’s voice. I focused on him, not that boar. I thought about his tail wrapping around me, I thought of his russet fur, the cream color of his chest. I thought about when we first met, about his smile, his eyes. I thought about his heart beat, and the warmth of his chest. _He_ was the one who was here, not that boar. It was Nate who was touching me, it was Nate who was kissing me. It was Nate who is, and will always be there for me. 

I opened my eyes as the image of the boar faded, replaced with the sweet, yet worried look of Nate’s face. I reached up and felt his chest. His tail was near my side and I reached out and stroked my paw through its fluffy fur. I locked his eyes with mine and smiled. 

“No, don’t stop. He’s… I think he's… finally… gone.”

Before he could question my choice of words further, I pulled him flat against me and started to kiss him again. For once I think, no I _know_ I was telling the truth. While I will never forget that boar, while I will never forgive him, even long after he is dead, I don’t think he’s in control of me anymore. I think, I’m finally free. 

I finally felt that lingering feeling leave me, all the pieces finally fitting. For the first time in my life, I felt completely whole. Even when my mother was alive I never felt like this. Nate and I were truly meant for each other as we became one. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

I hope this feeling never ends.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! Today we have a special show, but first, a little public service announcement. Firstly, I would like to say thank you to all my faithful readers, because of your enjoyment of this little story, I have had the encouragement to finally see it to the end! You know what that means, the story is nearly complete! Well, on my end that is. You all still have a long way to go. This is, what? Chapter 51? Wait, no, chapter 52. Yeah I had to look it up, and yeah, I probably should have stopped rambling on by this point, but hey, if you're still reading the After Shows, then you're used to it! Anyways, I have an official story length! You ready? Eighty-one chapters! You heard that right, there are only thirty more chapters left! Now you may be asking if my math is off, and usually it is, but there will be an epilogue as well, so that makes it eighty-two! Here I was planning a hundredth chapter party where I buy each and every one of you a drink, but since that's physically impossible, and financially ruining. Unless none of you are drinkers, then water for everyone!”

 

**[Max]**

“Get on with it you idiot or I'll personally give away your entire stash of cider to anyone who asks. Yes, I finally found out where you keep it you greedy striped bastard.”

**[Stripes]**

“You wouldn’t… actually you would. Fine. As I was saying folks, since there's finally a set number of chapters, you know what that means… soon I'll increase my posting schedule! Yay! Not exactly sure on the how and when, still need to fix up a few later chapters, but I'll keep everyone informed through here! Speaking of which, for all those beyond the fourth wall, check out my newly established blog for everything Fallout Zootopia! Well, mostly, I'm sure a few idle things will slip through, these hooves are not very good at keeping things in order. Find me through my user name on Tumblr, ciderstripes!”

**[Max]**

“Do you mind putting those bricks back in the wall and getting on with _this_ show?”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, I shall. Psst. Hey audience, Max said he'll jump on board the blog train if I get enough followers, so get a clicking! So, with that out of the way, let’s get onto today’s episode featuring the Order of the Atom. Now, let me start off by saying this. The Order you all saw was one of many factions. Just like religions of both past and present, not everyone in the Order saw eye to eye. This led to rifts and created the multiple Orders we see today. Some are as fanatical as they come, but others are really not that bad. Atom’s Children do not go and force their beliefs upon others, they believe that no matter your actions, all mammals are born equal under Atom’s gaze. Instead of forcing themselves upon others, they help through helping others, believing that the only way to achieve enlightenment is to give themselves to others freely. Whether you believe in their faith or not, if you seek help and find yourself in the midst of one of Atom’s Children, they will bend over backwards to help, just so long as you're non-violent about it. They may be goody-two hooves, but if you try to attack them, or hurt someone under their protection, they'll not hesitate to stop you. 

“Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of it. Many of you probably think that worshiping the building blocks of all matter is very silly. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t buy into it either, but just like most religions, this one didn’t simply pop into existence out of the blue. It all started about fifty years before the onset of the war.

“Fossil fuels were the mainstay of energy in the times past, and while electric powered vehicles were the future, scientists needed a way to create that through a controlled environment. That’s when the first nuclear generator was developed. A cheetah by the name of Felix Spotsmann discovered how certain uranium isotopes could create sudden releases of energy by splitting the nucleus of an atom. While he didn't create both nuclear energy and in turn nuclear weapons, his discovery of the reactions lead to the development of both. 

“Now, you may be wondering why I'm telling you about a cheetah that died long before the war. It was because of him, or rather, because of his work, that the first Order of the Atom was created. You see, Spotsmann wrote a paper that was never published that not only described how and why the atomic fission occurred, but he also included a very… unorthodox way of describing it. One thing in science that most hold true is that matter cannot be created nor destroyed, but rather transformed. Yet the fact that such a minuscule molecule created such a massive amount of energy, he didn’t believe that everyone knew enough about this to safely use it. In his paper, he stated that the atomic molecule was not simply a building block for matter, but a gateway to another world, or rather, another state of existence, and that by splitting the atom’s nucleus, it opened an uncontrollable gateway that unleashed that massive amount of energy. 

“Upon submitting that paper to his Board of Directors, they basically told him to revise it or else they'd cut all funding and discredit him as a scientist. Since this was all that he had, he agreed and reluctantly handed in the modified report that was later used as a basis for the first nuclear weapon test. He may have been the father of nuclear energy, but he was quick to disown it, and five years after his work was published and the first nuclear reactor was being tested, he disappeared off the face of the planet, taking all of his work with him.

“Throughout history, there have been reports of mammals of all species who donned dark robes who could be spotted at every nuclear weapon test, and at every opening of a new nuclear reactor. Mainstream media ignored it since nothing bad ever happened, but then, only a few months before the nuclear weapon in Tundratown went off, Felix Spotsmann returned to the public eye. He and his self proclaimed Order of the Atom, hijacked the media worldwide to make a statement. Spotsmann didn't look like the elderly mammal he should have been. He looked young, maybe even younger than he had been when he made his first discovery. Some people say he had a rather unhealthy ‘glow’ about him. 

“Spotsmann told the public that he had been touched by Atom, a being that is everywhere, that makes up everything. All life, all matter was part of Atom, and that soon Atom would return. He urged everyone to repent, to beg for forgiveness for their past sins, for destroying the planet, for sowing their seeds of destruction in Atom’s grasp. He told everyone that Atom blessed him, that he had not aged a day since he discovered his true meaning, how Atom washed him clean with his own essence. He urged everyone to do the same, to let Atom bath everyone in his essence before it was too late. 

“Of course his whole end of the world speech wasn't taken lightly, and he and all of his followers were arrested and thrown into a maximum security prison, the same prison that centuries later would be occupied by the Legionaries, and now, the Red-Necks, but I digress.

“For a while, his outcry was ignored, thought to be that of a depraved lunatic, but when a few months later Tundratown, followed by the rest of the world, was laid siege to nuclear attacks from an unknown enemy, many started to rethink their position on Spotsmann’s plea’s. No one knows what happened to him, although there are rumors that he had absorbed so much radiation, willingly I might add, that he became not only the first ghoul, but the original glowing one, but that's just a rumor. 

“Now we come to modern times. There are at least ten known factions within the Order of the Atom that are known. Some of them maintain their multi-species outlook, thinking species is of no importance to Atom, but others, such as the one we bared witness to, maintained an order of a singular species, in this case, mice. 

“Mice are the smallest of mammals, so it was their thought that due to their naturally small size, they were closer to Atom than any mammal, unlike the Order that had only giraffes, thinking that Atom lived somewhere above and their long necks would bring them closer. They ended up being assimilated by the Red-Necks. If you ever see a Red-Neck with a green glowing plasma spewer instead of a flamer, I would advise to turn and run before you're turned to a slimy paste.

“Now, this Order, the one with the mice, they believed that since they were closest to Atom in terms of size, knowing that Atom was all around them, one of their founders came up with a prophecy that stated that one day a mouse of no color would be born smaller than any mouse before them, and that this would be the chosen one, the one to finally unite all of them with Atom. Well, when the diminutive Blanche stepped into their camp? They thought their prayers were answered. Since they believed all life was born when the first atom split, binding Atom’s world with our own, that by sacrificing their chosen one through an atomic split would reverse that and bring them all into Atom’s realm, forever binding them to their creator. 

“Of course all they did was get everyone killed in a nice big blast. Although… reports say that the blast was rather weak compared to a full grade nuke, or even a mini-nuke, so, it’s possible that the bomb was faulty… though there's still enough residual radiation there that I wouldn't venture out to those parts for at least a few months, or longer, that place had already absorbed so much radiation that it was already a hot spot. I mean seriously, what is with this world and its latent radiation? You’d think after two hundred years things would be better. Maybe there really is something to this Atom thing after all. Don’t worry folks, you won’t be seeing me in one of those robes anytime soon. They're too tacky for me anyways.

**[Max]**

"Says the zebra dressed in what has to be the tackiest, dirtiest bowling shirt I've ever seen… I swear you've never even ONCE thought of washing it have you…”

**[Stripes]**

“Find me some soap and I will gladly wash it. Plus, I have been waiting to find just the right outfit… Anyways, this ends today’s little history lesson! I hope you enjoyed it. Join us next week when we pop into Hope to give Mayor Swift another go! Not like that! Another interview! Gah, I really should start double checking these cards. So, tune in next time, same striped time, same striped channel!”


	53. One Lost, One Gained

“ _I will remember…_ ”

I soothing voice started to wake me up. It was a woman’s voice, one that I was unfamiliar with. I don’t know how long I had been sleeping, but I remembered everything that happened last night. Nate was… he was both gentle and forceful. It actually felt nice when he took the lead, even if he didn’t realize it at the time. 

“ _All our good days._ ”

I felt something in my paws, something big and fluffy. Once my eyes finally adjusted I realized I was holding Nate’s tail like a pillow. I slowly released my paws and shifted so I could hear where the voice was coming from. Nate was laying on the bed with his Pip-Boar resting on the pillow next to him. 

“Nate?”

“Did I wake you?”

“No, it’s… where's that voice coming from?”

“Oh, it’s… my mother.”

My eyes widened once I fully registered what he said. “Y-your… mother?”

“It’s, the only thing I have left of her. She recorded this when Mark and I were very young. I… I can turn it off if…”

“No, I… like it.” I moved around enough to let my head rest on his chest. Out of everything, my favorite feeling was simply listening to his heart beat as his chest moved up and down with each breath. “Could you… start it over?”

One of his paws rested gently on my shoulder as the voice started again. 

“ _I will remember_  
All our good days.  
I will remember  
All our good times.  
No matter how far  
We may go, I’ll remember you.”

“ _Sleeping soundly_  
In your bed.  
Laughing Loudly  
With your friends.  
I shall cherish  
All that we’ve been through.”

“That was beautiful. How come I never heard you play it before?”

“I… I never really thought about it. I usually listen to it when I'm not myself, but this time, I think I needed a reminder that she was right, that while I never thought she could be proud of me, I _know_ she would be proud of us.”

I found myself starting to hum the song. Beside it being a rather sweet melody, the voice of Nate’s mom made it sound almost… enchanting. I wish that I had a recording, _any_ recording of my own mother. I didn’t even have a picture. Even after all these years I was able to clearly see her in my head, and despite everything that happened with that one place and it’s illusionary chemicals, seeing her, even if it wasn’t real, helped remind me of her. I needed to cling onto those moments, that image of her for as long as I could. I saw Nate smiling at me as I sat there humming the tune. Now I have more moments to cherish. 

“ _Now don’t share this message too soon sweetie…_ ”

The voice that had been singing was now talking. I didn’t think too much of it, but the look on Nate’s face told me that it wasn’t something that he knew about. He almost seemed frozen in place as we both listened. 

“ _… but you and your brother were the greatest gift your father ever gave me and I hope you'll always be the sweetest boys you can be. The world we live in may not always be the best, but it's up to us to make it better, little by little every day! That's what life is about after all. If we can't make it better one day, then we'll just have to try harder the next. So be my little triers, both of you! Your mother loves you both so much, I'm so proud of you already and when that time comes, when you've both done great things. I hope you'll spare a thought to your mother._ "

I could see Nate starting to cry. I moved so that I was sitting on his lap, facing him. “You miss her, don’t you?”

“I-I… I didn’t know this was here…”

“What do you mean? I thought you said you’ve played it before.”

“I never… I never let it play this long. I thought… I always stopped it thinking it was the end.”

“It sounded like she loved you and your brother more than anything.” I kissed him and held him close while I started to hum again. It seemed to sooth him a bit as he held me as well. 

A sudden knock on the door interrupted our little bonding. “Uh, are you two decent?”

“Just a moment Mark!” I kissed Nate again before jumping out of bed and tossing on my shirt and pants. I didn’t even bother with underwear since I was hoping to get a nice shower in a bit anyways. I nearly tripped over my bag as I got the door. 

“Sorry, what’s up?”

“Wanted to see if you two were doing okay, and if you were hungry. Apparently Jasmine hasn’t eaten for a few days and now Holly wants me to throw together a smorgasbord like the other day. What is it with women and their appetites? Uh, no offense Olivia.”

“None taken. I wanna get a quick shower, but yeah I can definitely eat. Worked up a bit of an appetite myself.”

“Yeah, we heard…”

I was just about to question Mark when I realized what he meant. I let out a small squeak and slammed the door in Mark’s face. I really didn’t mean to do that. “Sorry!”

***

I finished up my shower, making sure to pay extra attention to certain areas after last night. For a shy, bumbling fox, he seemed like an entirely different person once we became more… intimate. Despite all my worries, and my hesitation to even doing that with him, despite it being my idea, I felt really good. I don’t just mean in just a pleasurable way, although I do admit it was very much so, but it felt good to be able to work myself past that mental and physical block that Baird put on me. I didn’t know anything about relationships past what I’ve learned from Holly, Mark, and my own experiences, but I was afraid that if Nate and I weren't able to be as close as we just were, that it may have never felt like a ‘real’ relationship. It sounds kinda crazy thinking about it that way now, but it really did scare me before. 

Holly had cleaned my old clothing, so I decided to wear them again. Having clean clothing to wear everyday was one of the few things I missed about living in the Burrow. Now that I think of it, that list is readily shrinking now. Everything that I felt was a luxury in the Burrow was slowly being replaced by what my friends and family have given me. I never regretted leaving the Burrow, although at times I wondered if it was a mistake, but now, there is no doubt in my mind that this was ever a mistake. I didn’t know it at the time, but leaving the Burrow was the best decision I ever made.

I returned to the room and saw Nate getting dressed. I smiled as he looked towards me. Well, second best decision I ever made.

“What?”

“Just thinking about something. Nothing bad, the opposite actually.” I leaned up and kissed him as he had a perplexed look in his face. 

I think he was about to say something when I heard a scream. It was a female, and it wasn’t Holly. Fuck. I grabbed my gun out of my belt that was still on the floor and rushed out the door towards where the scream came from, Mark and Holly’s room. I entered and the first thing I saw was the large orange and brown spotted Jasmine laying on the ground between the beds, curled up against her own body. I heard her softly crying and muttering to herself. Holly and Mark were leaning over her. 

“What the fuck is going on?”

“I don’t know! Mark turned on the stove to cook and she just started freaking out!”

Jasmine was much too large to try to calm her down like I would with the others, so I simply tried to get as close to her head as possible. I placed my paw on her neck and felt it tense up. 

“What’s going on Jasmine?”

“I-I… it…” She seemed to have trouble forming a cohesive sentence so instead pointed her wavering hoof towards the back of the room. 

“What? All I see is…” I looked over to where she was pointing and just saw scattered food lying on the ground and counter. It wasn’t until I heard the rhythmic sound of gas that I noticed it. The fire. The stove had been lit and there were flames licking the bottom of a pan. “Is it the… fire?”

I felt her neck tense up even more. 

“Mark! Shut off the stove.”

“The stove? What does that…”

“Just do it!”

Mark ran over and turned it off, the flames dying down. I told her that it was okay, that the fire was gone. She slowly moved her long neck up from her chest and looked towards the back. She didn’t get up just yet, but I could feel her tensing muscles starting to calm as her voice seemed to return to her. 

“I-I’m sorry. I d-didn’t mean to react that way…”

“Shh, it’s okay. I don’t think they realized. I don’t think _I_ realized. You… you're afraid of fire, aren’t you?”

“I-I… yes.”

“But you were a Red-Neck, how can you be afraid of fire, especially a flame as small as on a stove top?”

“I-I… I've always b-been afraid of fire. Ever since…” She moved her hoof across the scars on her neck. “T-they made me burn things, and if I d-didn’t, they… hurt me. I-I was more afraid of t-them doing this to me again, that I c-couldn’t show them my fear.”

“But now that they're not here, it’s harder to hide it, isn’t it?”

She simply nodded. 

“We won’t hurt you, I promise. I won’t tell you to just stop being afraid. I know well enough that some fears are not that easily controlled, but we will try to help you as best as possible. I promise you that.”

“Y-you… why did you save me?”

“It’s what I do. I heard your scream, I saw you were in trouble, and I just… there are some things that happened to me that bring back memories, memories of things that I would not bare to see happen to another. You were in trouble, I had the willingness to help you. I'm not sure what you want right now, but if you need anything, anything at all we will be here to help.”

“B-but I’m a Red-Neck…”

“You _were_ a Red-Neck. I can tell you don’t like fire and honestly, you don’t seem like them. I can see it in your eyes.”

“I… hate them.”

“Then why were you with them?”

“They… bought me. When I was a child. My… mother and I were slaves. We were on our way to Wild Times to be put into auction when some Red-Necks saw us and offered them more than they could have gotten elsewhere. The Red-Necks… they don’t just breed among themselves, they… buy any giraffe, turn them into one of them. I… I was forced to be one of them and I hated every moment of it.”

“What about your mother? You hesitated when you mentioned her. Is she…”

“She’s alive, but… she said she loved me, but she was so happy to no longer be a slave, she simply did everything she was told. The worst part of it, the thing that made me hate them even more was the fact that she _enjoyed_ being a Red-Neck. She said we were free, she said we were safe. I…” She started to rub her hoof along her neck scars again. “When I was punished. When they did _this_ to me, she didn’t cry. She didn’t ask them for forgiveness, instead she… she scolded me. I was in the worst pain of my life, and she told me that it was my fault, that I was to blame for this happening to me. She said she loved me, but I think she loved _them_ more.”

“Oh you poor thing. How could… how could someone do that to their own child?” Holly seemed very taken aback by what Jasmine just told us. 

Her words felt honest, and I don’t think someone could make up something like that. I knew she wasn’t going to be a problem for us, but before I wasn’t sure about the others. Now, after hearing that, I hope that they all felt the way I did. 

“I promise you, we won’t let them hurt you ever again.”

“That’s… I’m a traitor now. A traitor to the Red-Necks can never go unpunished. They will be looking for me, and if they find me…”

“We will make sure that never happens, even if we have to kill everyone of them to keep that promise.”

“‘Livi!”

“Don’t worry Holly, I'm not about to do something stupid. While I would love nothing more to walk up to their door and make them pay for both Jasmine and Beaverton, I’ve come to realize that there are things more important. Like the safety of family… and friends.” I gave a large smile to Jasmine as I wiped away the tears that had formed while she was telling us her story. 

“You… you really… even with who I am?”

“Who you _were_ , and yes. Hell, I befriended a deathwing, a Red-Neck… isn’t…”

“Olivia?” I felt Nate’s paw touch my shoulder. I don’t know why, but somehow I know it's him, even if I don’t see him.

“Drake, and… Blanche…”

I felt my own sadness take hold. I had forgotten them. Drake still had to be alive but Blanche… she… 

“I'm sure Drake is fine Buns. I was actually thinking about… Blanche… I think we should, mourn her passing.” Nate sounded as if he wasn’t sure fully of what he was saying.

“Y-you… really?”

“I know we’ve all had… disagreements with her in the past, but despite that she was one of us, and to let her… leave us like that, without at least honoring her life. I didn’t care too much for her, but I know you did, and she would have wanted this.”

“W-wanted what? What did you h-have in mind?” I felt borderline wanting to cry and wanting to try to wipe this emotion away. Jasmine didn’t know her, and I didn’t want to push an emotional obligation of someone she didn’t know onto her, when she had issues of her own. I think someone without any mental or emotional issues would stick out like a sore paw with this group.

“Well, I have some… special bourbon I was saving for a special event, and I think having a toast with it in her honor would… it would suit her.”

“That’s, really nice of you. I… yeah, I think you're right. After we eat, I think we should. Jasmine would you…” 

With what had just happened I didn’t notice until now, but Jasmine must have fallen out of bed when she saw the fire, taking a very large blanket with her. Two of the beds had been pushed together for her. What I just noticed was that under her blanket that she had dragged to the ground with her, she was naked…

“Uh, Mark? Where are her clothes?”

“Her clothes? What do you mean… oh…” Mark seemed confused before my question finally hit him.

“My clothes? What do you… eep!” 

I don’t think Jasmine knew she was laying there naked. She tried to hastily wrap the blanket around her more and get up, but with her long legs I think it made it a difficult action. She ended up hitting her head on one of the beds, forcing her to plop down onto the ground again. 

“Marki! What're you doing undressing another woman in our own home!” Holly had a teasing tone entwined with a somewhat shocked one.

“I had to see if any of those scars were recent! I wasn’t… I didn’t… it was just her top, I swear!”

“Oh… wait… now I remember. I woke up feeling very hot, I think I took them off…” Jasmine seemed to be a bit embarrassed as she finally remembered why she was naked.

“Holly, you think you have anything her size in the storage?”

“Not sure, Mark is usually the one who keeps it organized. Marki? Do you?”

“I… I might?”

“Helpful. Okay Mark, you stay here and cook while Holly and I take Jasmine to the other room. Nate, would you be a dear and help Mark? I think we need a little… girl time together.”

“Yeah. There was something else I needed to do as well.”

“Okay it’s settled. Holly, help me get Jasmine up. Now watch your head, don’t want you giving yourself a concussion.”

***

Despite both of the rooms being the same size, the one Nate and I were staying in seemed much larger without all the extra stuff. Holly and I pushed two of the beds together for Jasmine before she went off to look through the storage for something. That left just me and Jasmine together. 

“Thank you.” Jasmine seemed a bit nervous to say that.

“For what?”

“Saving me. Being kind to me. I think… well I know most mammals wouldn’t try to give a _Red-Neck_ a second chance. I think most mammals would have just left me to… to die.”

“Ask anyone, I’m not like most mammals. I could care less about who you were, it’s who you are and who you will be that matters. Sure, if found out you were some mass murdering rapist, I probably would have just killed you before you got tortured, but I could tell that’s not who you were.” Jasmine looked a bit nervous when I said that. Maybe it wasn’t the right choice of words, but there was something bothering me that I had to ask her. “You… were you at… Beaverton?”

“Beaverton? Oh. No. NO! I wasn’t. I swear on it. I… heard about it. Some of the others were talking up a storm about it. I just felt… sick. I know what it’s like to be burned alive, but even for me the pain stopped. To imagine what they thought when it wouldn't stop? I… I think I would rather kill myself than have to be responsible for that much pain.”

“It still haunts me. I was there after it happened. The smoke, the ash, the… smell. I know how it is to shut down around something. After Beaverton when I smell… burning flesh, I freeze up and start to cry. Something happened to me at Wild Times too, something that until recently haunted me. Honestly I don’t think I’m completely over it, but I’ve learned to accept it, and that has helped leaps and bounds on the way to my own recovery.”

“I’m not sure how, or if, I can accept what they did, what they will do if they ever find me.”

“Is it really that big of a deal to them? Can’t they just leave you be?”

“No. Our Chief, he believes that if a single traitor to the Red-Neck cause is left to be free, that it will cause others to leave on their own accord. He doesn’t care about a family, he just wants to control everyone. That’s why he made the Reclaimers.”

“Reclaimers?”

“A special squad of the most loyal Red-Necks. They have two jobs and only two jobs. Hunt down any traitor or escaped slave and return them to the Tribunal for their punishment.”

I pointed to her neck. “Like that?”

“No. I was 15 I think when I decided that it was better for me to leave than stay. I tried to get my mother to come with me, to run away from that place together. She said she would, but then turned around and reported me to the Chief. My own mother turned me in! They should have killed me, but she convinced them to just punish me. She said it was out of her ‘love’ for me. No, this time there is no possibility for a reduced punishment. If the Reclaimers catch me, I'll be killed in the worst way imaginable.”

“No, don’t tell me…”

“Burned alive.”

“That’s horrible.”

“That’s not the entirety of it either. They don’t just burn a traitor alive. They burn them to the inch of their life then put it out long enough to feel the pain fade before starting it again. I heard that once a giraffe lasted nearly three hours before he finally died. This burn only lasted for a minute. I can’t imagine the pain of anything longer. That’s why they can’t find me, that’s why I need to hide.”

“We will protect you, I promise.”

“A promise from Olivia means a lot Jasmine, trust me, I know.” 

Holly returned with a large box that she set down on the bed next to Jasmine.

“What’s that?” Jasmine craned her neck down to look at the box.

“Something for you, surprisingly.”

“What do you mean ‘surprisingly’?” I was confused at how she said the word.

“Well you see, this place was a military bunker during the war. I don’t know when or why it was abandoned, but they must have left in a hurry because when we found this place, most of their gear and supplies were still here. Took Mark months to sort it all, but there were a few things he put aside for trade purposes but never got around to. I found a few larger uniforms that Nate said he will be happy to modify to fit you, but in the mean time… I think it must have been a gift for a soldier's wife or girlfriend.”

Holly waved her paw towards Jasmine to open the box. She reached down and pulled back the lid and reached one of her hooves in. Out of the box Jasmine pulled a bluish violet colored fabric. She stood up, the blanket still wrapped around her, and held it up. It was a dress, a very lovely looking one. 

“It’s… beautiful. I’ve never worn anything like this before. I’ve only ever worn jumpsuits or overalls. It’s… you're giving it to me?”

“Well none of us can wear it. It’s yours. I didn’t find any underwear unfortunately, so we'll have to wash yours later. I can do it if you want.” Holly seemed very willing to help Jasmine now.

“No, I can do that. You don’t have to…” she was staring at the dress the entire time.

“Well, try it on already!” I don’t know why, but part of me wanted to see it on her. The same part that kept picturing me wearing something like that around Nate. What the hell did that fox do to me?

Jasmine turned around and slowly took off the blanket. There were no burns on her back, so it must have just been on her neck. I had seen some of it above her jumpsuit as well. How badly did they hurt her? As Jasmine was slipping into the dress Holly elbowed me.

“Don’t worry, your butt is nicer.”

“Holly!”

That rabbit was back to her old tricks again, and I think Jasmine heard her because she tripped and fell down while trying to put her arms trough the dress. I jumped up to see if she was all right. That’s when I noticed her burns. Her dress had slipped down to her waist as she fell, showing the true extent to her ‘punishment’. The burns covered her chest nearly down to her hips. They were spotted in places, but they all showed the signs of her torment.

“Holly, you think Mark could heal them?”

“I don’t think so.” Holly probably would have been teasing Jasmine being half naked, but I think she was caught up in her burns like I was. 

“I’m sorry they did this to you Jasmine.”

“It’s… just something I have to live with. I’m more afraid of what this,” she pointed to her lower jaw, “will represent to others.”

I had kept it to myself, trying to not focus on it, trying to see her as the mammal she is, not the Red-Neck she was, but now that Jasmine was pointing it out, I had to ask.

“What, _is_ that?”

Her lower jaw wasn’t comprised of bone, muscle, and skin like a typical mammal, instead it was solid metal. Despite some of the haphazardly forged metal that I have seen in the wasteland, this looked to have been done at a surgical level. It was clean and smooth. Even the metal teeth on her lower jaw looked like they were simply real teeth made to look like metal. Minus a few bolts and connection ports, it almost looked as if it was simply part of her.

“This is what they do to every Red-Neck. They couldn’t just use hoof held weapons like the other mammals, they wanted their ‘soldiers’ to be hard to disarm, and to be able to attack at any height or angle. That’s why they did this. They remove your entire bottom jaw and have it casted into a metal one before attaching the weapon to the jaw. It’s to prevent your mouth from burning during use. It takes months to heal, but when it does, well let’s just say it’s been this way for long enough that I even forget about it. They won’t though. Even if I were to hide my burns, even if I were to hide my identity, I can’t hide this. No other mammal has a metal jaw like this, let alone a giraffe. If a Red-Neck, even if it isn’t a Reclaimer, sees this jaw, it will be reported. There are even non giraffes that would be willing to report my location to make a few caps.”

“Can’t you wear a mask or something?”

“I could, but I don’t think I can always wear one.”

“We'll think of something, I promise. In the mean time remember, you're safe with us, no matter where we go.”

“Thank you.”

“So, who’s hungry? I think some food will do us all some good.”

***

Mark didn’t make nearly as much as last time. I think he realized how overboard he went. I didn’t blame him though, it’s not often someone drops by with more fresh food than someone knows what to do with. The food was still just as wonderful. Now if only everyone had better table matters. 

“You have a very, long, tongue.” I was mesmerized watching Jasmine’s long tongue shoot in and out of her mouth, scooping up food with every pass.

“Calm down girl! You wanna choke on that?” Holly didn’t sound as amused by it as I was.

“Sorry. I don’t get to eat often. The others… I think they knew I didn’t belong and always tried to take my food. I learned I needed to eat it fast because of that.”

“Well none of us are gonna take it, slow down a little before you make Nate jealous.”

“What are you talking about Holly?” Nate sounded confused.

“Your girl keeps staring at Jasmine’s tongue like someone watching a porno.”

Jasmine started to cough, spitting out some food as I felt my face and ears heat up. 

“What! I wasn’t! It’s just so… long…”

“Is that what you said to Nate last night? During your… ‘mandatory cuddling’? I’ve got a fox of my own too ‘livi.”

“HOLLY!” Jasmine better hide because I think my face was about to catch on fire.

“Hoolllyyyy! That’s _not_ funny! C-c’mon we…”

“See? Even he admits it!”

Nate jumped up and stormed out of the garage where we were all eating. 

“What? Was it something I said?” Holly couldn’t resist herself, could she?

“Sweetie? Grab my gun while you're at it.”

“Help Marki!” Holly jumped up and pretended to cower behind Mark as he was just sitting there shaking his head with a smirk on his face.

“You dug this hole Holly, now you gotta sleep in it.”

Holly smacked the top of his head. “Some boyfriend you are.”

Nate returned a few minutes later with two bottles of bourbon, and sadly no guns. 

“Since we're all here I wanted to… make a toast.” He set down seven glasses and filled five of them, handing them to each of us. Holly, Mark, and Jasmine looked confused. Jasmine sniffed the drink and crinkled her nose at it but didn’t say anything.

“What’s this for Nate?” Mark was the first to ask.

“I… I promised Olivia that we would honor the fallen.” He picked up his glass and held it high. “I may not have gotten along with Blanche, but she was a friend of Olivia, so in turn, a friend of mine. I don’t know where Drake is, but I hope he knows that he is always welcome here, that this is his home as much as it is ours. I figured, the best way to honor fallen friends is with a drink. I think Blanche would have appreciated the gesture.”

I held up my glass as well. “To friends, both close and gone.”

Everyone else, including Jasmine repeated ‘to friends’ before we all knocked back the drink. I don’t think Jasmine knew what was going on, but I wonder if Mark had filled her in on it due to the fact that she went along with it without any hesitations. That warming feeling of the bourbon filled me up. To think the first time I had this I hated it, now it just feels comforting. Mark and Holly both downed the drink very hesitantly, coughing as if they'd just drank poison. I knew they didn’t like it, I just didn’t think they would react so violently after drinking it. Jasmine reacted much differently.

“This is… good. What is it?”

“You’ve never had alcohol before?” Despite the fact I never had it before Nate introduced it to me, I figured it was just due to my secluded upbringing. Figured someone who was born and grew up in the wasteland would have at least tried it by now.

“No. They… usually used it as fuel. I didn’t think you could drink it, I… can I have another?”

I looked at Nate and he shrugged as he poured her another shot. Jasmine downed it in an instant and asked for another. Nate just chuckled and handed her the rest of the bottle. Then, instead of pouring another shot for herself, she started to down the whole bottle like someone nearly dying of thirst getting their first drink of water. 

“Jasmine!” I jumped onto the table and rebounded up to her, grabbing the bottle from her hoof. “This stuff might be good, but it’s not water! You gotta drink it slowly, or else you might just throw up, pass out or worse! Just… savor it, please?”

“I-I’m… sorry. I don’t have to have any more.”

“Don’t be like that, if Nate gave it to you, then it’s yours. I just…”

“You just, what?”

“I’m just remembering. That’s how Blanche drank, and she was fine. A psychotic little bitch at times, but she was still a friend.”

“Doc told me about what happened. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Now let's just get back to… wait, Doc?”

“Uh, yeah. I keep telling her my name is Mark, but she insists on calling me that.”

“Heh, it suits you.” That made me chuckle for some reason. I think my mind needed a reason to change emotional gears.

“I’ll let her get away with it, but it’s Mark to the rest of you!”

“I don’t know Marki, maybe one of these days I'll need a little medical help and be like, ‘what’s up Doc?’” 

“Don’t you start. Hasn’t your teasing done enough damage for one day?”

“Bah, you're no fun. Fine.”

I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get Blanche’s death off of my mind, but I knew I had to go on, for her sake. I met her trying to find the Legionaries, and I _will_ find them, and when I do, I will make sure they remember the little mouse that was too good for them. I will make sure they remember her, not as a mercenary, but as a friend. They may know my name, but they will never forget Blanche Tailoway, just like we will never forget her. 

I just wish I knew where Drake was.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Now before today’s episode starts, I just want to address something that may come up from some of you about today’s chapter. Blanche’s death was so very recent, but to some it may seem like a bit too much of a lighthearted chapter for an event like that. Now, keep in mind, Olivia has the tendency to hide her emotions, despite being told how bad of an idea it is to do so. She’s hurting, but is afraid of letting it take over and ‘ruin’ everyone else’s emotions. Plus, while everyone else is still a bit… uncertain about Olivia taking on a former Red-Neck so easily, Olivia is afraid she will push away her new friend with her emotions, so she keeps them at bay for now. Unfortunately, one can only suppress their emotions for so long, but that’s best saved for another chapter. 

“So onto the show! Today’s guest is someone who is muuuuch easier to track down, Mayor Jessabell Swift! Good day Mayor, how are you doing?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“Didn’t I tell you not to come back and bother us again?”

**[Stripes]**

“Your exact words were: ‘Don’t come back anytime _soon_ ’. It’s not soon, it’s much later than soon, so later that soon is in the past and later is now. So here I am.”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“You make my head hurt. Well, hurry up with it, I have things to do.”

**[Stripes]**

“I tend to get that reaction from mammals for some reason. I promise I will keep it short and sweet. So, the first burning question is this. How is the progress on assuring your citizens that certain mammals, such a pair of foxes we both know, are no danger to this town and don't live up to the stereotype that has befallen them?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“It’s still a long road ahead, but I have turned a few heads. Breaking thousands of years of hatred towards certain species is very hard, and to be honest, I am not expecting everyone to change. It’s the future generations that I am worried about the most. That’s how hate works. Parents teach their kids how to hate, even if it is indirect, and that instills a natural intolerance within their mind that then gets passed on to their own children. While we have small educational areas, one thing I am working on is to have a singular school to teach the next generation of mammals in an intolerance free zone.”

**[Stripes]**

“That’s actually a brilliant idea. It also sounds like quite the endeavor. I, for one, have a plethora of knowledge of the past, so maybe once you get it going and find yourself short on teachers…?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“I am trying to _raise_ the collective IQ, not diminish it.”

**[Stripes]**

“Ouch, that hurt! You don’t pull any punches, do you? Are all zebras this tormented?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“No. Just one. Though I do admit, it is actually hard to find teachers who not only know enough to educate, but genuinely care about all species. From listening to your show, I can tell you are at least the latter.”

**[Stripes]**

“Ah-ha! You just admitted you're a fan! Anywho, when do you expect to get this school up and running?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“I wouldn’t call myself a fan, it’s just your show is the only thing that plays at three in the morning. As for the school? I have no idea. It’s a pipe dream right now, but we simply do not have the room for it. I also would need the consent of the parents, which I am certain many will reject. In truth, I would like this to be not just for the citizens of Hope, but for the entire Wasteland as a community.”

**[Stripes]**

“That’s a shame. Maybe when Olivia Springs is finished with her little adventure, she can think of a way to expand the town? I do admit it seems rather cramped at times.”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“I am looking forward to that day. This place needs her skills.”

**[Stripes]**

“While we are on the subject of Miss Springs, do you ever worry that she may not come back, for one reason or another?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“More than you can imagine. Every time I heard some report about a crazy rabbit, I wonder what trouble she got into, and if she is okay. Ever since… that place… I have also been worried about her mental state. Both Holly and Chief Lazlo check in with me from time to time, and they seemed concerned about it as well, how she has been keeping her emotions inside. One of these days she will burst from all that pressure and I fear for what will become of her.”

**[Stripes]**

“I know what you mean. That’s why I tend to release my woes into a bottle.”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“That’s not very healthy either. You sound like Blanche talking like that.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yeah… it’s a damn shame.”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“A shame about what? Did something happen?”

**[Stripes]**

“Umm… it’s a damn shame I have no cider on me at the moment. Yeah, that’s what I meant. Sooo… I have been meaning to ask you something. You happened to set up Max with a date… you by chance know anyone else who's single? Like, I don’t know, a cute little giraffe?”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t want that poor girl to suffer.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yikes, they're right, words _do_ hurt more than bullets. Although, speaking of giraffes, I have noticed I rarely ever see any here unless they're a trader, and even then it’s a rare sight.”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“Unfortunately, the Red-Necks have put a bit of a stigmata on all giraffes. Many of our residents are wary of them, even more so than foxes it seems. Every time we have giraffe traders come to town, most of them vanish, and it ends up being myself, Petunia, and a hoof full of other residents who deal with them, despite time after time me telling them that not every giraffe is a Red-Neck. Now if someone waltzed in here with a metal jaw? I can understand that uneasiness a little more, but that is an entirely different story.”

**[Stripes]**

“Boy, you're going to have one hell of a time next chapter…”

**[Mayor Swift]**

“Come again?”

**[Stripes]**

“Never mind, forget I said anything. Well, I see your a busy women, so I will leave you to your business, although I will need to make a pit-stop by Petunia’s before leaving. Gotta do a little… research for the next After Show. 

“Now before I go, I got a little request for all of _you_. I am wrapping up the final chapter, or rather the epilogue, and while I still need to get them to Max to be edited and make a few adjustments here and there at a few places, I will be starting to work on the After Show’s so that I can get a nice backlog of them in order to increase the posting rate. Now folks, what I need from you is suggestions on After Show topics. While I have ideas for some of your suggestions from the past, I would like more. People you want to see interviewed, history of people, places, things, or anything you might think of. Send them to me through PM’s, reviews, or comments, or even on my new Tumblr! Now, I will say this. I may not use everyone’s suggestions due to a few factors such as multiple people asking for the same thing, potential spoilers or other things that will be covered later in the story, and limitations on the number of After Shows. I will, however, do my very best to address as much as I can, and inform people if their suggestions will already be covered later on, but don’t be afraid to ask! While there is a lot of history I have created already, there are even some things that I may not have thought of, so don’t be afraid to make a suggestion. So until next time folks, this is Stripes signing off!”


	54. The Fires of Hope

For the first time in a while, I had pleasant dreams. Usually when I got to get some sleep, I was either too tired to remember any of my dreams, or had reoccurring nightmares from some traumatic event. Lately it’s been more of the latter than the former, but thankfully I had a certain fox here to comfort me during those horrific dreams.

The dream I had was of Nate and myself living together in a small home looking over a lush field of colorful flowers and green grass. It was a very simple dream, but one that brought a smile to my face just thinking about it. Since leaving the Burrow I haven't seen any plants that weren’t withered or petrified. It made me wonder if a place like my dream even still existed. Glancing at my Pip-Boar near the bed got me to also wondering why I was awake in the middle of the night.

A very loud and guttural noise answered that question a few seconds later. 

“Nate! Hey Nate you sleepy head, wake up!”

“Murble?” Nate muttered something incomprehensible before rolling over and falling back asleep.

That fox was harder to wake than opening a can of Hungry Maw without a tool. I shook him a few more times to no avail and decided to just check out this noise on my own. I threw some clothes on and was startled by the noise again as I left the room. I looked around and saw that the door to the other sleeping area was slightly ajar. That’s when I realized that the noise was coming from in there. I pushed open the door and nearly startled Mark and Holly, both looking very groggy and annoyed. 

“What the hell is that noise?”

“It’s _her_ ‘livi.” Holly pointed at the sleeping giraffe. 

“Jasmine? What do you…” I was interrupted by the loudest, most earth-shattering snore I had ever heard. If we had pictures hanging on the wall, I'm sure they'd be visibly moving. 

“It started half an hour ago. She'd been quite enamored with Marki’s book collection before she fell asleep. That noise is driving me up the wall!”

“Have you tried waking her?”

“She’s as sound a sleeper as Nate is. Holly and I tried everything short of firing off my cannon next to her.”

“Please don’t do that. We wanna wake her, not scare the crap out of her. And before you say anything, no, I will not have Onion shock her either.” 

I moved over to her head and was nearly deafened by another snore. That girl sure has some lungs on her. I tried calling her name, gently poking her face, and otherwise trying to be as annoying as I could in order to wake her. At least the smile on her face showed that it wasn’t an unpleasant slumber, at least for her. 

“So, should I get my gun?”

“No. How about you stay in the other room? When she gets up we can explain her… predicament and find a better solution.”

“Well there _is_ room for us all in there, but… well…”

“But what? What are you trying to say Holly?”

“Well, Mark and I are rather awake now, and after last night, well…” Holly was rather good at irritating me by beating around the bush.

“Last night? What the hell are you… oh. Oh! You mean… yeah that ain’t happening with us in the same room.”

Holly was giving me a sly smile while Mark just seemed embarrassed to be seen with her. 

“With Jasmine in the room, we weren’t ready for an audience just yet…”

“Holly! Just… Mark, help me wake Nate, he’s _your_ brother after all. I can barely get a word out of him before he falls right back asleep.”

“Well I _do_ happen to have a fool proof way of waking the doof up. Let me go work my magic.”

I followed Mark into the other room. I still can’t help feeling that Holly was basically alluding to the fact that her and Mark wanted to have sex, but what’s worse is the fact that Nate and I were what triggered it. It was bad enough that my mind was still wrapping itself over the whole thing between Nate and I, but to include the image of Mark and Holly doing the same thing? I think my headache was coming back.

When we got into the room Mark went up to the side of the bed Nate was facing and looked back at me and winked. He then proceeded to pinch and flick both of Nate’s ears before pinching his nose. Within a few seconds Nate snapped awake and jutted into a sitting position while letting out a rather cute sounding sneeze. His eyes were wide open as he looked at us confused. 

“Did I miss something?”

“Oh, you mean you didn’t hear the unnatural moaning of a giant ogre laying waste to the bunker?”

“Ogre? What are you talking about Holly?” Jasmine’s snore, while much more subdued over here, still caught Nate’s attention as his ears twitched. “What _is_ that?”

“That would be Jasmine sweetie. Apparently she snores. Loudly.” I think loud was an understatement at the moment.

“That’s coming from _her_? But her voice sounds too sweet and calm to…” Her snore cut him off as I saw his ears twitch again.

“Yeah. From a medical standpoint, I think it has something to do with whatever they did to her jaw. It’s probably causing her snores to be amplified by the metal. She sleeps so soundly that she probably doesn’t even know she does it.” It almost sounded like Mark was trying to defend her. Hopefully this means that they've accepted my decision to keep her with us. 

“Is there anything we can do about it Mark? It’s not like we can tell her she’s not allowed to sleep.” I had just started to sleep decently, I didn’t want to give it up.

“Well, I remember reading something about a snore-aid, I might be able to put something together with Nate’s help, but we’d need her awake to test fit it, so it'll have to wait until morning.”

“Well since you two are planning to…” I trailed off and saw Nate was looking at me a bit confused. I turned to him and shook my head, “you don’t wanna know. Maybe Nate and I can move into the garage or something?”

“What about the workshop?” Nate still sounded sleepy, but much more coherent than before. 

“Workshop? That… I like that actually. To be honest I was kinda missing sleeping in the same room I worked. You don’t know how many times I woke up dreaming of some new gizmo and want to start building while it’s fresh in my head.”

“I know that feeling all too well actually. That’s why before you moved in I often fell asleep in there.”

The way Nate said ‘moved in’ made it sound like we had just gotten married. Although, in a way it was kinda true. How the marking was explained sounded an awful lot like marriage, at least from what little I knew about it. From the small reddening of his ears I wondered if he caught on to it as well? Not that it would be a bad thing.

“Well, sounds like a plan then. Wait, the workshop is where Onion charges. There probably won’t be room for him, will there?”

“No, his charging pad is right where the bed would go.”

“Hmm…” I didn’t wanna just kick Onion out of there, nor do I wanna throw him into the garage like some piece of machinery. The only reason Drake lived there was due to his size…

“You okay Buns?”

“Oh, sorry Nate. Just thinking.”

“About… Blanche?”

“No actually. About, Drake.”

“He’s been on my mind too. I never thought I’d hear anyone say this, especially myself, but I miss that deathwing.”

“Me too sweetie. Me too.”

“I tried to contact him, but I think his transponder might be damaged, but I'm sure he’s okay. He’s a deathwing, they're not that easy to kill.”

“Yeah, but I can’t help but worry.”

I felt Nate’s tail wrap around me as his arms followed, giving me a gentle hug. I felt more pressure added as Mark and Holly joined in. I know emotions were all over as to what happened to Blanche, and I'm glad they were giving me time. I still couldn’t help but to blame myself for what happened to her, but Holly was right. I had to stop throwing my life away to help others, otherwise, who will be there to protect everyone else? 

There was one thing we all shared our thoughts on though. We all missed Drake.

“Miss?”

“Oh, Onion. We wake you?”

“You know robots don’t need sleep Miss. I had just finished my charging when my sensors picked up a rather loud and disturbing noise.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s just Jasmine. She snores apparently.”

“Snores? I thought we were under attack! I had wondered if my sensors were on the fritz when I didn’t see any signs of intruders.”

“We have a plan, sort of, but that involved a little rearranging of the place. Hey Onion, Nate and I thought about moving a bed into the workshop so we can give Jasmine her own room, but then I remembered that’s where your charging station was.”

“Well you needn't worry about that Miss. I can charge anyplace. The garage will suffice.”

“You sure Onion? I mean, we can put your charger wherever.”

“It’s the most logical place. I was going to suggest that to Mister Valiant here when we first arrived, but when Mister Drake was placed in there, I was… well I was afraid he’d eat me.”

“They don't eat robots Onion, at least, I don’t think they do.”

“Well suffice it to say, that rather unconventional fear is gone from my processors, so even after his return, I shall be quite happy to be there.”

I think even Onion missed Drake, even if he didn’t outright say it. 

“Well then, if that's settled, Mark, Holly? Mind moving the charging pad while Nate and I start to move the bed?”

“Sure thing ‘livi. C’mon Foxy, let’s get this thing to the garage.”

***

It took about half an hour to get everything, and everyone situated for the rest of the night, but when we were done, we all went our separate ways. It was nearly four in the morning, and I was still very tired. While we could still hear Jasmine’s snore, it was quiet enough that I think it'd be fine, but after three snores, I realized that It was still rather hard to sleep. I tried to grab a pillow from under Nate, but I think I shocked him when I grabbed his tail instead. I was about to let it go but it’s fluffy fur felt nice as I gently wrapped it around my ears. It didn’t help with the noise, but it did help with making me more comfortable. 

I felt him turn slightly as his arms wrapped around me, drawing me closer to him. I think he liked the fact that I told him how I felt laying against his bare chest, because he no longer seemed hesitant or bashful undressing around me anymore. At least while we were alone. Nate pulled the covers over us as I pressed one ear against his chest. The rhythmic beats, along with his own warmth, helped me forget all about the snoring coming from a few rooms over as I finally fell asleep.

***

“Olivia! Wake up!”

“Huh?” It took me a moment to realize that Mark had just burst into the room frantically. 

“Mark! Don’t go barging in like that, what if she’s not dressed!”

“What if Nate isn’t dressed?!”

“Not like I haven’t seen it before…”

“Now's not the time for teasing Holly! Olivia, you gotta get up, we just received an emergency message from Hope!”

The moment my brain registered what Mark said, I jumped out of bed in a panic. “Hope?! What’s going on?”

Mark and Holly stood there for a moment, jaws held open as if they were both in the middle of saying something. “What? What's going on?”

Holly flung her paw over Mark’s eyes. “‘Livi? You, uh, might wanna get something on…”

I was about to question her when I suddenly found myself wrapped in the blanket I was just buried under, Nate hurriedly moving in front of me, his arms outstretched. 

“So… thing… happening? Y-you were saying… something Mark?”

“What’s going on? And why the sudden… I’m naked, aren't I?” Fuck. I’m gonna hear about this later from Holly, I just know it.

With Holly’s paw still on his face, Mark blurted out, “Hope is under attack!”

“WHAT?!” Holly’s teasing, me being naked in front of them, all of it melted away the moment I heard those words. “Is it the Legionaries?”

“Worse. Red-Necks.”

“Red-Necks! What the fuck do they want?!”

“Calm down Olivia! You're gonna give yourself a heart attack at this rate. They… they want… Jasmine…”

Jasmine had said that they would be coming after her, but I didn’t know it would be this quick! “If they're after her, why attack Hope? That’s the _last_ place we’d take her!”

“The details are unclear, but their demands are crystal. They want Jasmine in exchange for Hope’s safety.”

“Well they certain as hell aren’t getting her! I’d rather turn _myself_ over than let that happen!” I felt Nate’s paws tighten on my arms as I realized what I had just said. “I-I… I’m sorry.” I put my paw on one of his, “I don’t… I don’t mean it like that. I’m trying, but it’s hard to break you know?”

“I do.” Nate’s voice sounded both reassuring and worried. I don’t think he liked my outburst, but I _am_ trying, I really am. 

“What’s…” Jasmine was outside the door, her words broken up by a massive yawn, “going on?”

“The Town of Hope is under attack… by Red-Necks.”

Jasmine shrunk back at my words. “T-t-they… I-I c-c-can’t…”

With the blanket still wrapped around me, I pushed past Mark and Holly and stood next to Jasmine. Any other mammal I would have hugged her to comfort her, but that was difficult with her size. I waved to her and she either understood, or it was simply a reaction, but she bent her neck down, placing her head at level with myself. I wrapped my arms around her neck. 

“I already promised you that we will not let them hurt you. As long as I have an inch of life in my body, I will keep that promise, but we need you.”

“W-why… m-me…”

“You know the Red-Necks. You know their strengths… and weaknesses. We need that knowledge right now. I won’t ask you to fight, I actually don’t want you to. It'll be too risky, but we can’t leave you here either. If they found you through me, then there's no telling how else they can find you, and I wanna make sure that I'm there to protect you if that's needed.”

“Y-y-you… y-you mean t-that?”

“Yes, I do. Ask any of them, a promise like that is one I'm willing to die for. Actually it’s something that’s proving very difficult to deal with.”

“I-I… I w-will try… to h-help. Please, d-don’t let t-them k-know I’m…”

“The way ‘livi acts, they'll probably be dead long before they can even bother to ask.”

“Hey! I haven’t killed _everyone_ I ran across.” Although I hate the fact that it was close.

“She’s right though Jasmine. I haven’t seen a rabbit as crazy, or as loyal, as she is. If she promises your safety, it’s almost guaranteed.”

“A-almost?” Jasmine seemed to be taking it better… mostly.

“Well, no one lives forever…”

“Way to give such a reassuring speech Holly.”

“Someone’s gotta be optimistic.”

“Anyways, Nate threw together something for you Jasmine, it’s in the room near your bed. While I'm not expecting you to fight, that dress really isn’t fit for the battlefield.”

I think Jasmine blushed a little. It was hard to tell from this angle, but she stood up, tried to brush away the creases in the dress and turned back towards the room. I did feel bad for dragging her with us, but I didn’t wanna waste time having her tell me what I needed to know before leaving. She would have to fill us in on the way there. 

“I’m gonna go get Onion and you guys gather your stuff. We head out in five.”

***

Jasmine was feeling much calmer than she was earlier, but then again she was also very uncomfortable being squeezed in a vehicle two times too small for her. She managed to get into a position where she was facing all of us, but she took up the entire side of the APC, while we all squeezed into the other side. 

She started off with their gear. Despite these Reclaimers being an elite force, they still used the same gear as all the Red-Necks. Apparently it was easier to find parts and repair them if everyone used the same thing. She told us that the tanks and the hoses were lined with a bulletproof material, that anything short of a high caliber round wouldn’t be able to penetrate. I suggested using the guns attached to the APC, while Holly developed a large grin at the mention of using those guns, Mark had to butt in and inform us that blowing the tanks, especially if they were within Hope, would potentially start a fire. Jasmine confirmed this saying that the fuel was designed specifically to make it spread fast and burn hard. I couldn’t risk that, so the guns were out of the question. For now. 

I asked Jasmine what they did for those who were out of range of their flame weapons, and she informed me that while the flamers were their primary weapon, they were free to use anything else as long as they were trained in it. That got me thinking and asked her what _she_ was trained in, and told us that she didn’t really like using anything close range, and played around with a sniper rifle, thinking it was an excuse to stay as far away as possible from any fire attacks, but she never got very good at it. 

The last thing she informed us about was that the Reclaimers typically had one or two slaves with them. I had forgotten about them buying slaves. “I thought giraffes weren’t considered slaves once they joined?”

“They don’t just buy giraffe slaves. They buy… any mammal smaller than a wolf.”

“What do they use them for? I thought Red-Neck forces were made up of only giraffes?”

“T-they… t-they…” she started to whisper, as if ashamed of what she had to say, “u-use them as… b-bombs…”

“Bombs! What the fuck does that mean?!”

“‘Livi! Your scaring her!” 

I looked at Jasmine and saw that my sudden outburst had put put fear into her face. She still wasn’t used to me, and I was still not used to controlling this sudden anger. 

“I’m… sorry. I wasn’t aiming that at you, it’s just… what do you mean, bombs?”

“T-they strap a t-thermobaric explosive t-to them…”

“Fucking hell!” Holly’s sudden outburst made us all face her. “Sorry, it’s just… those are nasty. They use the oxygen rich air to create a very intense, and long burning fire. If even one of them went off…”

“That’s how they attacked Beaverton, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes…” I knew it wasn’t her fault, but she still sounded ashamed at herself.

“Why do the slaves even let them? Don’t they try to fight it?”

“S-some try, but they are… t-tortured. So much t-that when they are u-used… they would r-rather die than face more t-torture.”

“That’s horrible. That’s more than horrible, that's downright disgusting! We need to…” I felt my paws clenching so much that I felt my nails starting to dig into my palm. It was Nate’s touch that calmed me down. “First things first. We need to save Hope. Then, maybe the Guardians can help wipe those _Red-Necks_ off the face of the planet, then maybe you can finally start to live a normal life Jasmine.”

***

We arrived at the outskirts of Hope. Nate parked the APC behind a small building as all of us except Jasmine piled out. Normally I would leave Onion behind, but after talking with Jasmine about any of their potential weaknesses, I had an idea that might make use for him. Nate informed me that there was a communicator in the APC tied to his Pip-Boar, so after showing her where it was, we were off towards the town. 

Right away I saw two Red-Necks at the entrance. Jasmine said that a Reclaimer squad typically had four or five, so I figured the others were inside. We could easily take them out from here, but that could potentially alert the others. I had wanted to use my remote gun, but Jasmine informed me that it was all mechanical controlled, so there was no computer to hack. Still can’t believe I built that and have yet to find a reason to use it. However…

“‘Livi? What are you doing?” 

I had pulled out the remote gun and started to program a bullet for it. “We need to draw them out. Jasmine said there was usually four to five, so we need to get them all in the open if possible. Don’t want to risk them setting fire inside the town. Plan B shouldn’t fail.”

“Plan B? What was Plan A?”

“Walk out there and use myself as a distraction.”

“Plan B is perfect. Your getting better ‘livi. So, what exactly _is_ Plan B?”

“See those towers next to the water?” I pointed towards two tall towers with a small round object on each, “They're speakers that the Mayor has tied to a personal radio. They're all over the place. I plan to hack one of those and draw them out.”

“That’s my girl.”

I smiled at Nate. At first he seemed shocked at what he had just let slip out, but then after seeing my smile, he started to look proud. I took aim at the speaker nearest to the water. If my plan didn’t work, maybe we could push them in and poison them. That’d teach them. I only had a couple of bullets with me, and no time to make more, so I activated B.A.T.S. in order to make sure I hit my target. I heard Holly mutter something about me needing to rely less on this for shooting, but I couldn’t help it. I had so much more on my mind than finding time to practice my aim.

My first shot hit it’s mark and as soon as the chemicals wore off, I tapped into it with my Pip-Boar and opened a communication channel. 

“Greetings Red-Neck fuckers.” My voice echoed from the speaker loud and clear. “My name is Olivia Springs and I hear you're looking for a friend of mine. Tell you what. Why don’t you join me out back for a nice talk, maybe throw back a few drinks, and work something out.”

That definitely got the attention of the two outside as they turned towards where the speakers were broadcasting. Just as I planned, they both started to move, their heads held high as they scanned their surroundings. A third Red-Neck came out of the town’s front entrance and joined them. I didn’t see any more. 

“Shit. I was hoping that would be all of them.”

“What now?”

“We continue with the plan. Onion, come here.”

“Yes Miss?”

“I need to access your upgrade port.”

“What for Miss?”

I popped my Stealth-Boar out of the Pip-Boar. “I need to make a small upgrade.”

It took me a few minutes, but I managed to install the Stealth-Boar into Onion. Nate had warned me that those things were finicky, and that if the system was too incompatible, it might fry Onion’s processors. I assured him that I knew Onion inside and out and knew how to ‘tweak’ his systems. He was built from scrap after all.

I uploaded a small file to Onion that I had been working on while talking to Jasmine about how the Red-Neck’s weapons worked. If this worked, those three will never be able to use their weapons. If it doesn’t, I’ll be needing to get Onion a shiny new casing. 

“Okay Onion, get to it.”

“You sure this will work Miss?”

“No, but its either this or me going down there to do it myself.”

“I can’t be having you do that Miss.” He seemed rather accepting of his role in this plan as he initiated the Stealth-Boar and vanished from sight. 

“What _exactly_ is the plan ‘livi?”

“Just wait and see.”

It only took a few minutes before we saw my plan in action. At first, it was hard to see from here, but after I handed them my scope they saw exactly what Onion had done. All three of the Red-Necks had their hoses detached from the tanks. Sure there was probably residual fuel in them, but it wouldn’t be enough for a steady flame before they realized what happened. 

“Okay Onion, find a place to hide until the Stealth-Boar cycles over. If any others show up, be prepared to do the same to them.”

“Affirmative Miss.”

“That was rather slick Olivia.” 

“Thanks Mark. Figured I could solve a situation without going in guns blazing for once.”

“Who are you and what did you do to our rabbit?” Holly was teasing me, but also seemed a bit surprised.

“Now, grab your weapons, time to go in guns blazing.”

“…aaand there she is.”

We didn’t simply rush them, but rather circled around to get into a better position. Onion kept me informed as to any movements. I had Nate do a quick check in on Jasmine for me, and then we started the attack. When we got into range of the Red-Necks, they did what I expected them to, they lit their flamers. 

A small spew of flame came out but it wasn’t even enough for me to feel the heat. Once all three of their fires sputtered out, they looked around rather confused until one of them pointed out the hose. They tried to fix it but it was too late, we were closing in on them. I shot one of them in the leg, causing them to clumsily fall down.

“Don’t kill them yet! We may need them alive.”

Mark and Holly took that to heart as they both aimed for the legs. Nate stuck near me, keeping an eye on his own Pip-Boar for trouble. I knew he wasn’t too keen on killing if it was avoidable, but it was nice to have my own shield for once. There was still no sign of any other Red-Necks as we had finished crippling them. One had gotten a few rounds of his machine gun off, but Holly was able to shoot the gun out of his hoof with ease. Maybe I _should_ take her up on that offer to teach me a few things. I can barely do that with B.A.T.S..

“Mark, Holly, disarm them. Nate keep an eye out for trouble. I wanna have a word with them.”

I moved towards the nearest giraffe. I expected to see him terrified, or at least worried, but he was calm. Eerily calm. I leaned down next to his head and pressed my gun into his temple. 

“You will answer me correctly. You don’t have any extra chances, so answer me correctly. How many more of you are there?”

He moved his head slowly at me and smiled. “Plenty.”

“MISS! I have movement!”

“Four, five… there are at least seven converging on our location!” Nate had barked out the numbers, almost mechanically. He was getting scared. 

“Fuck!” I put a bullet through the giraffes head, killing him instantly and held the gun towards the others. “Tell them to back off, now!”

They just laughed. I was not in the mood for this. Their laughs cost them their lives. 

“Olivia!” 

“They would have done the same to us given the chance. I showed them the only mercy I could, a quick, clean death.”

“I… we’ll deal with this later ‘livi. Okay boys. Show time.”

We all have to die someday. Those words ring true no matter who you are. I had promised her not to go berserk, and right now I was as calm as ever. I steadied my gun as a I looked around for the potential aggressors. I won’t make any rash decisions before I know what's happening, but if anything happened to Nate…

“Where the hell are they?” Mark kept looking around but I think he was getting both annoyed and worried at the lack of visual aid.

“My scanners show they should be in visual range!” 

“You sure that thing ain't busted Nate?”

“Did you really ask me that Holly?”

“Fuck! It’s like we're being surrounded by ghosts… Holly! Stun grenade!”

“‘Livi? What are you?”

“NOW!” 

She hesitated before tossing me one. I primed it and threw it towards where three of the dots were. It went off and just as I thought, the Red-Neck’s Stealth-Boars shorted out, revealing them. However, unlike before, they weren't convulsing on the ground, but rather continuing their advance. 

“Shit, they got shock resistant gear on!” 

“Least we know they ain’t ghosts! Holly, two more there and there!”

Just as I blurted it out, she tossed two more grenades where I pointed. Sure enough, the other four Red-Necks were now visible. Now that we could _see_ our targets, I also took note of their weapons. All but two of them had assault rifles like the Red-Necks we took down, but the other two had something very familiar. Grenade launchers. 

“We're surrounded! If they get any closer were toast, literally!” Mark was sounding rather unsure about my plan’s outcome now. 

If I popped into B.A.T.S. I could take down at least half of them, but this is already more than Jasmine said there should be. For all I knew there were more still inside. I had to take that chance. 

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

I couldn’t risk them using their flamers, so I aimed for the heads. That’s when I made the realization that they were all wearing helmets. How the fuck didn’t I see that before? The others didn’t wear any! Not wanting to waste my heightened senses, I took aim anyways, just to have my bullets get deflected off of the metal helmets. 

“Fuck! Those bastards learn quick. We need to think of another plan. Holly, you and Mark concentrate on the grenadiers. We need to…”

I heard someone suddenly start to yell as I realized it was Jasmine. She was charging the two with the grenade launchers. I think her presence caught them off guard as she shoved one down and butted her own head against the others, causing him to collapse. I could see a mixture of pride and fear coming from her face, fear that started to take over as one of the giraffes started to light up his flamer. 

“Jasmine! Down!” I ran up to the one of the large pillars near the water and jumped onto it, rebounding with such force that it brought me to head level with the giraffe. I may not be able to shoot through the helmet, but at this range, a quick shot through the eye caused him to drop. 

Two more started their flamers as the flame died down in seconds, their tubes dangling in the air. That left two more. I went to charge them but was stopped when I heard the familiar sound of a grenade launcher. A second later the other two had been blown to bloody bits. I turned around and half expected to see the Mayor running to our aid, but instead I heard two more pops as more grenades blew up. It was Jasmine. I saw tears falling from her eyes as she kept pulling the trigger on the now empty weapon. 

I jumped and rebounded off another structure and kicked the gun out of her hooves, as she collapsed on her knees. I moved up to her and put my paw on her thigh. “It’s okay. They won't hurt you.”

“I-I… I j-just couldn’t…” 

“Holly, disarm and take care of the rest. Kill them, lock them up, I don’t care, just make sure they can’t hurt anyone else. Mark, tend to Jasmine. Nate, Onion, come with me.”

We weren't out of the fire yet. We still had no idea if there were any more left inside, so we snuck around the best we could. I no longer had a Stealth-Boar, so Onion said he would go check the inside. Our scanners were useless since the dots could be citizens or enemies, and there was no way to tell. 

“Miss? We may have a problem.”

“What is it Onion?” 

“Well… the stealth unit… fried.”

“Fried? What do you… fuck.”

They know we're here, don’t they? Fuck. 

“Miss? He wants to… talk to you.”

Of course he does. I looked at Nate and he had a look that said he didn’t want me to go, but I think he also knew that he couldn’t stop me. He was right. The lives of everyone here depended on my actions now, and I had a feeling inaction was not going to solve this. I just hoped there was something I could say, or do, to prevent anyone from getting hurt. 

I slowly moved to the entrance, and Nate was right beside me, his gun held at the ready. 

“Well, well, if it isn’t the little bunny in the flesh.” 

The voice came from a single giraffe standing in the middle of what was typically the main trade center. To his left was a pig, a large backpack strapped to his front with wires sticking out of it, and Onion, who was generating smoke from where I installed the Stealth-Boar. To his right, was Mayor Swift, he arms and legs bound, with something in her mouth preventing her from speaking. 

“Let them go, and I promise you a quick death.” I had to show him that I wouldn’t take his threats too kindly. 

“Hah! You're as brave as you are dumb. This little piggy has a bomb big enough to make Beaverton look like a campfire. One small mistake, and we all go up in flames.”

“You’d kill yourself?”

“If that’s what it'll take to eliminate a traitor _and_ one of the biggest annoyances the wasteland has seen? Then yes, yes I would.”

“You're fucking insane!”

“From what I hear, so are you.”

“Tell you what, give me the traitor, and I'll let all of you live. That’s all we're here for.”

I wanted to tell him to fuck off, I wanted to just pull my gun and end his life right here, right now. Then I saw the faces. The whole town was crowded around, fear and panic filled them. Why were they not hiding? Why didn’t they try to escape? I think he noticed my concerns.

“I told them that if anyone tried to leave, I’d blow this place up. They try to find shelter? I blow it up. Basically I wanted them to see how much of a ‘hero’ you really were. This land is corrupt, it doesn’t need a hero, it needs a…”

He didn’t get a chance to finish. A loud crack from a distance stopped his talking and a second later his head exploded. I looked at Nate.

“That was the .50 cal… it wasn’t me!”

“Then who the fuck was it?”

“I have the only remote control, and no one is even in it!”

I couldn’t worry about that. I had to make sure that the pig didn’t panic and blow us all up. I moved closer to him, very slowly. “It’s okay. I'm here to help. Let me just get that off…”

“N-n-no! I-if I-I don’t…” He held up his paw, and that’s when I saw the trigger, his hoof poised over the button. 

“NO!” 

Another shot rang out just moments before the pig’s head blew up, his limp body collapsing. I didn’t even stop to think about who was doing that as I ran over to the lifeless corpse and with Nate’s help, disarmed the bomb. I told Onion to take it and drop it in the radioactive waters, just in case. 

“Everyone alright?” I pulled the gag out of the Mayor’s mouth. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine now. Thanks to you.” Even in such a dire situation, The mayor remained calm. No wonder everyone respects her. 

“Holly and Mark are taking care of the others, they should be…” I stopped as I noticed a familiar face. “North?”

“You don’t sound too happy to see me Carrots.”

“No, it’s not that at all. I just didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

“Well, after I delivered that letter to the Mayor like you asked, I stuck around trying to help some of the traders. It’s not too often I find a place that doesn’t kick me out just for being a ghoul. Most of the people here even tolerate me. Mostly.” 

I did something that I never imagined I would. I ran up to North and hugged him. 

“Easy now sweetheart. This tie is an antique.” 

“Just like you. So you were helping the traders? That doesn’t sound like you to willingly help someone.”

“Guess you rubbed off on me. Apparently it’s easier to do business when I’m not constantly trying to hustle someone. Plus, I figured if a bunny such as yourself can do so much good, maybe my rotting fur can help out too. I might even open up a trade booth of my own here. Imagine it. North’s Western Emporium! Has a bit of a ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“It does actually.”

“So Olivia, where’s Blanche? Haven’t heard from her since the whole Darkwater incident.”

The mayor's words uncovered the sorrow that was still buried within me. I forgot that Blanche and the Mayor knew each other. I think the mayor picked up on it just as fast. 

“Something happened, didn’t it?”

***

Once everything had settled, all of us, including North, the Mayor, and Petey, Blanches uncle, all met in Mayor Swift’s office. It was hard, but I told them _everything_ that happened. From the rescue of Jasmine (the mayor actually seemed a bit uneasy having a former Red-Neck in her town) to Blanche’s fate and the disappearance of Drake. I'm glad I had Nate there with me, because it was hard for me to force myself to remember everything. 

“So, she’s gone? I honestly never thought anyone could kill her.” She chuckled a bit nervously. “Not surprised it took a nuke to do it. Still, I am sad to hear she is gone. Despite her attitude, she was a good friend.”

“Yeah, she was. We all may not have seen eye to eye on matters, but she'll be missed, although it hit her the hardest.”

I was surprised to hear Nate say that so calmly, but I think he knew that one of us had to have been the strong one. He held me close the entire time, as if making sure I didn’t just fade away into my own grief and guilt. 

“I didn’t like who she became, but Jezzie is right. She was a good mammal, even if she hid it all these years.” Her uncle, Petey, sounded mournful, but at the same time, I think he knew this was coming. Her line of work probably hardened him to the eventual news. 

We all had a moment of silence for the fallen and the missing. After a few minutes it was Nate who broke the quiet.

“I wanted to tell you this, but I could never find the right time. I think now would be it.”

“What is it Nate?”

“When we brought you back after… your Pip-Boar received a message. You were already in bad shape, I didn’t think your mind could take it. It was a message… from Blanche.”

My eyes went wide as I turned to my Pip-Boar. Sure enough there was a single unread audio message. How did I not notice this before? “Did you…”

“No, I never opened it past seeing who sent it. Go ahead and play it.”

I looked towards the mayor and Petey, they both nodded. I opened the file and pushed play.

“ _I want to apologize to you Olivia. I was a small furry bundle of hate, and I took it out on you and your friends one time too many. I never wanted to, but my anger, it just takes hold of me sometimes, although I think you know too well that horrible feeling. I should be fighting this, I should be angry, but I think it’s just my time. Julio let me do this last request. I couldn’t die with this weighing on my conscious. Especially if his ‘Atom’ turns out to be real. Heh. Figures it would take my imminent death to start to think something as foolish as a god even existed in this living hell we call the wasteland._

“ _I know you'll try to come after me, I know you'll put your life in danger to do it. I don’t know why you do it. I don’t think I ever could. I’d probably just cower away before I let myself be the better mammal._ You _are the better mammal. Better than I ever have been, and better than I ever could be. It’s only taken me now to realize how much good you are to this fucked up place. You need to live Olivia Springs. As for you Nate. I am sorry. I’m sorry I called you a cowardly cur. Those last words you said to me showed me how strong you really are, and how much you care for her, for all of them. So you keep her close to you, and you keep her safe or else I will come back from the dead to haunt the both of you._

“ _Julio says it’s time, and I can see you now, still fighting against your friends, still trying to put yourself before others. Just be safe Olivia, don’t try to help me. I’m already… the rads here are too strong. Don’t be a stupid bunny. Just… leave me to die with a clear conscious. One last thing. Attached are some coordinates. There you will find my life savings. Whiskey to repay Nate, and nearly six hundred thousand caps. I’ve taken a lot of contracts, but only ever bought booze and food with it. Been saving up to leave this hell hole, but never found myself willing to part. Take it and give it to Jezzie, tell her to get that crap of a town fixed up, and maybe spend a little extra on Petunia’s place, then maybe Uncle Petey can finally have that vacation he keeps moaning on about. Take care Olivia Springs, and don’t remember me as the bitch of a killer that everyone else will. Remember me… as your friend._ ”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! I'm coming to you live from, well, Hope still. While the Mayor keeps insisting that I move on, despite her constantly saying everyone is welcome here, although that little Red-Neck incursion _was_ a bit of an incentive to stick around… I also can’t get enough of Petunia’s cooking over at Olive’s Garden! A little fact about this lovely establishment, located just behind Hope’s central trade district, open from dawn to dusk… yes, I'm plugging an advertisement for this place, but it was the only thing I could do with the tab I racked up…”

**[Max]**

“… A tab you racked up on MY CREDIT! You are SO lucky Celeste had me bunked away and relaxing for the last few episodes or would've already shot you… I hope you know your salary for the next three months has been docked as recompense.”

**[Stripes]**

“You’re _my_ assistant, you can’t dock my pay! Anywho, it got me thinking. Food this good is very hard to come by. There are a few other places out there that can provide fresh food, but most of it either has such a short shelf life, or it comes with the added benefit of radiation poisoning, that many have resorted to scavenging many pre-war food items that have a surprisingly long shelf life. Sure most of them can’t avoid the radiation, but it’s better than starving. Or going cannibal. That’s a horror story just waiting to happen…"

“So, I decided that I'll take this time to tell you all about the wonders of Wasteland food and which ones are… Good Eatings! Sorry, I tried my best impersonation of Alton Bear. Great show if you ever can get your paws on some pre-war recordings of it. Anywho, let’s get down to one of the most popular of pre-war foods, Rad! Cola!”

**[Max]**

“Oh god, that sugar bomb of radiation and bad decisions… Why would you even bring that up?”

**[Stripes]**

“It _is_ one of the most popular drinks in the wasteland. Now, Rad! Cola has a bit of a history in itself. First crafted by Paw-Cola, one of the largest pre-war carbonated drink manufacturers, Rad! Cola was designed to stand out from their other brands. While nowadays many associate the term Rad! In the name to mean radioactive, due to the fact that nearly all bottles contain minute traces of radiation, this was not the case back then. Rad actually stands for _Refreshing Activity Drink_. You see, in the year before its production, there had been a major increase in fitness activities. Bigger bike sales, more runners and joggers hitting every borough, and the gyms were packed. Due to this sudden increase of activity, many drink manufacturers started to produce electrolyte infused sport drinks to capitalize on this new trend. Fast food joints, specifically those who sold greasy and fattening food items, were also seeing a decline, and this included, you guessed it, soda and other not so healthy drinks. Sure Paw-Cola and other competing companies had their diet drinks, and low calorie ones, but I’ve tried some, and maybe it was the fact they were hundreds of years old, but they're just downright nasty, and I think the folks over at Paw-Cola knew this. 

“So, what was a company who only made soda to do in this newly fit-conscious society? Adapt! They set out to make a soda that tasted good, BUT also had the right balance of chemicals to make it comparable to a sports drink. It took them two years of developing and taste testing it, but then they finally had their first production batch of Rad! Cola. Marketed as the ‘Sports Cola’, it was a huge hit. It had the refreshing taste of a soda, but the energy boosting, and revitalizing powers of a sports drink. It became so popular that they had a major decline in their other products, so focused their attention on not only heightening the Rad! Cola brand, but also making new ones. Sure, they had Diet Rad! Cola, and Rad! Cola Zero, but they also branched out. Slothsparilla, the caffeine free soda to calm you and help you unwind after a stressful day. Lucky-Star Cola, the only soda to not only feature a star shaped cap (these are worth ten times the amount of normal caps, if you weren't aware, but they are rare), but also was said to contain pure star essence, which is why it had a glow to it. In reality it was a small bit of a harmless isotope added to it to give it a ‘healthy’ glow. 

“While the other drinks did well, nothing sold as well as Rad! Cola. Even after this huge fitness kick started to die down, Rad! Cola still topped sales. Vending machines were installed in most public areas, including many schools after they started donating a percentage of the profits back to the schools, and was so well installed that you can still find Rad! Cola all over, and it's just as popular of a drink today as it was back then. 

“Now, you might be asking, what about the radiation? Well, it seems that whatever chemical cocktail they added to their soda to allow for the bursts of energy and to help boost electrolyte replenishment, was also a radiation magnet. Sure, you would have to drink a hundred bottles of it to get even minor radiation poisoning, but it didn’t stop it from absorbing it. To be honest, I think it adds a bit of a kick to it.”

**[Max]**

“I swear, you're the only one I know that would think that. Radiation is bad for a REASON. Just look at the ever growing feral ghoul population.”

**[Stripes]**

“Radiation once was used to cure cancer. Sure, now it just causes mutations, but a little bit can be helpful. Plus, it give you a nice healthy glow. Though, if glow it starts to keep you up at night, you may want to get that checked out. Now to move on to the second most popular food brand in the wasteland, Hungry Maw! The Hungry Maw Meal Corporation as they were called, was once the most popular producer of both predator and prey frozen meals. Now that’s great back where everyone had refrigerators and electricity to power them, but when the dangers of war started to loom, they took notice of the ever increased interest in the safety of Burrows. Burrow-Tec was advertising them as thirty year shelters, and that is a long time to go without eating, so the Hungry Maw Meal Corporation decided that this would be a perfect place to expand. They started to produce canned meats, canned vegetables, basically anything canned. Sure they made that stuff in the past, so it wasn’t anything new, but they marketed this new line specifically to those doomsday prepers and future Burrow residents. 

“Just like Paw-Cola did with their drink, Hungry Maw created a chemical cocktail that promised not just thirty years, but a massively increased freshness guarantee. Normal canned goods might have a shelf life of five to ten years, but that was nowhere near the operating time-frame of Burrows, and even afterward, many showed concerned about how possible it would be to start growing crops right out of the Burrow. With a new fresh sealed design, and this new ‘safe’ preservation process, they guaranteed the shelf life to be nearly a hundred years. 

“That was quite a statement to be made, and while the mammals who control all food and drugs within Zootopia were already launching investigations on their claims, that didn’t stop millions of mammals from stocking up on all the food they could handle. Even Burrow-Tec bought food from them to stock the Burrows with. They made billions overnight. Now while Hungry Maw foods are still consumed today, I for one have a personal love of the pickled asparagus, due to the concoction they used for preservation, food poisoning is very commonly associated with overconsumption of their products. Oddly enough, that’s only with the non tainted food. Those that have been irradiated tend to be much safer to eat for some reason.”

“So we have beverages and entrees, so what about desserts and snacks? Well I got you covered there! One popular snack are Pawpsicles. Now, you may be asking, ‘Stripes, this is the wasteland, where did they find a way to freeze them?’. Well, they didn’t. You see, pawpsicles have been a frozen treat for a long time, popularized by a certain fox, but frozen goods, just as Hungry Maw knew, are not very viable for day-to-day operations, especially in the higher heat areas, like Sahara Square. So, that’s when some companies got the brilliant idea to turn them from a frozen treat, to a sugar filled lollipop. While they maintained their iconic paw shape, they came in a much larger assortment. For the predators, there were insect pawpsicles, with things like ants, spiders, and even scorpions that were cooked, candied, and then covered in a sugary shell. For the prey, there were the traditional ones, but there were also ones that had edible flowers and plants inside. You can still find these assorted candies in the wasteland, but finding a specific flavor might be another issue. I myself like the lavender infused ones. It’s rather… calming after a stressful day. Although don’t mix that and a Slothsparilla. I fell asleep so fast that I woke up with my mic lodged in my mouth. Not my best day. 

“Next, we have those lovely golden yellow and cream filled Fluffies. An angel food cake filled with a decadent vanilla cream? Yes please! Just like many of the other foods, so many preservatives were placed in these snacks that as long as you find one that is wrapped, they taste just as fresh as the day they were made. You want a real treat? Try finding one of the limited edition chocolate filled ones. They didn't make as many, but they are just as amazing. You could buy a Nuke Tube with a dozen mini-nukes for an unopened box of them. They are _that_ rare.”

“Now there are plenty other of treats out in the wasteland, but it would take too long to list them out. I would love to hear what your favorites are, especially if they're not one of the ones I listed. I think Buga Burger made some preserved stuff, but I'm not a meat eater so I haven’t tried any of it. Max, do you have a favorite?”

**[Max]**

"I have plenty of favorite foods, none of them preserved and all of them fresh. The crap you just mentioned? That'll all kill ya."

**[Stripes]**

“Of course fresh food is a bit harder to come by these days, so most of the wasteland have to rely on what ever they can scrounge up. Only a few places, such as Petunia’s, manage to procure fresher ingredients, though they come at a price. That’s all we have for today folks! It’s time for me to keep filling my gullet, all this food talk is making me hungry again. Well folks, until next time, stay safe!”

**[Petunia]**

“Oh no, sorry Mister but you ain't cut off till ya pay off your tab.”

**[Stripes]**

“But I thought your little advertisement would be good enough as payment!”

**[Petunia]**

“Didn’t I tell you that I would _think_ about it? Not only did you forget to even mention what kind of food I serve here, but you also forgot to consider the fact that during that entire show of yours, you _kept_ on eating!”

**[Stripes]**

“I can’t help it! All that talk of food was making me hungry. Hey Max, mind spotting me on this one?”

**[Max]**

“You still owe me _how_ many back paychecks? No, you’re on your own this time you striped bastard. Have fun trying to pay it all off without any wages for the next three months too… Now I need to go put that application in with ZNN so ta! Oh and Miss Petunia? Celeste asked me to let you know your latest requests have made it in thanks to her parents, they're ready whenever you are.”

**[Stripes]**

“But! But! Oh blast, this thing is still on.” _static_


	55. Hope is not Lost

Blanche’s message hit all of us hard. Both Mayor Swift and Petey, whom had just learned about her fate, wore expressions of shock and grief. Blanche’s uncle, whom she said she wasn’t that close with, looked as if he'd just lost a child of his own. He looked unsure of what to do, or what to say and eventually just buried his face in his paws. 

I could tell that Mayor Swift was hurt by this news as well, but she didn’t show her emotions like everyone else. She looked sullen, like she was on the verge of crying, but it never came. I envied how strong she was with her emotional control. I guess having to constantly look like a leader to her people must have given her a resolve of steel, but I could still tell it hurt her, and bit by bit her mask was cracking. 

Mark and Holly just held each other. Of the two, Mark seemed to be the one showing the greater emotion to having heard the message, while Holly was trying her best to comfort him. It was the same with Nate and I. I was just curled up in his arms as I felt the warm drops of Nate’s tears hit the back of my neck. I could feel my own tears but they weren't nearly enough. I wanted to be more upset. I _should_ be more upset. I just felt, broken.

North had left shortly after the message stopped playing. He said he had something to take care of, but the way his voice sounded, I wondered if he simply felt out of place. He didn’t strike me as the emotional type. I didn’t try to stop him from leaving. Everyone had their own means to deal with their feelings. I just hoped he wasn’t trying to bottle it up like I had been. 

Despite all this, the one who I felt the worst for was Jasmine. I had dragged her into this emotional wreckage with zero warning on what to expect. I freed her from the ones who wanted to torture her, just to drag her right back into their grasp. Now she's sitting here, probably with no idea on how to react or respond to all of us falling apart. We’re still strangers to her, and how can I keep the promise to protect her, when we can’t even protect ourselves. _She_ was the one who ended up saving us from the Red-Necks.

I felt Nate rub his paw between my ears. “You just take all the time you need, none of us are going anywhere.”

“I… I'll be okay. I think.” 

“You two have gotten close, haven’t you?” Mayor Swift’s voice seemed to crack momentarily before she gathered herself back into her normal form. 

I chuckled a little, the feeling causing a momentary lapse in whatever emotions were currently in control. “Closer than you think.”

“Oh my. I could tell you two were a good match, but never expected to see you move _this_ fast.”

I had expected some kind of quip to come from Holly, even _I_ knew that was the perfect set up for one, but she just sat there with Mark in her arms and gave the mayor a look that actually sent a shiver down my spine. Even Holly had her boundary, but I wish it didn’t involve so much sorrow. 

“Oh dear, I’m… sorry. I’ve never liked seeing people like this, especially ones I care about. Running this town for so long has taught me that both fear and depression can spread faster than any fire. I always tried to make sure it never got to that point by doing my best to distract everyone from it.”

“We appreciate your concern mayor, but we've been through a lot, Olivia especially. Sometimes even jubilance can hurt more than it helps.”

The mayor just looked at me and Nate, something was in her eyes that I could only describe as a mix of shame and sorrow. “I think… it’s been a while since I’ve had a chat with Mark and Holly. We need to catch up on a few things. Petey, could you take Olivia and Nate over to Petunia’s get them some food? Tell her that I will pay for it myself.”

“S-sure.” The mayors voice seemed to have snapped him out of some trance-like state or something. 

“Jasmine was it? You should probably stay here. With all the ruckus earlier, I don’t think anyone noticed your…” The mayor simply pointed to her chin. “I don’t think your appearance in town will be seen without some apprehension.”

“I understand. I figured that there would be… issues with my appearance.”

“I’m sorry Jasmine. We'll do what we can to help.” Nate and I walked towards the door following Petey when I stopped and turned back towards her. “Also, I wanted to say thank you. You save us, despite what it might have cost you if we failed.”

“Y-your welcome. I… it’s only been a day, but you've shown me more kindness than I think any of the Red-Necks ever showed me my entire life. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I simply stood back and watched.”

I gave her a reassuring smile before we left.

***

Life had started to return to a semblance of normalcy in the town. Many of the citizens were giving us looks. Some looking thankful for saving them, again. Others, however, told me that either the mayor hadn't been able to win everyone over from last time, or if she did, this recent attack on Hope caused that work to become undone. Either way, I don’t think we were still entirely welcome here. 

I wished that we could all just move back here. Between the flickering lights and the rusting support beams, this town looked like it could fall apart at any moment. If only they knew how much help Nate and I could do for this place. Between the two of us, this town would look like it was just built in a few months time. Distrust seemed to be a much more powerful motivator than their own wellbeing. 

“You two take a seat, I’ll fill Petunia in and start cooking. Got any requests?”

The rumble in my stomach at the smell of food told me that I don’t think it mattered. “Surprise us.”

Nate and I pulled our chairs close together, him not wanting to move even an inch from my side, his tail curling around me, and always seemed to have at least one paw resting on me. In the past I had thought he was too clingy towards me, but right now I don’t think it was possible to be. I wanted him here just as much as he wanted to be. 

“Sorry for bailing.”

“There you are North. You left in a bit of a hurry there.”

“Yeah, I don’t do very well around other mammals when they're like… well like this.”

“I’ll forgive you, this time. Come, join us.” I motioned towards a chair that was opposite from us. 

“I was just going to…”

“Sit.”

North grabbed the chair out from the table and plopped down on it. I saw him fiddling with something in his shirt pocket. 

“What’s that?”

“Oh, this is the little thing I had to take care of.” He seemed rather nervous while he was reaching into the pocket. He started to pull out something when an object fell out and made a metallic clink as it landed on the table. I reached out and grabbed it before North was able to take it back. 

It was a small golden object that had a curved shape to it. The shape reminded me of shields that they used in medieval times. It had a shine to it that told me its owner kept it in good condition despite its age. On it was engraved _Officer_ at the top, with _Police_ at the bottom. Around the inner image of a star were the words: _Trust_ , _Integrity_ , and _Bravery_. I turned it over and inside was engraved: _P1-A113_.

“What’s this? I thought you said there were no police in the wasteland.”

North snatched it out of my paw, looked at it a moment, and placed it back into his pocket. “There aren’t. I’ve had that for, well for as long as I remember. Could never find myself to part with it. Here, _this_ is for you.”

He handed me something that I recognized instantly. It was a coin, but not just any coin, its size and shape matched the other three I had. It was one of the Treasures of Zootopia. On the side facing me was the word _Strength_. I turned it over and saw an image of a rhino on the other side. I had the need to put this with the other three, but I had left my bag in the mayor’s office. 

“Thank you. You really didn’t have to.”

“No. I did. I may not be a people’s mammal, but I’ve been around long enough to tell when someone is troubled. Problem is, I usually don’t give a damn unless it can bring me some caps, but there's just something so… familiar with you, that for the first time in, well, ever, that I actually felt _bad_ hustling you. That’s why I couldn’t sell those coins, even though I had a buyer offering me enough money to quit hustling all together. It just felt… wrong.”

“That’s… actually kinda sweet of you North. And to think, when _I_ first met you, my first impression was that you were simply a low down, no good, crooked low-life with no regard for your fellow mammals.”

“Ouch. Yeah, I deserved that.”

“What did you mean when you said something felt familiar about me to you?”

“I couldn’t describe it no matter how hard I tried. Your very presence just fills me with a sensation of longing.” North suddenly threw up his hands, “I’m not trying to come on to you or nothing! I can tell you already have a better fox than I could ever be in your life.”

“Yes. Yes I do.” I grabbed Nate and gave him a kiss. I had wondered what kind of reaction North would have, but he didn’t seem to be phased by it. I know the mayor once told me that interspecies relationships were still looked down upon by some mammals, and that this town had a few of them, and my guess they were part of those who stood against Nate and Mark's presence. “You don’t seem surprised by this. Even Mayor Swift seemed a little shocked.”

“Heh, I’ve seen it all sweetheart. It also feels… right to me for some reason. It’s probably just the rest of my brain finally rotting away.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, why is it that some ghouls are like any other mammal, but others are… not?”

“I’ve wondered that myself. The earliest I remember from my ghoulification, I tried to figure it out myself. I even tried to live in some ghoul only towns. I lived in the Undercroft for at least a decade. That’s the wasteland's largest all-ghoul town. They're not anti-social or anything, it’s just that we ghouls have a bad rap. Most wastelanders can’t, or won’t, differentiate between a ghoul like me or a savage and just try to kill us all. The folks in the Undercroft just want to live free.”

“If it was such a nice place, then why are you out wandering the wastes?”

“Every ghoul has a… tick I guess you can call it. It’s a small remnant from their pre-ghoul days. The lucky few who actually can remember their past, typically have the most free will due to being able to live without it, but for us ghouls who can’t remember their past, the tick is the only driving force in their lives. When you lose your tick, you lose yourself, and that’s when you become a savage. There's no turning back from that. Trust me, mammals have tried and it only ever leads to more death.”

“So, what’s your tick?” I felt that North was beating around telling me this.

“It’s… well to put it blunt, it’s hustling. Talking mammals out of their caps, or talking them into buying a worthless piece of junk…” North looked over to Nate, “I'm truly sorry I sold your brother that faulty power core by the way. If I had known he was friends with your rabbit, I probably would've canceled the trade right there. Here,” North slid a small bag towards Nate. “This is everything your brother paid, plus some extra.”

Nate looked at the bag, hesitated a moment and then slid it back towards North. "Y-you don't need t-to. I'm… s-sorry. I… when s-she was taken… I alm-most tried to…"

"Kill me? You ain't the first to try and won't be the last. I'm used to it, and typically other mammals don't scare me. To be honest, I would've probably tried to kill me too. Actually I probably _would_ have killed me if I was in your place, but you were the better mammal. I've never felt like the better mammal, at least not until recently. " North leaned in towards Nate and started to whisper. He did realize I was only a few inches from Nate, right? "To be honest, your rabbit is the first mammal to ever truly scare me. You sure did pick a feisty one."

"Y-you have n-n-no idea a-and I wouldn't have it any other way."

I could tell Nate was still a completely different mammal around others. He seemed rather nervous around North especially, although from what the others told me about what happened after I was taken by those mercenaries, I really couldn’t blame him. If someone ever tried to take Nate from me, I don’t think there would be a force in the world that could hold me back. 

“Here ya go darlin', fresh from the kitchen. Petey told me what happened, an' while I can’t do much ta help, I did dig inta my ‘premium’ foods. For you Mista Valiant, I have some fresh grilled trout, and by fresh I mean it! No rads or mutations here. Got a friend who raises 'em over in the Meadowlands.” She placed the plate with the fish and something else in front of him. He looked over it and I saw his eyes widen a bit as his nervous expression melted a little. 

“And for you dear, a creamed carrot bisque with alfalfa pressed crackers. Probably not as fancy as yer friend's meal, but vegetables are a bit easier ta come by than untainted meat.”

“It smells delicious. Thank you.”

She turned towards North. “I’m sorry sugah, I didn’t bring anythin' fer you, I thought it was just gonna be the two of 'em.”

“We ghouls aren't known for eating. I should probably get going.” 

“No.” North started to get up but paused at my voice. “Stay. While I'm sure Nate wouldn’t mind a little alone time with me, I think right now, it’s best to simply be near friends.”

North slowly sat down, looking a bit surprised. “Friends? After everything I put you though, how can you think of me more than a mere acquaintance?”

“Yeah, I wanted to shove a few bullets where the sun don’t shine a few times, but mammals can change, and the simple fact that you're even trying to change makes you so much more than most mammals I’ve run into. That's why I can call you a friend.”

“Well, you can call me honored.”

I tried to think of a snappy comeback to North’s response, but got distracted by an odd expression that Nate started making after Petunia left us. He kept poking some of the food on his plate with a fork as if trying to question their existence.

“What’s wrong sweetie? It looks as if you're trying to torture those… whatever they are.”

“They’re mushrooms. Nasty. Evil. Little. Fungi. I hate em. I really, _really_ hate em.”

“Mushrooms? If they're that bad, why did she serve them?”

North interjected before Nate could respond. “To most they're a delicacy. To others they're no better than a weed.”

“Die.” Nate stabbed one with a fork and looked as if he was about to fling it away. I quickly grabbed the fork from his paw.

“Don't waste food Nate. Here, let me try it.” I sniffed it. It smelt a bit musty, but not in a bad way. The butter that was glazed all over it gave it a smooth shine. I placed it on my tongue and tasted the butter. After a few chews I realized it wasn’t that bad. Not as good as this carrot bisque, but something that I would definitely eat again.

Nate gave a shudder after I swallowed it. “Nasty things. You can have the rest.” He started to push them onto the table but I halted him.

“I’ll just pick from your plate. I don’t want to make a mess for Petunia.”

“You do realize that's part of her job, right Carrots?”

I dipped my spoon into the broth and flicked a little at North. “This is carrots, not me. Plus, I’m considerate like that.”

“You're something alright.”

“Don’t tempt me North. I got plenty of ammunition right here.”

Nate whispered, but still loud enough for both of us to hear. “And she didn’t want _me_ to waste food…”

I grabbed another mushroom off his plate. “I’m a lady, and I can do what I please.” I purposely put on an over exaggerated accent. 

North and Nate looked at each other then burst out laughing. It’s nice to see Nate smile. I know it's only temporary, but even a small bit of enjoyment was good for us. I grabbed another mushroom, and this time I tried to dip it into the carrot soup. Not a bad combination, although the butter was almost like a barrier, causing most of the carrot to slip right off. 

“So North, what are you going to do now?”

“Like I said before, I 'm thinking of opening my own shop here. The mayor already gave me the go ahead, and I got the caps and inventory to start.”

“But there's something wrong, isn’t there?”

“You can say that. As you can tell, Hope isn’t a large place. Huts are built upon huts, abandoned ones are snatched up before you can blink an eye, and that's left me with nowhere to set up my shop. The mayor said I was welcome to set up a temporary place during the trade fairs, but that only happens once or twice a week.”

“Maybe I can see if…”

I heard the sound of a tiny throat being cleared. I glanced around me before looking to the ground. There stood a very familiar red-furred squirrel. 

“Mr. Rattigarian! How long have you been standing there?”

“Not long Miss Springs, but long enough to hear the small conundrum from your ghoul friend here, and I think I might be able to offer a bit of assistance.”

North stared at the small rodent for a moment before speaking. “And what's in it for _you_?”

“Simply to help. Although I do admit that I probably wouldn’t be offering this if you weren't a friend of Miss Springs. Not that I have anything against ghouls mind you, it’s just that without her, we wouldn’t have a town to even operate a business in. It’s the least I can do to repay her.”

“That's very nice of you Mr. Rattigarian.” 

If there were only more people in this town like the mayor, Petunia, and Mr. Rattigarian, then we would be living _here_. It’s not that I didn’t like the bunker, it’s just that sometimes it feels so… closed. It kinda reminded me of the Burrow, how you never knew the time of day without looking at a clock, you could never tell what the weather was like outside because there was no weather, and you are always around the same people day in and day out. 

In Hope, things were random, they were unpredictable. One moment it might be sunny, but the next there's a rad-storm. New faces and new species that I've never interacted with would come and go. Some I may see over and over, some I may never see again, and to wake up to the newly dawned sun was an experience that I could never get enough of. I took another mushroom off of the plate and popped it in my mouth, wondering if the others ever thought about that. 

“Olivia! That’s…”

Why were both Nate _and_ North looking shocked? I was just about to ask what I did when I noticed that the mushroom I just ate tasted… different. The texture wasn't mushy, but rather flaked apart as I chewed. It didn’t have an earthy taste to it either. This tasted… I’ve never tasted something this unique before. This wasn’t a mushroom, was it?

“Um…” I involuntarily swallowed, “you guys okay?”

“You just ate a piece of fish!” Nate seemed like he was in a bit of shock.

“You're a prey, not a predator Carrots! You could get ill, or worse from eating meat!”

“Well I feel fine.” I sat there and tried to feel my body. No signs of sickness, my body didn’t feel like it wanted to reject the fish. “Eh, I’m sure my mutated DNA will take care of it.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘mutated DNA’?” 

“Oh yeah, don’t think I filled you in on this little tidbit North. Apparently I'm part fox.”

“WHAT?!” I think North’s outburst turned a few heads. I didn’t want to look and just moved my head closer to the table, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Well, apparently, at least what the doctor told me, somewhere down the line a fox and a rabbit underwent some genetic modification to allow them to bear children together. I guess I was descended from one such couple.”

“That's… wow, you really are something, aren’t you? Not only are you the most insane rabbit I ever met out here, but also the most unique one to boot. If there was an award for crazy, I think you’d take the cake.”

“Did I hear mention of cake?” Petunia popped in at the table.

“Ohh, cake. Yes please.”

“Whatcha want hun? Gots carrot, chocolate, butter, an' I think a few slices of both blueberry an' apple pie back there. The cake is fresh-ish, but the pie is one of them instant types.”

“I think I'm all carroted out here so let me try... the chocolate?”

“Make that two.” Nate seemed interested as well, despite still gnawing away at his meal.

“May I have some of the blueberry pie? I can pay, of course.”

“I thought ghouls didn’t eat?”

“We don’t, or at least we usually can’t taste much, but there's something about blueberries that comforts me. Heh, caps and blueberries, the two things I enjoy the most. Maybe I should call my place that: _The Caps and Blueberries Emporium_.”

“Would you even sell blueberries?” 

“Probably not, but It has a bit of a ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“Eh…” Nate didn’t sound too sure of it, neither did I, but it was his place.

“Sounds a bit too… well it's your place North.”

“You don’t like it, do you?” North actually seemed a bit let down by my disapproval.

“How ‘bout the _North’s Emporium_?” Mr. Rattigarian chimed in his opinion.

“Heh, I like it. I like it a lot.” North seemed to cheer up at the suggestion.

“Well then, it’s settled. Give me a week to clear out the place I have in mind. Right now it’s a dumping ground for stuff that no one wants, but they also don’t want to simply toss. Once it’s cleared out you can have it. For a small monthly fee, of course. I may be generous, but I’m still in charge the town’s economics.”

“Knock ten percent off the rent and I'll clear it out myself. Heck, give me the first few months rent for free, and I'll not only clear out the junk, but turn a profit off of it and give you fifty percent.”

“Two months, and deal. You sure know how to drive a sale, don’t you Mr. West?”

“It’s in the blood. I have a feeling I'll be seeing a bit more of you Carrots. Don’t forget to visit next time you stop by.”

I said my goodbyes to North as Mr. Rattigarian led him towards his new establishment. First Drake, then Jasmine, and now North. Deep down I knew that a mammal could change if they try hard enough, but sometimes I wonder. Did they change on their own, or was it because of me? Even Nate has changed. Between how he acts around me, and of what Holly told me of his past, I knew he wasn't the same fox he used to be. If I can instill change like this, then maybe the wasteland isn’t doomed after all.

“‘Livi! We got news, you better come and check it… are you eating MEAT?!”

I didn’t realize that I had been picking bits and pieces of the fish off of Nate’s plate. From the looks of it he had stopped eating it and was now concentrating on the cake, at least he was until Holly arrived. 

“Yeah. Turns out I can eat meat, who knew?”

“You… no, I’m not jealous. Do I look jealous? Lucky doxen…”

“You had something to tell me Holly?”

“Oh, yeah! We just got a message from Lazlo. You might wanna come back to the mayor’s office and check it out. It’s about the Legionaries.”

***

Everyone seemed on edge back at the mayor’s office. It wasn’t a worried expression, more of an anxious one. Everyone looked at me, looking unsure on how I would react. With all that's happened, I had nearly forgotten about the Legionaries. In the back I saw Jasmine sitting on the floor, her neck slightly bent over. The office wasn't nearly tall enough for her to be comfortable. I did notice something new however, a small black veil around her face that covered up the metallic bits. It really made her blue eyes stand out. They were quite pretty.

“Y-you like it?” Jasmine must have noticed me starting.

“Yeah, looks good on you, and I can’t see any signs of the metal jaw. Will do wonders at keeping you hidden from the Reclaimers. Plus it makes you look cute.”

“I-I… t-thank you. The mayor was kind enough to get it for me.” Unlike Nate and I who have reddish fur, her golden and brown spotted fur made her blushing fairly more obvious. I didn’t mean it _that_ way. I really hope she didn’t take it that way either. 

“Any friend of Olivia is a friend of mine.” 

“So, Holly said something about the Legionaries?”

“Yeah. I received a transmission from Chief Lazlo while you were gone. Seems he already heard about the Red-Neck issue, but by the time he rallied a team to come to our aid, I informed him that you had taken care of things. He seemed rather impressed. I also mentioned Jasmine’s… issue, and he thinks they can help her with that.”

“Wait, how much did you tell him about her?”

“Oh, everything sweetie. He’s not the type of mammal you can easily lie to. Honestly, he didn’t take it nearly as negatively as I thought he would. He seemed a bit surprised, but then you did manage to befriend a deathwing, so he wasn’t that surprised.”

Every time I think of a deathwing, I think of Drake still missing, and then I remember Blanche. Nate could tell because I felt him wrap his arm around mine. 

“Don’t worry sweetie. I didn’t tell him about Drake and Blanche. That’s something best to be told in person. Now, about the Legionaries. It seems that after the Red-Neck attack on their headquarters, they're a bit scattered, and are setting up small outposts throughout the wasteland to act as a temporary base until they can get theirs back. Apparently the Red-Necks won and are now in control.”

“Do you have any idea _why_ they attacked them?”

“No clue, and Lazlo isn’t sure on it either. If the Red-Necks are involved, it can be something as simple as an argument. They tend to take things a bit seriously.” Jasmine simply nodded her head in agreement with Mayor Swift.

“Does he have any idea where these outposts are?”

“He does, actually, but said that he wanted all of you to see him at their headquarters personally. He’s afraid of the locations being compromised. He would like all of you to head there as soon as possible.”

“If we leave within the hour, we should make it before nightfall.” Mark looked as if he was trying to add things together in his head. 

“Well then, it’s settled. Jasmine, are you okay with this?”

“I… yes. I don’t see how they can help, but I know you want to, so as long as you think it’s worth it, I will follow.”

“You make it sound as if you don’t have a choice in the matter.”

“As long as I can be identified as a R-Red-Neck, I am in danger, y-you all are in danger. N-no, I don’t think I have a choice.”

“With me, you always have a choice. If at any time you're not comfortable with something, you can say no.”

“I-I… I'm sure. T-this is what I want.”

“Well then, let’s get ready everyone. I don’t want any surprises between here and there. Maybe we can finally bite this whole thing in the ass once and for all.”

I took out the coin that North gave me. It’s hard to forget everything that's happened, and I know that I probably will never forget these past occurrences, but I need to make sure I am strong enough to protect them and myself. I took out the small pouch that held the other three coins and took them out and held all four of them in my paws. 

The sheep represented bravery. I needed that bravery in order to face what trials were to come. I needed to be brave not only for my friends, but for myself. The rhino was strength. In order to be brave, I needed to be strong. Strength comes not just from my body, but my mind and heart as well. For one of them to fail, the others will begin to crumble. The fox was for cunning. I'll need all I have to make sure we don’t fall into any more traps, to make sure that we can evade anything that can hurt us again. The last one, the one that I felt I connected with the most of the four. The rabbit. Luck. 

Ever since I left the Burrow, I thought I was being driven by some unseen force, a fate that drove me to become who I am. I now realize that it wasn’t fate that drove me out of the Burrow, it was my own determination to find something better. I could have died right there, I could have never found Hope, never found my friends and my new family. I could have never met Nate. 

But I did, and right now, I feel like the luckiest mammal to ever have lived, I just hope I don’t loose anyone else along the way.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Before I begin, I have a little announcement. Starting this week, I will be adding Friday to the posting docket. You know what that means? Less time to wait between chapters! Yay! Now, I want to add more posting days, but I want to know from all of you something first. Is there such thing as too much? I am sure many of you do not read this the day it is posted due to one reason or another, so I don’t want to be posting every single day to prevent chapter titles from potentially spoiling things or making people feel rushed. So far it’s Sunday, Wednesday, Friday. I have been toying with changing it to Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, giving a double chapter leading into the weekend, but I would like you, as the readers, to give me an input on what would work best. Now, onto the show!

"I had been planning on interviewing a certain deathwing, but since he's nowhere to be seen, I figured I would use this episode to go over them as a species. Now, deathwings, as many of you might have guessed, aren't a species that came about through natural selection. While they look like bats, that's only a portion of their overall genetic structure.

“However, they're not simply a creation of a radioactive world like some others, such as ghouls and firebugs, are. Deathwings were created during the height of the war, or should I say, during the height of confusion since no one really knew who the enemy was. Just like nearly every technological and biological discovery of the past has been aided, or influenced by war, so were the deathwings. 

“The problem with not knowing who or what your enemy is, is that it's very hard to prepare for them. Sure, many have ideas, such as the historical bridge between predator and prey, or even a war against other nations, some of whom don't share the same ideals that a city like Zootopia spreads. Without knowing who the real enemy is, the military wanted to prepare for any possible engagement.

“That’s when the idea to create a super-soldier came into existence. Nearly every comic book, sci-fi movie, or story has had a super soldier at one point or another, and while it’s always been in the realm of fiction, there were a few who thought that maybe it could be brought into reality. Many of the top biologists and chemists within the military were brought together in a secret summit in order to come up with a viable plan.

“The very first thing thought of was the currently used performance enhancing serums. The problem with them were that they didn't last for more than a few minutes, often had detrimental side-effects after wearing off, and previous experiments with mammals being constantly fed the chemicals ended up doing more harm than good. The mammal's body, no matter the species, was simply not designed for such stress. That’s when they decided to _make_ a mammal who’s body wasn’t. 

“Early tests were done on death-row inmates who were given the opportunity to live and serve the country rather than face certain death. Most of them either went insane and had to be killed, or they died during the experiments. One constant proved that many of those on death-row showed existing signs of mental conditions that they believed interfered with the chemical process. Soon after, they started to take volunteers from both the lower rank military, and from civilians with promises that the military knew they would not have to keep. During threats to a mammal's very existence, extreme measures are often needed to be taken.

“Of course, that didn't stop conspiracy nuts from trying to link the reports of declining homeless mammals and an increase in missing ones. The military and the government denied these allegations of course, but that didn’t stop them from trying to spread the rumors. In reality, the military wasn't responsible for most of those disappearances, but that’s best saved for a later After Show.

“Now, after a few years of work, the perfect soldier was created, and it was all thanks to one mammal. Moira Flitters. Moira was a bat, but not a tiny one that often populate the Rainforest District, no, she was a large flying fox, one of the largest bats to live in Zootopia, and had her home within the Nocturnal District. She was up to her ears in debt, had no family to fall back on, and was about to lose her home. When she heard about this procedure to help the war effort, she jumped at the opportunity. The military made promises that they would not only wipe her debt, but make sure she was set for life. They weren't lying, however, they also didn’t believe she would survive this. A bat had never been part of the experiments. 

“How wrong they were. Whether or not it was some freaky genetic flaw, or a flawless DNA code, her blood proved to be the catalyst to bind together all the other biological sequences. The speed of a cheetah, the strength of a tiger, the prowess of a wolf, and now, the flight and agility of a bat. Her blood bound them all together. 

“Now, before you ask, no, these super soldiers weren't some kind of hodgepodge of body parts. That might sound like an ideal soldier, but in reality, that'd simply make for an effective meat shield. However, there was one small thing that almost prevented this entire thing from happening. After successfully replicating Moira’s unique genetic code, she became the first successful super soldier. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.

“She was savage. While the chemicals did indeed dramatically increase her strength, speed, and agility. She was unable to communicate through anything but grunts, growls, and clicking noises. She also showed a massively increased metabolism rate that made her constantly hungry, and a vicious carnivore. Despite this mental deficiency, everything proved to be a success. They locked her up, keeping her sedated in order to run more experiments on her. However, during her capture, she managed to not only kill two soldiers, but also got injured, and it was then discovered that her wounds would not heal, no matter how much medical attention was given. That was another big flaw. 

“One day a cultural anthropologist was brought in to the experiments, not as a subject but for her more recent experiences. She had been studying a tribe of aboriginals who lived on a remote island, one that hadn't been documented or visited by any mammal before her. Biologically, they weren't mammals, and she believed they were a result of a genetic split between a common ancestor millions of years ago. She had been studying them for years, and had just published a report. The report had not gone public yet, and it unfortunately never would due to the world as they knew it finally ending, but one of the top brass in the military caught wind of it, or rather, an aspect from it. It seemed that this non-mammalian race had a unique trait. If certain parts of their body, such as a tail or a finger, were to be injured or removed, they would be able to grow it back within a month or so. He sent out for this anthropologist and wanted her to bring back a live specimen. 

“She refused of course, and also withheld the island's location, knowing that if she gave it up, they might be endangered. Between threats of jail time and being labeled a traitor to the country, which would make any future excursions impossible, she came to an agreement. She would _not_ reveal the location, nor bring them a live specimen, but she would bring them active genetic samples. An agreement was made and a week later, she returned with the promised samples. 

“It only took a few months before these regenerative strands of genetic code were successfully integrated to the current one. After it was given to Moira, she soon showed regeneration from her injuries at a rapid rate. Apparently, whatever gave her the increased metabolism, also increased the regenerative properties to an astounding rate. It didn’t do anything to quell the savagery though, but the military decided to still proceed with the experiment. 

“Special shock collars, derived from the SafeCo’s canceled Tame Collar project, were created to control the super soldiers. These creatures were far more intelligent than their savagery showed, and the military soon learned that after successfully being able to ‘control’ them through the collars. However, they were much more intelligent than even the military realized. 

“The military created twelve super soldiers total. They didn't want to enter mass production until they could make sure that they had complete control of these creatures. The Meadowlands was a perfect place to test them out since it was one of the least populated areas. They already had a weapon test facility there, including an underground nuclear weapon testing chamber. It's unknown how many nukes were detonated there, but it's said that the area was not nearly as protected as the military thought. Small traces of radiation had started to leak into the Nocturnal District, but due to its distance, this leakage took a few decades to show any real significance, which is probably why the military never really noticed or cared about it at the time.

“The tests proved successful at first, but the super soldiers started to waiver, to ignore certain orders. Even the increasing effects of the shock collars did nothing to improve this. Soon, a decision came to scrap the project, that it was proven to be unreliable. Turning the shock collars onto the highest, most lethal setting, they planned to take them all out. However, what the military didn’t realize was that these creatures had been purposely getting shocked, in order to build up a resistance, and with the aid of the rapid regeneration, all the shock collars managed to do was produce enough of a surge to fry the circuitry, causing them to fail. 

“The creatures were free, and what was the first thing they did? They fed on all of their captors. The military closed the project permanently and sent teams to take care of these creatures, but none of them ever came back. When the bomb in Tundratown went off, and the world was thrown into chaos, the creatures were forgotten. It was thought that these creatures would be infertile, but even that was proven wrong when Moira produced the very first naturally conceived deathwing. Unfortunately, despite them being fertile, Moira was the only female among the twelve, and the first children were males. She became the queen, but also the source of all future deathwings, a name that was coined by some of the earlier wastelanders. 

“A deathwing’s lifespan is long, but even in the hundred and three years that Moira lived as a deathwing, she only ever gave birth to ten females. It seems that the genetic soup within her body made females a rarity within her species. It is unknown if that was simply because of her own DNA before the change, or if that was simply how the genetics turned out. 

“To this day, while deathwings are a little too plentiful for many, nearly all of the ones you see are males, their females being so uncommon that they are kept hidden away within their lairs. The males are so protective of the females, knowing that they are needed to keep their species going, that they are willing to die rather than any harm come to them. If you ever manage to see a female deathwing outside a lair, run and hide. Because there are probably a dozen or more males nearby that are willing to give their lives to protect her. It’s a no win situation.

“So, there you go folks, a little history on the deathwings! Remember, I'm still open for any suggestions for future After Shows. So until next time, take care everyone and remember, Drake is the only friendly deathwing in existence that we know of. So please, don't go socializing with the next one you see, or else _you_ will most likely be on its menu.”


	56. Savage Surprise

Chapter 56: Savage Surprise 

“Yeah, there’s two rounds missing.”

“You sure about that Holly?”

“Yes, I am ‘livi. Guns are kinda my thing, remember?”

There was so much going on in my head, but the moment that we entered the APC, one question shoved it’s way past all the others. Who fired the gun? Sure, Whoever was responsible did save all of us, including Hope. I didn’t feel sorry for that Red-Neck, but that pig, he deserved better. He didn’t ask to die, but he was so broken that I don’t think there would have been any other way. Jasmine told me that the slaves are tortured so much that a quick painless death was the only thing they wished for. I wanted to see those Red-Necks burn.

“Nate, could someone have hacked into the remote system?” I still wanted answers.

“Possibly, but I see no signs of digital tampering. Either no one cracked it, or there's a mammal out there with better hacking skills than the two of us combined.”

That was a scary thought. It also made me a bit sad. I had gotten over my jealously about Nate being better than I was with hacks, but to think there was someone even better than the two of us? Part of me wanted to meet them and shake their paw. Another part of me wanted to just punch them square in the jaw. 

“Is it possible that someone simply entered the APC and used the gun?”

“Well, Jasmine did leave in a hurry and the door was open, so possibly, but who?” Holly seemed to be curious where I was going. 

“My only guess? Legionaries.”

“Why would _they_ want to help us ‘livi?”

“From what I know, they're being paid more to capture me alive. If there was the possibility that I was going to die at the hooves of another mammal, don’t you think they would try to do something to prevent that?”

“Sounds logical enough. Still, why not simply wait and ambush us here? Plus there are no signs of any mammal other than us entering here.” Mark was busy trying to make sure Jasmine was comfortable. It sounded as if he simply wanted to add his thoughts so as to not be left out. 

I don’t know why this was bothering me so much. Yes, whoever was responsible saved us and probably the whole town, but they killed them so fast that I wasn’t even able to work out a better solution. What Holly told me the other day about how I’ve changed, and not in a good way, was still bothering me. I didn’t want to be the kind of mammal who solved everything with violence. I needed to be better than that. 

“We're wasting time, let’s just head for the Guardians.”

“Good thinking ‘livi. We could be here all day trying to play guess who and still come up empty pawed. Whoever it was is gone now.”

We finalized checking all the systems. Nate wanted to make sure that whoever had been here didn’t try to sabotage anything. The last thing we needed was to start moving only to get blown up. Once he had triple checked everything, he gave us the go ahead to head out. The last thing for me to do was make sure Jasmine was doing okay.

“You can take that veil off now.”

“S-sorry. I’m just… not used to being among other mammals.”

“You should know by now that we're all friends here. We aren’t here to judge, only to help.”

“I-I know. Sorry. Thank you.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, and you're welcome. How are you holding up? Between the run in with the Reclaimers, and having to shove you into this tin can again, you must be experiencing quite the day.”

The APC jostled a bit as I felt it move forward. I don’t think Jasmine was prepared because the sudden jolt of moving caused her head to bump against the side of the vehicle. She awkwardly moved so that her hoof could reach as she rubbed it all while wincing a bit. 

“To be honest, this has been one of my better days so far.” She half chuckled as she said it. 

“Once we get you to the Guardians, I promise things will get much better. It sounds like Chief Lazlo might have a way of fixing you up. They’ve done wonders fixing me up each time.”

“E-each… time?” She stopped rubbing her head as she stared at me, as if not fully comprehending what I just said.

“Yeah, ‘livi tends to get in trouble, and by trouble I mean nearly killed. More often than I'm willing to admit.” Holly gave me an evil stare as she said it. That look sent a shiver down my spine.

“Anyways… she’s right though. I’m usually either looking for trouble, or more often than not, trouble comes looking for me. I’m probably not the safest mammal to be around sometimes.”

“And that’s _exactly_ why she needs good friends.” Holly was still giving me a… look, but that slowly turned into a smile.

Sometimes I'm surprised that these mammals still want to stick by me. Everything that I had put them through, everything that hasn’t even happened yet, most sane mammals would have turned tail and run. That must be what my mother meant all those years ago. I remember coming home in tears one day after school let out. This was before she started to home-school me. Most of the mammals, even the rabbits, were mean to me. My mother told me that sometimes it meant that they actually liked me, but was not sure how to express it. That day I had tried to make some friends, thinking that she was right and I just had to assert myself more so that they could open up to me. I was wrong. They didn’t want to be my friend, they _never_ wanted to be my friends. When the other rabbits tried to pick on me, the teacher scolded them, but when the other rodents did it? That same teacher, a white furred rat, simply ignored my pleas for help and let it go on. It wasn’t anything physical, but sometimes words can hurt more than bruises. 

That night my mother told me that someday I would find some mammals who genuinely wanted to be my friends. I asked her how I would know that it wasn’t just another ruse that would lead me to getting hurt. She said that I'll know. A real friend will always be at your side. They would always listen to what you had to say, and when you got hurt, they would be right by your side helping to take that pain away from you. 

She was right. I _did_ find real friends, and now that I finally had them? I'll never let them go.

***

It was a couple hours between Hope and the Guardian HQ, and Nate was trying his best to keep off of the busy roads so that we didn’t get ambushed by anything. The last thing we needed was for those damn Red-Necks to catch us trapped in a tin can. Nate assured me that this thing could withstand even a nuke going off near it, but that’s not what I was afraid of. With the firepower that those Red-Necks had, they could probably just cook us alive in here. Against them, we were in a rolling oven. 

“Shit!”

Nate’s sudden outburst made my heart start to race. “We under attack?” It was the first thing that popped into my head. 

“No. Core is overheating again. I think that strain from pushing it last time is still present. We need to stop for a bit to let it cool down. When we get to the Guardians, I may need to ask Mister Lazlo if he can spare some parts to fix this.”

“Find us a safe place and we can let it cool down. How long you think we need?”

“Thirty minutes minimum. An hour would be best so that we can make it without stopping again.”

“Ooh, how about there?” Mark sounded like he was about to burst into a song as he peered out of one of the APC's copula viewing ports.

I looked out of one of the other viewing ports and saw a small sign in the distance. It was still daytime, but it’s neon lights still stood out. It was some kind of tavern. It proclaimed itself to have the best drinks this side of Darkwater, and it had in big bold letters the words: _Live Music_.

“You think it’s safe?” I was concerned at stopping at a potentially dangerous place. I had wanted a simple abandoned building we could hide in. 

“T-the Red-Necks usually don’t send anyone this far out. The R.C.S.G. operate too far out here and they're the Red-Neck's largest threat.” Jasmine never sounded happy talking about the Red-Necks, but I'm glad she didn’t freeze up like Nate does talking about a Burrow.

“R.C.S.G.?” I don’t think I ever heard of them. Why is it every time there's a discussion about the dangers of this world, I learn of new ones?

“Those are some nasty Guardians ‘livi.”

“Guardians? Like Lazlo’s?”

“Not even close. From what the Chief told us one day, the Guardians split off into three factions, long before he was made their leader. You got those Corrupted Guardians, the ones with the plasma guns we encountered. They're just insane and want to bully everyone, not protect them. Then you got the Revolutionary Council of Steel Guardians. They take the Guardian creed and warp it. The Guardians stand for protecting the people no matter what, but the R.C.S.G., they want to protect the land, and don't care about its people. They hoard tech, weapons, basically anything that can make the world a ‘better place’. They also believe that no one, other than themselves, should be allowed to own their own lands or items, that it was because of this ownership that the world collapsed. They make it sound like they're Zootopia’s only chance for redemption, that under their rule everyone will be treated equally and everyone will be given equal land, food, and supplies just as long as they don’t try to survive without them. Find a piece of fertile land and wanna build a farm? Nope, it’s _their_ property. Find a hidden weapon cache? They'll take it and give you nothing in return. Don’t get fooled by them ‘livi. They sound nice, but they’d rather tear that Pip-Boar from your arm and toss you aside than offer anything in return.”

“Why haven’t I heard of them before?”

“Between Lazlo’s Guardians, and the Red-Necks, I don’t think they've had a chance to build themselves enough to assert their power. Doesn’t mean they're not dangerous. That friend-or-foe feature that Lazlo had activated in your Pip-Boar? Well Nate has it as well. All Guardian equipment, including Exo-Armor, has a tag in it. If you see what looks like a Guardian, but it’s blip is red? They ain’t on our side.”

“That’s good to know Holly. Hope we don’t run into any of them.”

“So… can we stop here?” Mark seemed a bit eager to want to stop. 

They’ve helped me in more ways imaginable, so I figured it's my turn to give them what they want. “Sure Mark. We just need to stay on our guard. Jasmine, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“I should…” She rubbed her neck a bit. “I need to stretch, plus I don’t want to be left alone… again.”

I know she didn’t mean to, but I started to feel bad for leaving her in the APC when we got to Hope. That veil, while making her stand out a bit, did help hide the fact that she was a Red-Neck, and the outfit that Nate threw together also hid her neck burns, so despite looking a bit… out of place, she didn’t look like a Red-Neck. 

“Okay, but if you start to feel uncomfortable, let me know and we can take you someplace else.”

“I-I… will be fine.”

“Onion, do you mind staying here? I don’t want anyone else to try to mess with the APC, plus we need to make sure we don’t get ambushed while inside.”

“Of course Miss. I shall be ever vigilant.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else.” 

I felt bad for Onion. Ever since I met Nate and the others, I haven’t been spending nearly as much time with him. I hope he didn’t feel left out. I'll have to make it up to him somehow. Once we get back to the bunker, I’ll ask Nate if there's anything we can do to help him out. Maybe make a nice female counterpart. He may be a robot, but everyone needs companionship of some kind.

We all piled out of the APC and saw that Nate had parked it a little bit away from the tavern. It was probably a good idea to park it out this far, just so that no one spotted it. I don’t see too many pre-war vehicles in operation around here, so it might attract the wrong attention. 

We walked down the hill towards the tavern. I wasn’t able to make out the name before, but now I was able to see a large piece of metal with the words: _Bar Zooie_ painted on it. Wonder if the owner had as much of a bad time naming things as I did? I just hope we weren't walking into another place like The Dam. 

Outside it was obvious that the place was nothing like The Dam. There were no mammals waiting to check over potential patrons. The door itself was slightly propped open. I heard a very lovely voice singing as I approached the door, but Mark’s paw was on it before I could reach it. 

“He hasn’t heard live music in a while. Sometimes I think he loves music nearly as much as he does me.” Holly seemed rather amused. 

“Well, I admit the voice does sound quite nice. Maybe this is a good sign?”

As we all entered the tavern, it was apparent that it wasn’t the most up-kept establishment. While it looked structurally sound, there was still paint peeling off the walls, a damaged chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and the stage looked like it was patched so many times, I couldn’t tell what the original material was. 

On the stage was the source of the singing. It was a rather cute looking feline, an ocelot I think, with light brown fur with dark stripes and spots muddled throughout the brown. She was wearing a dark pink dress that seemed to sparkle in what little light the stage was bathed in. 

I looked around, mainly to see if there were any sketchy mammals here, but I only saw a moose cleaning glasses behind the bar, and two wolves sitting at a table near the singer. This place was pretty dead. 

“Ah, welcome! Looks like you folks have tripled today's patronage, so what'll it be?”

“You always this… slow?”

“Unfortunately, yes. My brother isn’t very good at selecting prime real estate, and now I'm kinda stuck with it.”

“That’s a shame. Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to have a few drinks. I’ll take a…” I had thought about asking for a carrot juice, but after everything we’ve been through lately, I needed something a bit stronger. “… bourbon.”

“Same here.” Nate slid into the seat next to me at the bar, giving me a bit of a mischievous smile. 

“Got any Rad! Cola?” Mark didn’t take a seat, but rather his ears seemed to be concentrating on the singing. 

“Got a few bottles. How about the ladies?”

“Uh, w-water, please.” Jasmine kept trying to adjust her veil as if it was going to fall off any second. 

“Got any carrot juice?” Holly sat down and yanked Mark to do the same, causing him to yip in surprise. 

The moose got all of our drinks and we paid him. Surprisingly, he only asked for twelve caps all together. Not sure if he gave us a discount for some reason, or if he simply didn’t charge much. I sipped on my drink, not wanting it to be gone too fast as I turned towards the singer on the stage. Her voice was amazing. I could tell that it was lulling Mark into a state of relaxation, and to be honest, I was starting to feel the same. 

The song wasn't a happy one, but rather a sad one about losing someone close. It actually made me start to tear up a little as I thought about my own friends. I looked over each of them, seeing them all in a rather good mood. Between the singing, the drinks, and the fact that this place didn’t feel dangerous, it was nice to be able to relax somewhere else. 

“Well hello there beautiful.”

I was so busy looking at my friends, that I didn’t notice that the ocelot had moved her way over to me and was now standing only a foot or so away. 

“Who, me?”

“See any other beautiful rabbits around here?”

“Um, excuse me? Sexy rabbit over here!” Holly seemed a bit taken back by the ocelot’s comment.

The Ocelot seemed to ignore Holly’s outburst. I was rather caught off guard myself. I think Nate was the only other one who called me beautiful. Was she trying to… hit on me? I looked over to Nate and he seemed a bit nervous. He moved closer to me, but he didn’t seem scared, he seemed more confused than anything else. 

“You’re Olivia, aren't you?”

“How… how did you…”

She put her paw on my mouth to quiet me. “Word spreads rather quickly in these parts, and you my girl, have been the top subject of many a mammal's muzzle.”

That made me very nervous. If someone I've never met before, working at a tavern in the middle of nowhere could recognize me this quickly, how long would it take for a Reclaimer to recognize Jasmine, or a Legionary to take notice of me or my friends? I slowly pushed her paw away. 

“Sorry, but whatever you think you may have heard, you got the wrong girl.”

“Tsk, tsk. Don’t be that way my lovely rabbit.”

“Letty, stop harassing our customers!” The moose seemed a bit aggravated.

“I’m not harassing her, am I sweetie?” She took out a small item from a bag that I never remembered seeing her have. I felt myself tense a bit, thinking that maybe she had a weapon, but then the ocelot took the object and simply rubbed it over her lips, rather seductively. “My lips are rather parched.”

“W-well, you work at a bar, so…”

“Not what I was talking about.” 

She moved it, pursing her lips. What was she about to… I suddenly felt myself falling to the ground as Nate pushed me out of the way, and placed himself between me and her. The ocelot had her eyes closed and didn’t seem to have noticed the sudden displacement before she… kissed Nate… I was starting to feel something boil within me. Hate? Anger? …fear?

She opened her eyes and then jumped back. “You! You’re not… why did you… No. No.”

I was just about to ask what the hell was going on when Nate suddenly grabbed his head. He tried to move but his foot got caught on one of the stools and he collapsed. I ran over to Nate who wouldn’t stop holding his head. 

“Nate! What's wrong?” I turned towards the ocelot. “What the _fuck_ did you do to him!”

“I… he…” She looked at the object in her paw and then threw it to the ground. 

Mark and Holly were now with me, Mark had jumped into medic mode as he tried to figure out what was going on. I saw foam starting to form at his mouth as he started to scramble, as if he was trying to run away. Then he stopped and his eyes widened as he started to laugh. It wasn’t a normal laugh, it… scared me.

“Nate? Nate, what’s wrong?”

He didn’t speak, he just kept quietly laughing as he tried to get up. Mark and I tried to keep him on the ground, but Nate shoved Mark aside and broke through my grasp on him, all the while his laughing started to sound much more… sinister. He took a look at the ocelot and jumped at her, claws extended and mouth wide open. 

“No! I’m sorry, I… help!” She was panicking. I could tell that there was real fear going through her. I honestly don’t think she expected… whatever this was.

I lunged and grappled Nate, trying to pull him back to the ground. “Nate! It’s me, please, you… you're not yourself. Calm down!”

The ocelot was cowering in a corner when I finally was able to stop Nate’s advances on her. His laughing died down, but I could tell he was still tense, he was still not himself. I found myself gripping him, trying to make sure he didn’t move, and didn’t hurt anyone. I pressed my face into his back and felt tears start to leave me. 

“Nate, please. I don’t know what's going on, but this isn’t you. P-please, come back…”

“O-ol-l…”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Suddenly Nate dropped to his knees, but I kept holding him. I wouldn't let him go until he was better. Holly told me Nate snapped when I was taken, was this a glimpse into what happened? If so, I never wanted to see him like this ever again. Mark rushed over with a large needle in his paw and jabbed Nate with it. Moments later I felt his body go limp in my arms. 

“It’s just a sedative. What just happened?” 

We all looked at the ocelot in the corner as she was still looking scared out of her mind.

***

“I-I’m sorry.”

The ocelot, Letty Oswald, told us everything. She said that the lipstick she had used was supposed to be some kind of love potion, that whoever she kissed with it would fall madly in love with her. I asked why she wanted to do such a thing, and she responded, seemly ashamed of it, that she has always been attracted to strong female prey, and that the moment she heard about my ‘adventures’ she had to make me hers. 

“Two things. First of all, you don’t just go forcing someone to love you, it doesn’t work that way. Secondly, you almost killed the mammal _I_ love. If something happened to him because of you, let’s just say it'll take more than a Steel Guardian to hold me back.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill… anyone… I just thought…”

“Olivia, come here.” Mark was signaling me over to where he was looking over Nate. 

“Holly, make sure she doesn’t leave this spot.”

“No problem ‘livi. So, _who’s_ the prettier bunny?”

I moved over to where Mark had Nate resting. Nate was still resting on the floor, but thankfully the bar owner was kind enough to grab some pillows from the back to make Nate more comfortable. Mark was holding up the lipstick that Letty had used.

“I found out what happened. This lipstick has traces of Midnicampum holicithias. Not a very high dose, but enough to temporarily cause a victim to go… savage.”

“Midcapawhosit? Can you use _real_ words please? And what do you mean, _go savage_?”

“Night Howlers. According to some of my history books, these flowers were used to nearly overthrow Zootopia’s predator/prey balance. They basically cause anyone effected by them to revert into a primal state. Walking on all fours, the inability to talk, the natural urges of our ancestors taking control. Basically they go savage.”

“But Nate wasn’t acting like that. He was on two legs, and he was… laughing…”

“You and I both know he ain’t right in the head. With such a small dosage, and his… issues, I think it manifested itself in a different way. If you weren’t here to snap him out of it long enough for me to sedate him…”

Nate nearly injured Mark the way he tossed him back when we were trying to hold him down. His own brother wasn’t able to get through to him, but I was? If his own family wasn’t able to get through to him and I wasn’t there, and he hurt them… I can’t even imagine what he would do. 

“O-Oliv-via?” Nate’s eyes opened as he started to wake up from the induced slumber. 

“I’m here, we're all fine, you're fine.” 

“W-what happened? W-why does my head hurt…”

“I got some pain meds for you. Here.” 

Mark handed him a couple pills and a glass of water. Nate chugged it down and handed his brother the glass back. He tried to get up, but then laid back down, putting a paw to his head. “Oh, I feel dizzy.”

“Rest, take as long as you need. I'll be here.” I gave him a quick kiss. His breath stunk and there was a bit of saliva left over from the foaming, but I didn’t care.

“He'll be fine. You might wanna go check on Holly though, make sure she doesn’t kill the cat.”

“Yeah, good idea Mark. Let me know when he's able to move on his own. Don’t worry Nate, I'll be close by.”

I was _not_ happy with this Letty person. If things had accelerated at a faster pace, this would have turned bloody. Part of me just wanted to shoot her for putting us, me, Nate, through all of this, but that was the part I needed to work on, the part of me that I had to learn to say no to. That didn’t mean I couldn’t punish her. 

“I-Is he o-okay?”

“He'll be fine. Now, what should I do with you? You nearly killed my boyfriend, so the way I see it, there are two options. The first one,” I slowly took my gun out. I saw the look on Holly that silently told me not to do this. “Is that I just put a bullet between your eyes and be done with it.” I ejected the magazine before racking the slide to eject the remaining round, placing all of them on the counter. The look of horror on Letty’s face was payment enough. “But I’m trying not to choose option one as often, so we're going with the second one.”

“A-and that would b-be?”

“You apologize. To me, and especially to Nate.”

“Is t-that… all?”

“Don’t be daft. You think I’d let you off _that_ easily? You'll also tell me who sold that lipstick to you. I wanna make sure that they don’t do anything like this again.”

“I… don’t know. I was on stage singing one day and I happened to start chatting with a nice young deer. I got to talking about how I was a failure at finding someone, and she gave me this, saying that one day a rabbit will come into my life. Not too long after that I heard about your adventures and thought that fate had finally given me what I needed. I didn’t know it… would…”

It almost sounded like someone was using her to target… me? Who would want to… no, bad question. There are plenty of mammals who want to see me dead, or worse. I think I’ve made more enemies than friends in the wasteland. What was really bothering me, was that someone thought giving tainted lipstick to a singer in a tavern out in the middle of nowhere would do any good. There had to be more to this than that. 

“Can you remember a name, or any identifiable markings?”

“No, I’m sorry, I can’t.” Letty’s answer seemed genuine enough. I don’t know how I could tell, but it just felt genuine. Maybe Mayor Swift has finally rubbed off on me.

Wait a second… “We need to get a message to Mayor Swift, if something like this happened here, it might happen elsewhere, and apparently _everyone_ knows the connection between me and Hope.”

“Sorry to interject, but did you say Hope? As in the town of Hope?” The bartender poked his head over the counter, his large antlers clinking against the hanging glasses.

“Yeah, why?”

“Have a place in Hope. Nyte Lyfe. Been closed ever since those Berserk-Kings tried to take over. Wait a second, you're Olivia Springs, aren’t you?”

“Well, since apparently _everyone_ knows me, yes, I am.”

“I should thank you. Been wanting to return and open the place back up. Petunia might have some good food, but there ain't a decent drop of booze anywhere in that town. Problem is, my cheapskate brother fled the area to go on another one of his foolish treasure hunts, and stupid me promised to look after this place until he gets back. Tell me, what were you planning on doing to my singer?”

“Well, nothing bad I promise you. Just, well.” I honestly didn’t know what to do. I wanted her to be responsible for what she did, but I didn’t want to ask for money, and I can already tell that she was beating herself up over what happened, so I highly doubt she would do something like that again. Gah! I was just so used to simply shooting someone that I have no idea what to do. 

“May I suggest a _punishment_?”

“Um, sure?” 

“Letty Oswald, you are a wonderful singer, but I'm afraid that your social acuity is a bit on the lacking side.” He looked at me, “I suggest this, she goes to Hope and delivers that message of yours to Mayor Swift, and then re-opens Nyte Lyfe.”

“Wait, how does giving a business to someone account for a punishment?”

“Oh I ain’t giving it to her. She owes you, and she owes me.” He looked back at Letty, a smile on his face. Hers was simply a look of shock and disbelief. “You know how to attract patrons, and you can mix drinks. You'll reopen it, send me fifty percent of the profits, donate twenty five of the remainder to Hope, and use the rest for supplies. You will not be getting paid, you will not be allowed to leave town until I'm able to return to take over, and you will not tarnish my good name. I will be sending a message informing Swift of all of this, so don’t think you can just do what you please.”

“I-I… I’ve never run my own establishment…”

“Remember, it ain’t yours, it’s mine, but I'm sure you'll do good. How’s them apples Miss Springs?”

From the look on Letty’s face, I think it was more than enough of a punishment. 

“Well, that sounds fair. I think. What do you think guys?” 

“That’s… something, I guess?” Holly sounded a bit confused by the turn of events. 

Mark was walking up with Nate supported on his shoulder. 

“Anyone get shot?” 

“Mark! I don't go around just shooting people… anymore…”

“Why do I feel so… bad?” Nate sounded groggy, but he was able to nearly walk on his own. Mark helped him onto one of the stools as the bartender slid a tall glass of what smelt like bourbon at him. 

“On the house. That reminds me, Letty? Anytime any of these mammals visit Nyte Lyfe? Never charge them. I think they deserve that much.”

“Thank you, Mr?”

“Jeremy Bucksworth. Just please, don’t drink me out of house and home.”

“Depending on how our day went at the time, I make no promises.” I smiled as I shook his hoof. “Alright, the APC should be cooled down by now, I say we hit the road so we can get there before it gets dark.” 

After Nate was finished with his drink, I helped him back to the APC. Nate eventually was able to walk on his own, but then stopped for a moment and looked at me, the look of tears starting to form at his eyes.

“W-what did… what did I… do?”

I had hoped that this entire event had been lost to him, that he wouldn’t remember any of it. I was wrong. He was starting to remember, but before he could say anything I wrapped my arms around him. 

“Everything is alright now. No one got hurt, and we're together.”

He hugged me tighter as I felt his tears start to fall upon my head. I kissed him and did my best to comfort him as we entered into the APC. This was going to be a long ride to the Guardians.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show >**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! Today was going to be a solo job by Max, however he has gotten a little over his head with inventorying our stuff that he had no time to do his own interview. I kept telling him I would help, but he kept saying something about things going missing when I am in charge of it. I have no idea what he is talking about, those little figurines were just collecting dust. How was _I_ supposed to know he was trying to complete a set? 

“Anywho, since I was completely unprepared, I kept asking myself, what is something that I should talk about? Then a little prairie dog gave me an idea. I _was_ going to save this for later, because I thought there would be potential spoilers, but after giving it a good long thought I realized, I don’t think there will be any. So, without further ado, I give you the subject of today’s After Show. The Legionaries.

“So far you know them by reputation and actions alone, but probably have been wondering where these highly trained, highly dangerous mercenaries came from? Well, they are much older than even the Steel Guardians. You see, back before even the war that ended the world was a glimmer in the eyes of who caused it, there was always tension between mammals. Predator versus prey, species versus species, even entire countries against others. For as far as historians can go, there has always been war and conflict. Because of this, the military has been in existence for a long time, and when you have military, you have super secret branches of them. You know the kind, the ‘if the shit hits the fan you and your whole team will be thrown under the bus and all existence wiped off of the face of the planet’ type of team. They were known simply as H.O.R.N. The acronym is not really about who they are, but rather how they operate. It stands for Hunt, Observe, React, and Neutralize. 

“The H.O.R.N. team was called in not only as a secret strike force, but also to reconnoiter highly dangerous areas that normal recon teams would not be allowed to set paw in, such as behind enemy lines or in foreign countries. They were masters of stealth, even long before Stealth-Boys were created, and knew over a hundred and one ways to kill a mammal with a spoon. Why they were armed with spoons, I have no idea. Anyways, they were the best at what they did, receiving the best training from across the world, had access to the best and most modern weapons and technologies known to mammal, and were given the ability to finish their mission any way they could. If they had to kill a hundred mammals just to take out one foreign dictator? They could, but their affiliations would never be known and the governments who used them would just cover the whole thing up, or take credit themselves. If all of this sounds familiar, then you must be a Jack Savage fan. The Jack Savage novels were actually written by an ex-H.O.R.N. solider. He was forbidden from talking about what he did, but you can’t do what you did and see what you have seen without telling _someone_ , so he took many of his experiences and put it into a novel. Yes, those who control H.O.R.N. have realized what he has done, but have not taken action since everyone believes it is simply an act of fantasy. 

“Now, you might ask, ‘did you say governments?’. Yes, yes I did. H.O.R.N. was not simple a single nation military group. They were made up of species from all over the world, unofficially backed by multiple governments. They were not technically a mercenary group, but they might as well have been, the only thing that separated them from a mercenary group was who they got their paychecks from. Despite all of that, they were wholly good, governed by group of representatives from most of the allied nations who simply wanted to make the world a better place.

“So, how did they go from a mostly beneficial military group to the vicious mercs we have all come to know? Well, when the first bomb went off within Zootopia, they were asked to investigate it, to see if they can find out who did it. Yes, many other countries already were investigating the rumors of war ever since they popped up, but it was never enough to send in H.O.R.N. until it ended up being too late. 

“When the team arrived, they already bore witness to the destruction that was wrought throughout the once noble city. They saw how it drove mammals mad, how the radiation was starting to take their toll on the populace. They spent two months slowly tracking down anything that could lead them to who ever was responsible for this atrocious act. Then, out of the blue, they got an order from their base to end all activities, that H.O.R.N. was being dissolved. There was no reason, and when they tried to contact their superiors, they were un able to. No one knows what happened, and why their group was suddenly dismantled without explanation. They also never learned that their base, located within the arctic isle of Svalbear, got hit with a nuke within days of the termination of all H.O.R.N. members. Coincidence? I think not. 

“Sure, there are still other H.O.R.N. teams scattered around the planet, whom all got the same message, but I have no idea what became of them, the team sent to Zootopia, however, did not take this lightly. Not only did they have nowhere to go, and nothing to do, but their paychecks were no longer being received, not that a formal banking system was in place anymore. They felt trapped within this desolate city. So, what did they do? The only thing they knew. They became a hired gun. 

“At first they only accepted jobs that came from innocents trying to recover lost items or mammals, or those who wanted protection from the more… vile survivors of the bombs. However, that was not doing much to fill their pockets, and many were getting bored. So they started to take harder, and more… questionable jobs. Kill this person, steal this item, and so on. It was about a year after they started to do this that they officially changed their named from H.O.R.N. to the Legionaries to make them stand out more. And boy did they stand out. After the first decade, they had not only amassed a small fortune, but also increased their ranks ten-fold. The small warehouse that they were working out of was not cutting it anymore, so they sent teams out to find a bigger and better place for them to operate out of. That’s when they found the abandoned ruins of the Zootopia Penal Institution, a high-security prison located on a small island to the south of Savannah Central. 

“It was perfect. Highly defensible, surrounded on all sides by radioactive waters that would prevent most sea mounted intrusions, and a single bridge connecting to the mainland that could be easily patrolled. The only problem with it was the massive amount of savage ghouls located within it. You see, a nuke detonated off the shore of it. While the prison was built well enough to withstand the shock-wave, all the prisoners and even some of the staff were bathed in radiation. Most died, but those that didn’t became ghoulified. Sure, there might have been some non-savage ones there, but the Legionaries killed them all, so no one really knows. 

“It took them nearly a year of eliminating the ghoul populace, but once they did, they had one of the best places for a fortress they could hope for. Over the next few decades, they became more and more ruthless. They still took any job as long as it paid, but they gave themselves less and less restrictions. You know that rumor that they would kill babies if paid to? That was true. It was quite a disgusting act really, and one that basically cemented their infamy. I would rather not retell that, but I am sure some of you are wanting to know, so here it goes. 

“You see, about, oh, fifty or so years ago, there was a small community of mammals. They were a lot like Hope really, where they didn’t care about what species you were, as long as you were kind and contributed your share to the community. Hell, I bet anything they would take in a Red-Neck as long as they promised not to hurt anyone who lived there. They were that nice. They also were located within one of the few radiation free zones, and while the ground was not fertile enough to do much farming, all the babies they were producing were nearly as healthy as a Burrow-Dweller. No one really knows why or how that area was so special, and no one would.

“The Slave Prince at that time had a very vested interest in that place, wanting that community to basically produce healthy slaves for him to raise and sell at a higher price. Of course the mammals there would not have that and did everything they could to fight off the Slave Prince, no matter how much money he offered. This community wasn’t weak either, they had their own established militia, and even established a treaty with the Steel Guardians to allow patrols to rest there in return for protection. After everything, the Slave Prince was growing desperate, so desperate that he called upon the Legionaries. The first team was defeated by a Guardian patrol who had just stopped there to rest before returning to base, so the Slave Prince _tripled_ the caps to simply put an end to this community once and for all. He felt that if he couldn’t have these mammals for himself, they did not deserve to live. 

“The Legionaries were told to eliminate them all, no matter what. So they did. That place was so prolific that they had a dedicated nursery, who at the time, had nearly four dozen babies of various species, along with a dozen dedicated nursing mothers. The Legionaries killed everyone there without hesitation. Every adult, child, and baby. Only one made it out alive, and to this day many think that the only reason she survived was to spread the word that the Legionaries will do anything if paid to do it. She told the story of how none of them even flinched when they put a bullet into every infant. After that day they became more notorious than any raider group, other than the Red-Necks. The Red-Necks would have simply burned them all alive. If anything, the Legionaries were so quick and efficient, I doubt anyone even felt a thing, other than terror. 

“So, that’s all the time I have today. I hope this shows you how truly vile the Legionaries can be. Let’s just hope that Olivia gets to the bottom of their involvement before who ever hired them decides to pay them enough to cause the Legionaries to do something so extreme that even their own will suffer, because when the caps flow, insanity has no bounds.”


	57. Among Guardians and Friends

I knew the ride to the Guardians was going to be a long one, but I didn’t realize how right I was. Mark had volunteered to take the wheel so that Nate and I could sit together. The sudden realization that he had lost control of himself again had thrown him into a state of regret and self-loathing. This wasn’t new to any of us, but unlike all the other times, he wasn’t trying to hide it anymore. 

“I-I… I don’t like not b-being myself…” Nate was stuttering like he usually does when his emotions were bothering him, but he was also speaking slow, as if unsure of what to say next.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. You scared me, but you didn’t hurt anyone, and I was able to snap you out of it.”

“B-but what if y-you couldn’t…”

“Then I would keep trying until I did. I know you're stronger than that, we all do. There is _nothing_ that I wouldn’t do for you other than leave you like that.”

For the first time, _Nate_ had buried his face in my chest as he held me and wept. It felt a bit odd with our size differences, but I wouldn’t let that stop him. I just held him until he was ready. 

Mark, Holly, and Onion were all quiet the entire trip except for a few times that Mark said we had to dodge potential aggressors. He was also taking it real slow, to prevent the core from overheating again. After what had happened, despite me trying to convince them that somehow I knew that Letty was genuinely sorry for what had happened, I don’t think any of us were in any condition for another impromptu stop. 

When Nate was done with his tears, we just sat together, his tail entwined around my body, my head resting on his shoulder. I tried to distract him a bit by fluffing his tail, stroking my paw over it in one direction, and then the next, all while watching the colors seem to change as I did it. I think he caught on because I felt him rubbing his paw gently on my ears. It actually felt kinda nice. I looked at him and smiled and was met with a similar one back. I couldn’t help but feel his was ever so slightly forced. He might be showing his emotions to a much greater extent now, but I don’t think he was letting _everything_ surface just yet. I think there are still a few things better left for when we're alone.

***

We finally reached Guardian HQ just as dusk was settling in. It felt like we'd spent the better half of the day crammed into that tin can, but it must have felt much worse for Jasmine. After she got out, she stretched for a few minutes, trying to loosen her cramped muscles. I still wasn’t used to being next to someone so tall as her, and her stretching made her feel even taller. She went to put her veil on but I assured her that it wouldn’t be necessary, but she said she wanted to, that it made her feel safer.

Mark had radioed Chief Lazlo when we were close informing them of our arrival, so we were greeted outside the primary garage by him and a few of his men. Once we had everything we needed out of the APC, Lazlo ordered one of his soldiers to park it as he saluted us. I don’t think I've ever seen him informally before. I wondered if he even _knew_ how to relax.

“You don’t know what a relief it is to actually have you all visit without needing to involve Doc Hedgeworth and his team.”

“Well, we had a small run in with some nasty chemical cocktail, so I think Nate should get a bit of a check over with real equipment to make sure it's out of his system.” Mark still sounded like he was in medic mode the way he addressed Lazlo.

“So something _did_ happen?”

“We'll brief you on it Chief, but first I think we all need a breather.”

“Right. Mark, Holly, could you take Nate to see the Doc? I think Miss Springs and I need to have a little discussion about our new… guest.”

I knew he was addressing Jasmine, but it was hard to make out his opinion on her. I know that he had already been informed on her background, and of events that transpired that brought us here with her, but I wish he wasn’t so… emotionless addressing her. I needed to know that she was safe here. I trusted Lazlo and Stalker Logan, but I wasn’t familiar enough with the rest of them. I stepped back towards Jasmine and motioned for her to bring her head down to my own.

I tried to whisper so that no one could hear me. “Do whatever they say, but I won’t leave your side until I'm sure you'll be fine. It’s not that I don’t trust any of them, it’s just that I’ve learned more than once that when pressed, a mammal can show their fangs, especially if presented with a situation that goes against their fur.”

“I'll do my best not to stick out too much.”

“Your _legs_ are taller than a quarter of the Guardians here, sticking out should be the least of your worries. If you're not sure what to do or say, I will be here.”

“Thank you.”

“If everything is in order, it’s getting dark out.” Lazlo was scanning the horizon behind us as he spoke.

“Yes Chief, lead the way.” 

“Good. Defender King, I’d like you to take a small squadron and make sure they were not followed.”

“But Sir, can’t some of the scouting parties do that? That _is_ their job, isn’t it?” He stared right at Jasmine, “plus, shouldn’t you have your best Defenders here… just in case?”

Defender King was a very large and burly rhino. He was in a full suit of Exo-Armor, minus his helmet that he was currently cradling between his arm and body. Both his voice and his outspokenness towards Lazlo made me instantly dislike him. The way he looked at Jasmine, with an obvious distaste made me dislike him even more. 

“You have your orders Defender. If they _were_ followed, I’d rather it be stopped at the source than to risk them getting any closer while waiting for the Stalkers and Defenders to show up. We're still recovering from the Legionary attack.”

“Sir!”

“You have your orders! Now move out or else I'll have you detained… again.”

“Yes… Sir.” Defender King said that in a very spiteful manner before moving out and taking a few of the others with him.

“I apologize for the Defender’s attitude. Things have a been a little… tense around here as of late. Between you bringing a deathwing here and now a Red-Neck? Some of them have been questioning your motives.”

“Former Red-Neck, and do _you_ question them Chief?”

“Not at all Miss Springs. I’ve been following your actions as close as possible ever since you rescued me from the Quills. While you may have chosen some rather… questionable actions, nothing has shown me you have any hostility towards us, nor any of the good folk that still reside within the Wasteland. Others, however, just see you as a danger.”

“I get that a lot, actually.”

“So, any news on Drake’s whereabouts?”

I felt myself slump a little bit upon hearing his name. “No. Nate tried his comm unit, but there wasn’t any response.” I sighed. “I just hope he’s okay.”

“I'm sure he is. Those things are harder to kill than you know. Every time we find a nest of them, we secure the area and leave it be. Trying to fight a creature that can slice through a Defender’s armor like butter isn’t something I'm risking my soldier’s lives on.”

“Heh, yeah, Drake’s claws have come in pretty handy.”

“I bet. Come, let’s head to the infirmary first and check on Nate. Once the Doc is freed up, him and Engineer Tuskgen want to see if they can do anything for Jasmine. Tuskgen is actually a bit excited to look you over, but don’t worry, she's harmless, just a bit excited to see a Red-Neck… err, former Red-Neck’s modifications.”

I assured Jasmine that it would be alright as we started towards the entrance to the base. It was weird entering the base through its hidden entrance within the interior of the small building. Every time I had been here, it was usually me being rushed in unconscious after doing something stupid. A large elevator opened up that looked as if it could easily fit five rhino’s all decked out in armor. It took ten minutes of riding it before the doors opened into the overly familiar military instillation. 

The short trip to the infirmary was also something I was all too well familiar with. While it was Nate’s health potentially on the line, I was a bit glad it wasn’t me for a change. The sliding doors opened into the clean medical lab. In one of the chairs sat Nate with the gruff, but friendly badger standing nearby.

“Ah, perfect timing. While I've only run some basic tests, I feel that Nathan will be fine. No residual traces of the toxin remains. Although, I wouldn’t mind running a few more tests after he gets some food and rest. The body has the tendency to give false readings during times of hunger and exhaustion.”

“I'll make sure the kit gets back to you in a few hours. I have a few things I need to discuss with you Doc before I send you and Jasmine to see Tuskgen.” Lazlo turned towards us. “I’ll give you two hours to get fed and cleaned up, then it’s down to business.”

“Yes Chief.” I didn’t know what to do, so gave him a very weak salute like I’ve seen the others do. He chuckled as he returned it the proper way and left with the doctor.

“What was that ‘livi?”

“I don’t know what to do in situations like this!” 

“A simple yes can suffice. I thought you were trying to swat a fly or something.” Knowing that Nate would be fine allowed Holly to start slipping back into her usual self.

“Very funny Holly.” I moved to Nate and placed my paw in his. “How you holding up?”

“Everything is just so… clouded.”

“It will clear sweetie. I promise. Now, let’s go get…” 

The sound of someone clearing their voice rather loudly stopped me in mid conversation. I was slightly irritated that someone had interrupted me and Nate, but when I turned to see who it was, that irritation faded away faster than it came. Standing in the doorway was a large brown bison wearing a Guardian jumpsuit. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“BO!” 

I ran to him and jumped up to give him a hug. He returned it with the same gentle crushing hug that he had given me the day I saved him and his family from those slavers. When he put me down, I had to wipe away the tears that I didn’t realize had started to fall. 

“What happened to you? Is your family safe? Why are you here? Is that a… Guardian uniform you're wearing?” I asked the questions so quickly, I wasn’t sure if he was able to even register them. 

“It’s nice to see you're still alive Olivia. My wife and daughter are safe. Actually, they're better than safe. They're helping the Guardians with some agricultural projects. We _are_ farmers after all.”

“I'm so glad. When I got to Hope and Mayor Swift said you never showed up, I was worried that something bad happened.”

“Well, that’s a… long story. First, you may wanna introduce me to your friends who are giving us rather awkward stares.”

I turned and saw that everyone, even Jasmine had a very confused look on their faces. “Oh, yes. Everyone, this is Bo. Bo? This is Jasmine, those two are Holly and Mark, they're pretty much my family now. And this fluffy fox is Nate my… my boyfriend.” I didn’t mean to hesitate saying that, but after seeing some of the looks from those in Hope when they saw a rabbit and a fox together, I was unsure how Bo would react. 

“Nice to meet you all! So you got yourself a boyfriend, huh? Good for you. One thing I've learned in all my years is that having someone there for you is sometimes your only reason for going on. Without my family? I woulda succumbed to the horror of the wastes a long time ago.”

“So Bo, what exactly _did_ happen to you three after I left you?”

“Well, ain’t that a tale ta tell. Not a very proper place for it here I don’t think.”

“Well we're all hungry and were about to get some food. Maybe over a meal? If you don’t mind that is.”

“Oh a tale is meant for telling, and I'm sure you have quite a few of them yourself. My night shift starts in thirty, so I reckon a small snack before wouldn’t kill me.”

Since we were all in agreement, we headed towards the mess hall to get some food. Despite it being late, Lazlo had made sure that the quartermaster had set out some rations for us. Bo and his wife can’t get that garden going any sooner. I hate this stuff and I'm sure most of the Guardians do as well, but it was nutrients, and well needed ones. We had the place to ourselves, so when we were settled in, Bo began his story, although he opened rather solemnly. 

“Well, after you left I was right angry at those slavers. I… well I'm ashamed to say I put my foot down, quite literally.”

“You didn’t…” It took a moment to figure out what he was saying, and disbelief filled my head as I connected the image. 

“Afraid so. Like I said, I was angry. Despite who they were, they didn’t deserve to die like that, and I have to live with that.”

“I… I know all too well that feeling.” I felt Nate’s tail wrap around me as Holly and Mark both gave me a sad nod. Jasmine might have _heard_ about some of my actions, but other than my meltdown when I rescued her, and when… Blanche died, she hasn’t even gotten to know the horrors I have. I hope she never does.

“I’ve heard some. When I told the Chief about how you rescued me, he didn’t seem all that surprised to find out I had a connection with you.”

“He knows that I get around. So, what happened next?”

“I decided to take the slaver’s belongings to Hope in order to sell off everything to hopefully get enough for us to settled down.”

“You never made it to Hope, did you?”

“‘Fraid not. Didn’t know it at the time, but all slavers have distress trackers in their wagons. Guess it makes sense now that I think of it. Probably not the first time a slave turned on their slavers. Not sure when they set it off, but we didn’t even make it two hours before we were being followed. I managed to find a place to hide my family, and just in time. When they found me, it wasn’t pretty.” Bo stood up and unbuttoned his suit. There was fur missing in large patches, large scars and burn marks were littering his chest. “They punished me just far enough as ta not break me. A big mammal like me tends ta take in plenty of caps as a laborer.”

“I’m… sorry. I wish… I wish I could have. I should have followed you. Made sure all three of you made it to Hope safely.”

“I don’t be blamin' you. I saw the fire in your eyes. When one has a specific goal in mind, it’s very hard ta extinguish that fire. I don’t blame you one bit. Now, here's the part I was rather reluctant ta mention when I finally saw you again, but I’ve got too much on my chest already ta keep this.”

I didn’t like how he was sounding. I knew the tone of shame and self-hatred all too well.

“I was at Wild Times, being held for the large monthly market. Usually happens on Fridays, but it was delayed due to a special ‘event’.”

I already knew where this was going. “It was… me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, I’m afraid. Seems that boar had friends in high places that he was able ta sanction a special event for some small critter. It wasn’t until I heard some of the guards that I knew it wasn’t just some simple show. The moment I heard your name, heard what… what that boar did to you. What he took from you. Believe me, I wanted to help you just like you helped me. It tore me up not doing anything it did. I couldn’t though. I didn’t know if the slavers had found my family, but they kept telling me that if I did anything other than what I was told, that they would suffer. I wanted ta help you, I _knew_ I could if only I tried, but… I couldn’t.”

It was hard to see anyone cry, but for some reason, it was even harder to see someone so big, and so strong do it. I walked up and did my best to comfort him. He wasn’t as tall as Jasmine, but he was still a very large mammal. 

“I don’t blame you. Not one bit. If the tables were turned… well to be honest, I would've probably gotten myself killed trying to rescue you…”

“‘Livi!”

“I’m not trying to make you feel any more guilty than you already are. No, it’s just that, it’s in my nature to help others, no matter how much danger it puts me in, just like it’s in _your_ nature to put your family’s safety before others. You made the right choice, and I wouldn’t blame you for even a second.”

“Thank you little one.” He gave me a much more gentle hug. “It feels good to get that off my chest. It’s been keeping me awake for a long time.”

I looked over at Nate and smiled. “I know that feeling too.” I put my focus back on Bo. “So, how did you end up here?”

“Well, when an entire _army_ showed up to free you… did you really make friends with a _deathwing_?”

“Yeah. I did.”

“Next you'll tell me you befriended a Red-Ne…” I stopped Bo and lightly nodded towards Jasmine. “Oh. Sorry Miss. Didn’t mean to offend.” 

“I-It’s… it’s okay.”

“Any friend of Olivia’s is a friend of mine. Anyways, back to the tale. Well once the smoke cleared and most of the slavers were either dead or running, I tried to find you but was stopped by the Chief and his Guardians and was informed that you were being rushed back here. I told him about everything, and I think he was gonna simply place me with the other freed slaves who were being tended to, but when I mentioned your name, he asked me to come with him back here. Told him that I couldn’t go anywhere ‘till I found my wife and daughter, so he personally lead a team to go where I had left them. Turns out those slavers were lying. They hadn't found 'em, but they were still scared and hidden where I left them. Once we got here and we were all looked over, fed, and rested, I told him everything. He offered my family protection if we helped them with their garden issues, and offered me a position amongst the Guardians. Might not be the dream I was seeking, but it’s a damn safer one than we could ever hope for. We're treated right here, and I figured me serving my time is the least I can do to repay the Chief.”

“That's quite the tale Bo. I'm glad all three of you are safe. Can’t think of any place safer than amongst the Guardians.”

“I reckon so. Chief says he offered you a place here as well, how come you refused?”

Before I could answer, Holly butted in with her own comments. “Well if you followed ‘livi’s track record, I think it'd be safer for the entire wasteland to join the Guardians than her!”

“Holly! I’m not that bad… am I?”

“Hey Bo, if you ever need to find her, just follow the bodies. I'm sure she’s the treasure at the end of them.”

“Holly, you…” I picked up one of the silverware and tossed it at her head, nearly hitting her before she dodged it. I would have pulled my gun out to scare her, but last time that happened, Lazlo wasn’t too happy. 

We all sat there for another hour or so just talking. We all shared some of our ‘adventures’ with Bo, and every tale just made him seem more and more surprised that any of us were even sitting there. I left out a few bits, things that I was still working out myself, but otherwise, I filled him in on most of my happenings since I last saw him. Every time I mentioned Blanche or Drake, I still felt my heart sink. I may not be in tears over them anymore, but I still can’t shake this feeling that it was all my fault. From the look on Nate’s eyes, I wasn’t sure he could either.

***

We spent more time than we planned on with Bo. He was forty minutes late for his shift, but Lazlo didn’t seem to mind the tardiness based on current goings on. He may have been a strict leader, but he knew when to show lenience when it was needed. I admired that in his leadership. 

When it was time for Jasmine’s appointment, I made sure to stick with her just as I promised. Engineer Tuskgen was an elephant who towered over many of her projects, but watching her work, I saw how precisely she held her tools in her trunk, and how elegantly she moved it while working that I almost forgot that she was an elephant. 

I spent half an hour in there, getting to know Tuskgen. I trusted the doctor, but I needed to know I could trust her as well. Not once did she ever mention the word ‘Red-Neck’, only ever alluding to it as ‘them’ and ‘they’. She seemed much more interested in the false jaw than anything else. Once I was sure that no harm would come to her, I left towards where the others were, but not before asking Onion to stick around, just in case. 

Mark and Holly kept saying that Nate and I have changed a lot, but I can also say the same for Onion. Usually when I asked him to stay and serve as a communicator in case of an emergency, he objects despite the fact that he’d do it anyways. Lately he seemed rather… happy to be of use. I feel bad constantly neglecting him like I have been, but to be honest? While I don’t want to lose him, I don’t need to rely on him like I used to. I still don’t see him as a simple piece of machinery, but that void that I built him to attempt to fill is now overflowing. I need to make sure he doesn’t feel left out. I just don’t know how.

Entering the room everyone else was in, I was met with all their gazes. “What? I just wanted to make sure everything was alright with Jasmine. Did I do something wrong?”

“It’s not what you did ‘livi, it’s what we're afraid you might do.” Holly sounded a little worried.

“Um, come again?”

“Okay Miss Springs. Before we brief you on the matter, I want to tell you this, you and your friends are not allowed to leave this place until morning, agreed? You are all exhausted and need some proper rest.”

“Wasn’t really planning on leaving just yet… why?”

“Well, my scouts have confirmed reports of Legionary activity.”

I pulled out a chair and sat down next to Nate. “Go on.”

“What? No sudden speech on how we need to cut them off at the neck before they can get away again?” Holly seemed a bit surprised.

“No, not really. Why, were you expecting that?”

“Um, yes, actually. That’s usually how you respond to news like this.” Now Holly seemed confused.

“As much as I would love to finally nip this in the bud, I’ve also come to learn the depravity of rushing into things without plans, or a clear head. Plus after everything, I'm too exhausted, mentally and physically, to set out this moment. Those Legionary fuckers are not gonna simply vanish as long as they have a contract on me, and I doubt they would have the gall to attack here again after last time. So no. I don’t plan on leaving until morning at the earliest.”

Everyone, including Lazlo had an almost horrified expression. What? Was I really that predictable? I've learned a lot in my time in the wasteland. First, trust your friends. Two, trust yourself. And three, rest, rest, and more rest because you never know when you will be able to again. 

“Since I'm obviously still here, can you tell me what you told them please?”

“Ahem, yes. Well, while we still don’t know the reasoning behind the Red-Neck’s attack on the Legionary base, we do know this. The Red-Neck forces have taken over the area, forcing out the Legionaries. Since that was their primary base, they’ve set out to fortify their outposts, creating a network of messengers who carry information between each outpost. Seems they're not willing to use radio communication as of right now. One of the scout parties intercepted a Legionary messenger and we found out that while this is a setback for them, all open contracts are still active, including your own, Olivia.”

“Figures I wouldn’t get a break.”

“Quite the opposite. Whoever hired them is apparently not only offering them a larger sum of caps to finish the job post-haste, but also promising them a new and improved base of operations, safe from any potential attacks that their old one succumbed to.”

“Any ideas on where this place is, or who hired them?”

“Unfortunately, it seems the messengers don’t carry, nor know that information. From our reports, only the Elite Legionaries know this, and they're scattered along with the rest of them.”

“So how does that help us?”

“The last messenger we intercepted had a transport schedule. While they use coded messages that our ciphers are having difficulties translating, we at least know this, three outpost locations, and that one of them has an Elite stationed there. We don't know which one the Elite is located at, but if this information is accurate, capturing him or her might lead us to stopping the Legionaries once and for all.”

“Well, that's a much better plan than I had.”

“And what was that plan ‘livi?”

“Kill everyone until there was no one left to claim the contract.” I gave Holly a very large smile.

“Y… your joking, right?”

“Yes I’m joking.” What I didn’t tell her was that not too long ago, that’s _exactly_ what I was planning to do. Those feelings were gone, so there wasn’t any reason worry them any further than they already were.

Chief Lazlo briefed us on a few other bits, but mostly it was the same things we already knew. He also said that there were two small teams, one looking for Drake, and the other for Baird. While I would love to get my revenge on that fucking boar, I also knew that the Legionaries were a larger threat. Once this whole thing was settled, I plan on finding that boar, and when I do? There will be hell to pay.

***

After the briefing, Lazlo gave us leave to head to our quarters for the night. He gave Holly and Mark their own, while offering a separate one for Nate and I. Knowing we were all safe here, neither of us hesitated to take it. I told Nate to go make himself comfortable while I checked on Jasmine. I wouldn’t be able to sleep very well if I didn’t know how she was taking being poked and prodded. 

The doctor was gone leaving just Jasmine, Tuskgen, and a third that I didn’t recognize. It was a zebra dressed in a similar outfit that Bo had been in. The only thing that was different was that he had some odd device attached to each of his hooves. I slowly walked in, not wanting to interrupt them, as I noticed Jasmine staring at the zebra. 

“Miss! How are you doing?” Onion’s voice seemed to echo through the room, causing Tuskgen to drop a tool. 

“Gah! Use your inside voice Onion!”

“But you only gave me one voice Miss…”

“That’s not… oh never mind. I’m doing surprisingly well. How you holding up Jasmine?”

“Oh, I'm very good. I mean he’s very good. No I mean…” Was she, blushing?

“Care to introduce me to your friend?”

“Oh, this is Stalker Zachariah Grant, he’s been… kind to me.” 

“That’s much too formal for you Miss Springs. Your tales have been heard across these halls and I'm mighty impressed. You may call me Zack.”

“Well, Zack, you can just call me Olivia.” I turned to Jasmine with a bit of a smile on my face. She noticed and I saw her face turn a bit red. “So Jasmine, how did you meet this rather, eloquent equine?”

“Well, he came in to fix his… thingie?” She sounded unsure. Or embarrassed. I couldn’t tell.

“What she means to say was my digi-hoof here.” He held up one arm and I got a clearer view of what was attached to it. It was some kind of mechanical paw with three ‘fingers’ on it. He moved two of them, but the third one just flopped around. “Darn thing broke on my last mission, but Tuskgen has been a bit preoccupied with helping the lovely Jasmine here.”

And they told me _I_ moved fast.

“Sorry, sorry, just… this tech here is amazing. I built that, so I know it, but this, this is new.” She sounded just as enthralled in her work as I must at times. 

“How about you let me take a look?” I reached for my tools and forgot that I had taken my belt off already. I saw a large desk full of them against the wall. “Mind if I use some of your tools?”

“Yes, yes. I wonder if… oh, no, sorry.” A small spark popped off of Jasmine’s jaw, but it didn’t seem to faze her. 

I went over and grabbed what I needed and took a look at this ‘digi-hoof’ thing. From far away it looked rather impressive, but up close I realized it was simply a larger version of Onion’s own claw, just a greater number of joints. It only took me ten minutes before I had it working again. 

“My, maybe you should be working here Olivia.” Zack seemed impressed as he practiced picking stuff up. Seems a rather useful device for someone with hooves instead of paws. 

“Sorry to disappoint, but I already have something lined up. Well, I can see that Jasmine is doing just fine, so I'll leave you guys alone.” I pulled Zack close to me and whispered. “You take good care of her, okay? Or else you'll be experiencing my ‘tales’ first paw.”

“You're just as protective as I’ve been told. I admire that. You have no worries, I'll protect her just as if she were my bride.”

“Gah what are you…” 

I think Jasmine heard that because she jumped up out of her chair, causing the elephant to tumble down onto the ground. I think her face was redder than Nate’s fur. I had a feeling that I could trust this zebra. It also amused me, mainly because I now know how my own reactions around Nate seemed to amuse Holly. If that girl teases Jasmine, I'll probably have to punch her. 

“Well, looks like things are good here. I’m getting tired, gonna go crash. See you in the morning Jasmine. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” I gave her a knowing wink. She was just as bumbling as I was, maybe even more so, so I highly doubt anything would happen, otherwise it would put my own speedy relationship to shame. Still, it felt nice having someone to look out for her. I wasn’t kidding though, if I found out that zebra mistreated her in any way, even Lazlo wouldn’t stop me, but I think that was just me being a bit too overprotective. I had to protect my friends.

***

“Everything alright with Jasmine?” Nate was under the covers tinkering with something on his Pip-Boar.

“Yeah, I think a bit better than I expected to. So, what you doing?”

“Just downloading a little gift.”

“What do you mean…” I was cut off by a small beep on my own Pip-Boar. I looked at it and saw a new file. It was named _Pip-Boar 101_. “What's this?”

“Well, I promised you, what felt like forever now, that I would teach you everything about your Pip-Boar. The way things have been, I haven’t had time to give it to you.”

I sat down next to him, flipping through the digital files. It had everything I needed to know. Sure some of it I had learned on my own, but there was features that I didn’t even know existed. Toxicity scanners for food and water, the ability to add a camera through one of the expansion slots, an inventory tracker, tons of useful things.

“Thank you. This…” I took a look at him, the blanket slightly undone, “are you… naked?”

He suddenly pulled the blanket up. “No! It’s just that… I know how you like…” 

I grabbed the blanket from his paws and slowly moved it down. He was fully clothed from the waist down, it was just his shirt that was missing. I sent the ‘I’m not in trouble’ message to Onion before taking off my Pip-Boar and tossing it on the ground. I slipped out of my clothing, just leaving my underwear. It didn’t feel right me being naked if he wasn’t. 

Before he could react, I jumped back onto the bed and laid my head on his chest. His tail wrapped around me as I felt his arms do the same. 

“Did you want to…”

“Shh, no talking. Let’s just enjoy the moment. There'll be plenty of time for talking tomorrow.”

We remained in silence, the only noise was the sound of his heart slowly beating through his chest. It was quiet, but a calming one. Sometimes there was the need for words, but sometimes, especially when words and emotions have been spilled already, silence can be just as rewarding, just as long as we're there for each other. 

I wanted this experience to last all night, because tomorrow, who knows what fate will throw at us. But I was ready. I was more ready than ever to finally see this through, and with my friends and family by my side, nothing can stop us.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Max]**

"Hello Zootopian Wasteland! So a fair number of you are probably wondering where I've been… Contrary to what Stripes believed, I WASN'T stuck in Inventory. Truth there is that I keep that up to date on a weekly basis. He's never in there so it's a great excuse to escape his terrible mind numbing ideas for a few hours… Or in this case, a few days. Instead I got to spend those wonderful few days tucked away with a certain Otter. Now though I'm back and I've got a bit of a fun history lesson for you all! I was asked, before skipping out, about the current political climate of the Wasteland and well folks. I'm gonna do my best to deliver. Hopefully with the help of my lovely Girlfriend here.

**[Celeste]**

"Hi everyone! Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep him on track… No promises though. He gets too cute when he's flustered."

**[Max]**

"I… Really… ? On air?!"

**[Celeste]**

"Yes, definitely on air. Now get started hon, before that Zebra finds out you're back."

**[Max]**

"Right… Right… Now we all know about the two largest political foundings in the wasteland being the Guardian Factions. They're but a slice of the pie that makes up the current situation. Out in the East in what used to be Sahara Square we have what I like to term the Burning Lands ruled over solely by the Red Necks and their ilk. Up in the North East we have Darkwater and only until recently was it ruled over by a bunch of Raiders who seemed to have fancied themselves as pirates. Don't ask me folks, they're probably the loosest screws of the bunch. Up in the North West we have what used to be the Rainforest District. Nowadays it's more commonly known as the Swamplands. What's so interesting there you may ask? Well they're most commonly referred to as the Council, but other’s may know them as the R.C.S.G., and the swamplands are where they reside. They're one of the split offs from the original Guardians and little is ever heard of them outside of those borders. Finally we have Savanna Central, the most fractious of all the most obvious surviving districts. Of course there are further districts but aside from a number of trader caravans it's been nigh on impossible to make contact with a majority of them."

**[Celeste]**

"Now we know there are other districts out there but sadly, they're _so_ isolated or so remote the only news we ever get from them are by Trader Caravan. And most of the time that news isn't very clear or helpful. So instead we'll focus on what we immediately know. Now two districts we know are so locked down that news rarely, if ever, escapes. From the Council's holdings we sadly almost never get much out of them and anyone brave, or stupid, enough to try to get in is almost never heard from again. The Council sees anyone trying to enter or leave as their 'property.' It's a rather horrible idea if you ask me and I'm rather glad I don't live there. The same is pretty much true of the Burning Lands, though if anything can be said, they're even more xenophobic than the Council is. The Burning Lands have been made for just one species according to the Red Necks, and only that species. Anyone else looking to enter can expect nothing more than hours of excruciating torture followed by the chance to die as a suicide bomber. Then there's Darkwater and until recently they were considered the fourth major political party in the wasteland. If… Well, if you could consider a loosely commanded bunch of raiders a political party. We can thank our own Steel Guardians for taking care of the Darkwater Pirates after they went so far as to kidnap Hope's Mayor. As I understand it, Chief Lazlo was NOT happy with that news and had enough of their shenanigans."

**[Max]**

"Sorry that it seems like we're rushing through these areas but truth is, those three districts are probably the most elusive and stable of anywhere that we actually know about. They have one specific ruler and one specific goal in mind. Subjugation and domination. NOW though, we come to Savanna Central, probably the most fractious and contested domain of mammals in the wasteland. So let's see if we can't start listing off all of the players! We have the fair City of Hope, probably the best place to find some measure of peace in the district and thanks to the recent intervention of their local Hero _and_ the Steel Guardians it's truly become a place to rest one's weary head. Then we have the Slave Prince, though thankfully his influence in the area has recently seen some rather… Drastic declines. Mostly again thanks to the Steel Guardians, though as I understand it a young fox that may or may not be involved with one Hero Of Hope may have had a bigger part in the decision to burn the Prince's former palace to the ground. 

"I'll be honest, this is going to be repeated as until recently there were no fewer than five different raider groups all trying to lay claim to the Savanna. At any given time you'd have the Razor Backs, a rather small raider group obsessed with Swing music and Motorcycles, The Grey Quills, The Berserk Kings, and the former Rail Heads all trying to lay claim to our fair little district. None have been successful for long. At one point the Rail Heads almost had it all in the bag… At least until someone laid waste to the old monorail system that used to run through every district. Some say it was the Quills who had gotten tired of hearing the Rail Heads brag all about their rails, others say the Razor Backs were looking for vengeance after being dethroned and were looking for "One last big ride" into the sunset. No one can really say anymore as it seems almost any instance of these two groups has disappeared into the wastelands. After these two groups had disappeared it ended up with the Grey Quills and the Berserk Kings fighting a constant battle to dominate the local communities. Hope of course was always the jewel and since the Guardians had gone underground after their last big face off against the Council, anything was up for grabs!

"Now as I said, destruction seems to be a regular theme when it comes to trying to dominate the Savanna and a little auburn Bunny seems to be the source of destruction for at least one of the major raider groups and a bloodied nose for the other. The Quills are practically no more folks as a few weeks back our very own Olivia Springs jumped right into the middle of the Quills own backyard! Not only did she save Chief Lazlo, it seems she also laid waste to all of their heavy hitters in one fell swoop! Of course, we all know what happened when she arrived at the gates to Hope. The Berserk Kings were finally almost within reach of claiming the Jewel of Savanna Central when she stumbled upon the situation. She wasted no time in making her presence known and jumped right in, dispatching no fewer than six raiders! That's not all course, she also ended up disabling their sentry Bot, a rather nasty one too as it turns out. We haven't heard much from the Kings lately and until we do, there ain't much for us to go on. Which brings me to the remaining two big players for our part of the wastes.

"In one corner we have the Resurgent Guardians, they've recently stepped up their operations once again. Letting the wastes know they're back and they're most certainly motivated! Not only have they decidedly wrecked two major players in the fields, they've gone and started rescuing a number of communities from Raider groups! So far we've gotten no fewer than three reports of conflict, all with the Guardians coming out on top. This though does bring us to our other current player in the game for Savanna Central. One I'm loath to speak of. We all know their paws are mixed in some pretty dark and dirty deeds and we all know their name. The Legionaries, and until recently, they were poised to be the new masters of the Savanna. Turns out someone did something stupid enough to piss off the Red Necks, or the Red Necks themselves were just too paranoid, and they've gone and lost their fortress headquarters. Just so recently after a major defeat at the paws of the Guardians too! 

**[Celeste]**

"Talk about lucky coincidences folks, though with the Red Necks now sitting at our door step and Legionary goons running amok through our territory I'm loath to think of what kind of headache this is gonna be for the Guardians to root out. It's not an easy quagmire to navigate right now and I'll be honest, unless someone on one side or the other steps up their game, I fear we're in for some rough times ahead. The Guardians haven't been seen until recently and they've only just started pushing back against the disparate raider groups. The Legionaries may be down, but they're certainly not out as reports have constantly filtered into our office about random sightings and repeated gun fights with a few small bands of their ilk. There's been no peep from the Slave Prince's forces and that's rather more frightening than hearing that Red Necks are now in the neighborhood."

**[Max]**

"There isn't much in the way of politics going on in our little slice of the world, but what is happening will shape our lives for generations to come. So here's hoping that our Guardians are able to keep up! And always remember folks, they aren't the only force out there fighting for the betterment of our lives. There are many small and disparate groups out there, all trying to eke out a living and if we can find it in ourselves to try and help them then by God help them! Now… There IS one other group we haven't talked much about and that's mostly because they haven't been showing up on anyone's radar in a big enough way. Sure one or two have bumped into a patrol but that's about it."

**[Celeste]**

"Are you talking about those assholes who call themselves Guardians… ? The… Corrupted or whatever?"

**[Max]**

"One and only, beautiful. The corrupted are probably the worst party in the wasteland. They don't care who or what you are unless you're willing to fight under their banner. They have a sick obsession with Plasma weapons and love to hear your screams. They claim to be a further offshoot of the Steel Guardians, but truth be told, they're nothing but a bunch of Scavenging Raiders who got their paws on a few suits of Power Armor. They've run around trying to make the Guardians look bad for decades and thankfully have had a pretty bad time of accomplishing that goal. Word is they're mostly focused on trying to break into the old Precinct One building now."

**[Celeste]**

"Ugh… Those ass-hats give me the creeps every time they're mentioned… Thankfully folks! That's all the time we really have for this show today! As disjointed and crazy as it sounds, this is the current political geography of the Zootopian Wastelands. The two most stable districts are currently run by despotic mad mammals and the third livable district currently finds itself stuck in sorting its own mess out! There's hope on the horizon though folks as Maxy and I have seen things getting a little better every day lately. Isn't that right Max?"

**[Max]**

"Far too true and far too honest. I'm still nervous and worried, but things _have_ been getting better. There's no doubt about that. Trading is up in the few safer communities and the Guardians are resurgent! If things keep going this way, ten years down the line I think we'll actually be able to stay out at night… Boy there's a thought… Ahem! Anyhow folks, I hope you've enjoyed this little jaunt through a minefield of confusion and please, as always, let us know what you wanna hear about and who you want us to talk to! We're always eager to bring you the facts."

**[Celeste]**

"You know Max… I think I'm starting to LIKE this kinda gig. I could defini-Oh… Oh damn it I think I hear him coming!"

[Max]

"Crap… Alright c'mon, I know a few good hiding places!"

**[Stripes]**

“Hey guys, I’m back! I am all caffeinated up and ready for today’s show! Hello? Anyone?”


	58. Back on the Hunt

“P—p-please d-don’t…”

I awoke to the sound of Nate’s voice. He was saying something, but his voice, it sounded… strained, as if he was in trouble. I jolted up from the bed, forgetting where we were, the thought of trouble at the front of my mind. It was dark, but not dark enough to prevent my enhanced vision from adjusting long enough to see that we were in a small room, a room that I remembered resided within the confines of the Guardian’s base. So why was…

“I-I couldn’t h-help it…”

I looked next to me and saw Nate, his body curled tightly against itself. There was no one here, but he sounded panicked. That’s when I realized he was having a dream. No, a nightmare. His fur was standing on end and his body was trembling as he muttered fearfully in his sleep. I placed my paw on his arm, but he didn’t stir, rather he seemed to cower away from it. 

“Nate, sweetie, wake up.” 

I gently rocked him, trying to get him to wake up, but it wasn’t working. He was a heavy sleeper even in a state like this. I knew first paw how traumatic a nightmare can be on the mind, even if it wasn’t real. I also knew that Nate had been there for me, so I needed to do what I could to help him. Having someone close to comfort you after such a horrid dream is really the best thing you can have. 

Pulling the rest of the blanket off of him, I curled against his back and held him, all the while trying to ease him out of the dream. I never had to deal with something like this, so I didn’t know the first thing about it, but I knew he needed me here, and I wouldn’t leave until he was better. 

“Sweetie, it’s me, Olivia. Wake up.”

I remembered what Mark did to wake him up before, but was wondering if it would be too much, so I tried a gentler approach. I slowly drew one nail over his ears, not enough to cause a scratch, but enough to hopefully try to get through to him. All those times that he's been there for me, I never knew if I had woken up on my own, or if he had done something to wake me, but I think it was working because I could feel his trembling starting to subside. 

The tense feeling of his body started to fade and his fearful mumbling declined into an incoherent jumble of words. Suddenly his eyes snapped open as he woke in a slight panic. I grabbed his arm so that he wouldn’t try to move and hurt himself, especially if he wasn’t conscious enough to remember his surroundings like I had been at first. 

“Nate, it’s okay, it was just a nightmare. I’m here.”

“O-Olivia?”

I grabbed him and pulled him close. I could hear his heavy breathing and pulsing heart beat starting to slow down as his body caught up with his knowledge that he was not in any danger. After a few moments, I felt him wrap his arms around me as we just cradled each other. 

“I’m here, and you're safe. That’s all that matters.” I pushed him back just enough to be able to look him in the face. His dream might be over, but I could tell on his face that whatever it was, was still on his mind.

“I-I… it was…”

“Shh.” I kissed him only to sense some trepidation still remaining. “It was bad, wasn’t it?”

“I was… and y-you were…”

I slowly moved him down, back into a lying position, never once taking my eyes away from his. I didn’t know what time it was, but my body was telling me it was still early. We needed our rest, but I also needed to make sure that he would be okay, and not have the nightmare return. 

My eyes still locked on to his, I spoke slowly, trying to give my voice a sense of comfort to it. “Whatever you were dreaming, it isn’t real, and it will never be real.”

“I… lost control… again…”

“Again? Like with… Letty?”

“Y-yes… but it was worse, m-much worse. Y-yesterday, it was c-cloudy, I wasn’t f-fully aware of what I was doing. But this… I saw, and felt everything, but I-I couldn’t control my actions.”

“What… happened? If you don’t want to tell me, I will completely understand.”

“I don’t know who, b-but my body was being… controlled. I-I… had a knife… and y-you were… y-you… I couldn’t stop my paw, but I wasn’t clouded, I could… it felt s-so real… I… I was… going to… I was b-being f-forced to…” 

He couldn’t seem to be able to say it, but when he started to slowly trace my ear with his paw, I think I figured out what he was trying to say. “You were being forced to cut, my ear, weren’t you?”

“Y-yes… I c-could feel t-the skin… I c-could smell the b-blood… it… it…”

“It wasn’t real. See? I have both ears, and no one will be cutting them off, especially not you.” I grabbed his paws and slowly moved them over my ears, trying to comfort him in the fact that they were, in actuality, still attached to my own head.

“I… I…”

I pulled his head against my own chest and kissed him between his own ears while gently stroking his neck. I heard him inhale, as if taking in a smell, and soon found his body calming down at a much greater rate. We both sat there like this for I don’t know how long before he unburied his face and gave me a kiss. I think he had calmed down enough to try to go back to sleep. 

We held on to each other as we both drifted away.

***

Is it morning already? It felt as if we had just fallen asleep again before my body was telling me that it was time to get up. I tried reaching for my Pip-Boar to check the time, but found myself unable to move due to a large red weight on top of me. I tried to move Nate, his arms and one leg wrapped around me, but it was futile. At least he wasn’t having a nightmare again. 

“Ugh, Nate? It’s morning.”

“Murr?”

“We need to get up, it’s morning. I think.”

“Just two more minutes…” 

He rolled towards the other side of the bed, taking me with him in our tangled mess. I tried to move, but despite how we were situated, it was still rather comfortable. When he drew the blankets over us in a half awake state, it made things worse as my body started to relax once more. 

“Nate we need to…” I let out a yawn as I snuggled into his back. His tail flicked towards me and I caught it, snuggling into it as if it was some stuffed children's toy. I don’t know why, but his tail just felt so nice to cuddle, just as much as he does. 

Nate slowly turned with a yawn that matched mine. “Olivia? You awake?”

“Yeah. How you doing?”

“Better. Didn’t have any more nightmares. Didn’t have _any_ dreams I think.”

“I’m glad you were able to sleep better. We really should get up and check on the others.” I pressed my face into his tail. “In five more minutes.”

“No, we really should.” He didn’t sound so sure he wanted to leave the comfort of the bed either.

“You first.”

“No, you.”

“Can’t make me.”

“Oh, I can’t… Binky?”

In a flash, he was untangled from me and sitting on top of me. I wasn't scared, simply caught off guard. I was about to ask what he was going to do, when his paws started to move towards my sides. No, he wouldn’t. My sudden outburst of laughing confirmed his intentions. 

“S-stop! I c-can’t breathe!” I was laughing so hard that I could feel my lungs working overtime trying to keep me alive. 

He stopped his tickle barrage for a moment. “So, that mean you're gonna get up?”

“Technically you're more ‘up’ than I am at the moment.”

Don’t think that was the answer he wanted as he started up again. I tried to wiggle my way out of his grasp, but he was much stronger than I think _he_ even let on to be. I reached, trying to find somewhere to retaliate. I almost found it when the door to the room flung open. In a split second, both Nate and I were back under the covers, drawing them up to our necks. 

“HOLLY! Why can’t you knock like a normal mammal?”

“Um, I did? I heard a ruckus and wanted to make sure things were alright.”

“What if we were in the middle of some _other_ kind of ‘ruckus’?!”

“I…” It took her a second for her mind to process what I had just allured to. When she did it was very obvious as she suddenly looked a bit embarrassed. “Sorry! I didn’t think… um, breakfast?” I think I just left her speechless. 

I sighed. “Yeah, give us a few moments to get dressed. How’s Jasmine doing?”

“She’s, well… you’ll just have to see for yourself.”

Holly left and I was rather confused. Did something happen to Jasmine? Was Engineer Tuskgen able to fix her up this quick? Now that it was on my mind, I hurriedly got out of bed and started to get dressed. I went to change my underwear into a clean pair when I saw Nate suddenly turn away bashfully.

“Aww, come on. You've marked me, seen me naked on multiple occasions, _and_ had sex with me. You can look if you want.”

"S-sorry… C-can't help it sometimes… B-But… Well… You're really beautiful Olivia… A-And I just… Get bashful around you…"

Between what he said and that dopey look he gave me saying it, I nearly melted. Still naked I walked over to him and sat on the bed, leaning in and giving him a little kiss. I know that breakfast was getting prepared for us, and we probably didn’t have much time, but certain feelings were starting to swell in me after he called me beautiful. I wrapped my arms around him, giving him a much longer kiss, and then…

“You guys dressed yet? Breakfast is getting cold!”

“HOLLY!” Nate and I yelled simultaneously. We looked at each other, realizing that we must have both had the same thoughts going through our head. I couldn’t help but laugh as I gave him one more hug and kiss before getting dressed. 

I gave him a wink. “To be continued.”

***

I don’t know if it was because I was in a fairly decent mood, but I was half expecting breakfast to consist of _real_ food. From the slop sitting in front of me that looked like someone took a rock and somehow liquefied it, I guessed that the Guardians probably didn’t get to experience fine cuisine too often. Once this is all over, I think I may need to ‘rent’ Petunia and Petey for a day, give these mammals a taste of _real_ cooking.

“So then the Tac-Lifter went airborne but I was looking down shouting ‘that was my favorite horseshoe!’.”

I had joined the others with Jasmine and Zack who must have gotten there before any of us because in front of both of them were empty plates and bowls. Zack was telling her some anecdote while she kept giggling every time he got to the punch line, even if it wasn’t a very good one. They actually made for a cute couple.

“So Jasmine.” I had to interrupt Zack’s conversation with her, otherwise I don’t think I would have been allowed a word otherwise. “How’s it going with Engineer Tuskgen?”

“Oh, well she thinks she has an idea, but it’s going to take a few days. Both her and the Doc tell me that the plate has already fused with my skull, so it'll be too dangerous to just remove it.”

“That sucks.”

“Oh, I don’t mind it actually. I thought… well, some of the other Guardians still give me ‘looks’, but…”

She seemed to be lost at what to say, so Zack decided to take it upon himself to finish her train of thought. “She’s perfect the way she is. Heck, I don’t even see the metal, I just see her lovely face, and if anyone says otherwise? Well I ain’t called Lightning Hooves for nothing.”

Yeah, I think those two have Nate and I beat as fastest growing relationship in the wasteland. If it had been any other mammal, especially another giraffe, I probably would've been very hesitant to leave her here, maybe it was Mayor Swift still rubbing off on me, but I don’t feel any wrongfulness or deception from this zebra. 

“Well, I'm glad you have found a kinship here. I’ve also seen how some of the Guardians look at you. I can’t say I blame them, an unknown mammal, especially one with past ties to the Red-Necks, coming into their home. I wasn’t planning on leaving you here alone, I was going to wait until they had come up with a good way to keep you hidden from the Reclaimers, but with Stalker Grant here with you, I feel better about leaving you here.”

“You can just call me Zack, and I'm glad to hear I have the acceptance of the Zootopian Wasteland’s greatest heroine.”

“Aww, we just got to know you and we already gotta leave you? Don’t worry Jazzie, we'll be back to check up on you.” Holly got up and slowly walked over to Zack and leaned in close. “Now, you _better_ keep her safe, or else Mark and I will have a nice new striped blanket.”

“Don’t worry Holly, I already gave him _the talk_.”

“Aww, you're no fun ‘livi!”

Zack did a very audible gulp while Jasmine was just looking confused as to what was going on.

We finished up our meal and while it wasn’t the best tasting stuff, it left my tummy feeling content. We gave our goodbyes to Jasmine and Zack as we went to meet up with Chief Lazlo in the garage where our APC had just been looked over by his mechanics. Nate had been very adamant about them not messing with his stuff, but Lazlo had assured him that it was just some minor repairs they were doing.

“I hope all of you are well rested. I took the liberty of donating some ammunition from our reserve. We can’t spare any actual weapons, but we have no shortage of bullets. Threw a surprise in there for you too Holly.”

“Ohhhh! What is it? What is it?” Holly sounded, and looked like a kid with her paws clenched together and jumping up and down excitedly.

“It’s in the APC, just… don’t hurt yourself. Please.” Lazlo sounded concerned, as if something like this has happened in the past. 

I was about to question Lazlo’s concern when I heard something at the door. I turned and saw Bo, dressed in his Guardian jumpsuit. 

“Bo! Glad to see you again.”

“You too Olivia. Came to see you off, and also,” he whispered as I realized someone was behind him, “you can come out Bea.”

From behind his massive leg came a much smaller bison dressed in a cute yellow dress. It was his daughter, Beatrice. She seemed very nervous as she stood there, rocking back and forth and fidgeting with something in her hooves. 

“Bea made something for you Olivia. Go ahead, she won’t bite.”

His daughter hesitated before slowly walking towards me. I could tell she was very young, maybe four, or five, but despite her youthful age, she stood nearly as tall as me. She held out a small box. I took it from her, but before I could say anything, she darted back to her father’s side. I opened it and inside was a tiny piece of wood. I took it out and inspected it. I could tell that it was roughly carved by a sharpened tool, and it took me a moment before I realized what it was the shape of. A rabbit. 

“Is this… me?”

“Yup. She may be young, but she’s taken after her mother. She crafted little trinkets to sell before we tried our hooves at the farm life. Still does it as a hobby, and my little Bea has taken a liking to is as well.”

“It’s beautiful.” I looked at Bea and smiled, “thank you.”

“Y-yur w-welcam.” Despite the stuttering, she sounded as cute as she looked. 

“Well, gotta get her back to the misses so I can report for duty. Just wanted to give my regards.”

I placed the statue in my pocket. “Don’t worry, you'll be seeing us again sooner than you think.”

***

The rest of the time there had been more structured. We loaded the APC while Mark and Holly looked over the supplies that Lazlo generously gave us. At one point she came out of the APC in a very ecstatic state holding what looked like a small shotgun. She pranced around with it before Mark yanked her back into the vehicle. 

Lazlo had also given Nate some supplies to fix the coolant problem, so he jumped at the chance to finally fix it. The last two times we had to stop resulted in… very unpleasant circumstances for both of us, so I think having that fixed was a priority for him. That left Onion and I to wander around the garage. There wasn’t really much for me to do, so I was glad when I saw Jasmine enter. 

“Didn’t think I’d see you before we departed. Where's Zack?”

“The Chief called him and some others for some kind of meeting. Not supposed to visit the Doc for another hour, so figured I’d come and say goodbye one last time.”

“You make it sound like you'll never see us again.”

“No, it’s just. No one has ever been so kind to me like you guys have been, and after meeting Zack and a few of the other Guardians who actually treat me like a mammal, and not a… this,” she waved at her jaw, “I’m starting to worry, what if something happens to all of you? What if I'm left all alone, again?”

“Nothing will happen to any of us, not as long as I can help it. I promise you.”

She gave me an awkward smile before scooping me up and giving me a hug. Why are all the large mammals always trying to hug me? This would be a problem if I was scared of heights. I did my best to return the hug before she put me down. 

“I know I'm probably annoying you saying this, but I mean it. Thank you. For everything.”

“It’s my pleasure to help, and I'll let you in on a little secret. I kinda like the praise. Reminds me that I really am a good mammal, or at least I try to be. Sometimes I just… well, let’s just say I’ve had too much blood on my paws at times to feel like I'm actually doing any good.”

“You are, more than you know it. I think any other mammal would have just let them… I don’t think I would be alive if anyone else had come along.”

“You're a sweet girl Jasmine, just keep being yourself and everything will be fine.” I heard Nate give a holler, “Looks like it’s time to leave. Stay safe Jasmine, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” I gave her a wink, but her clueless expression told me that it flew right over her head. 

I really was glad that she met Zack. Between him and Lazlo, I doubt any trouble will befall her. Hopefully by the time we return, Jasmine will have a whole new look to go with her new lease on life. Sometimes change is a good thing, and I know first paw how good some changes can be.

***

It’s strange. The past few times, save for some breaking down and a few random mutated insects, we've not ran into any trouble while moving from place to place in the APC. I think Holly was a bit put down by that, because every time she thought there was a danger, she took a look at the mounted guns and started to drool. I think she had a bit of a problem when it comes to weapons. 

Nate was back to driving while Mark was busily putting together some med-packs for us. We, and by we I mean me, have had the tendency to get a few injuries along the way, and he had decided that each one of us carrying a basic kit would be wise just in case he was unable to tend to any injuries. It was a good idea, but it also reminded me of our mortality, and how at any moment things could turn sour. I lost one friend already, I don’t think I could take loosing another, especially given how close the four of us have become. 

“We got less than a mile until we reach our destination. Should I park so we can scout the area?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea Nate. I don’t want to have any surprises.”

He found a nice area to park and hide the APC. Lazlo had no idea how large the installed forces here were, but I had to be prepared for anything. Even a few Legionaries left unchecked could cause problems. I wanted to make sure we had a good grasp on what we were dealing with before we went in guns blazing. 

I saw a pole that had been uprooted from the ground and was now leaning on the side of a crumbling house. “I'll be right back.” 

“Where are you going ‘livi?”

“Right over here, don’t worry. I just want to get a higher vantage point.”

It was only a few hundred feet from our location, and still well within visual range of them, so they only hesitated slightly before I moved out. The pole was old, but it must have been very well crafted because it barely even creaked under my added weight as I climbed it to the roof of the house. 

Once I was situated, I took out my scope and scanned the horizon. So far everything looked calm, maybe they… there. I saw movement and focused my sight on the area. Sure enough there were at least two Legionaries. One was a tiger and the other was a wolf, both wearing the same tactical uniforms that all the Legionaries wore. At least they're easy to pick out. 

I watched them for a good ten minutes, but they barely moved, and when they did, it was only a few feet. There was something off about them that seemed too familiar, but I just couldn’t place a finger on it. It was like I saw this before. A third mammal, this time an elephant, caught my attention as it slowly moved towards the other two. There were at least three of them. While there were a few scattered buildings around them, I couldn’t tell which one was the actual outpost. We had to get closer, and I saw just the means to do it. 

“What you see ‘livi?”

“Three of them so far, but I can’t tell where they came from. Definitely Legionaries though.”

“You think any of them are the Elite?”

“Can’t tell, although my guess is they wouldn’t be simply wandering the streets looking to get shot. No, whoever the Elite is, they're probably within the outpost, provided there's one here to begin with.”

“Yeah, three choices makes it a bit hard. So, what’s the plan?”

“Well, a full frontal assault is out of the question. Besides not knowing how big their forces are, for all we know they could have the area trapped or mined. No, we need to get closer, at least close enough to cement a better plan.”

“Can’t we just blast them with the turrets and be done with it?” Nate’s addition to the talking surprised me.

“No, don’t think so. We need the Elite alive, and what if one of them _is_ the Elite? Can’t risk it until we know better. Plus, that thing is loud, I don’t wanna be pulling every baddie out of the woodworks. Good backup idea though, so don’t rule it out. If the shit hits the fan, being loud will be the least of our concerns. No, my idea is to take a bit more subtle approach. There is an entrance to an underground station between two tall garages overlooking where the three are. If we can get in there, we can position ourselves in a way that we can observe, and even overhear everything. Once we know where the Elite is, we can launch a surprise attack.”

“That’s the most concise, thought out plan I think I have ever heard come from those lips ‘livi. Are you feeling well?”

“Har-har Holly. After everything we’ve been through, I’ve learned that a well thought out plan is a much better course of action, and one that hopefully won’t get us all hurt.”

“I think knocking boots with Nate also knocked your brain into where it belongs ‘livi.”

I punched her in the shoulder. I must have done it harder than I thought because she gave a genuinely painful reaction. 

“Ouch! Not so hard. That’s Nate’s job.” 

I wanted to punch her again, but a noise distracted me. I drew my gun but I don’t think Holly heard what I did.

“Okay! I take it back!”

“Shush, you hear that?”

“Hear what? I don’t hear any…”

The noise caught her attention now. It was a small rustling noise, and it was not too far from us. I slowly crept towards the noise, all the while readying a round in the chamber. Mark started to pull his gun out but I held my paw out for him to stop. If there was any danger, my gun was much quieter and would attract less attention. 

I signaled them towards where the noise was and I moved ever so slowly. It sounded small, so I doubt it was an ambush, although it could still be a rodent. I was not in the right position to see if the three were still down there, but I kept myself ready for anything. I crept towards the noise but it suddenly stopped. I held my gun out and waited. 

Suddenly a radroach popped out from under a discarded crate and skittered towards us. I panicked and shot it, killing it instantly. 

“Fuck! Damn bug scared the shit out of me!”

“And you blew the shit out of it.”

“I panicked, okay?”

“Big brutish mercenaries don’t make you bat an eye, but a small mutated insect scares you? You gotta get your priorities straight girl.”

“I'm not scared of a damn bug. I said I panicked Holly. Sheesh.”

I could tell she was just teasing, but that didn’t make my heart stop racing any quicker. Sure it was just a bug, but what if it wasn’t? What if the Legionaries already knew we were here and were just waiting to spring a trap on us? I had a solid plan, but there were still too many variables in this equation to make me feel comfortable about our current situation. I just wanted to find this Elite, get what we needed, and get on with our lives. If I found out the Elite wasn’t even here, then we pull out and head for the next outpost. 

After making sure that the three haven’t spotted us, we moved out. I suggested we take the longer way down which meant going down a small curved channel. Mark started to tell me that it was a flood channel for during the rainy seasons to prevent potential flooding to the area. Since we were close to the Rainforest District, it rained in these parts much more commonly than the others. At least it did before everything went to hell. It still rains, but much more unexpectedly. 

Just as I thought, the channel led to the other-side of the nearest parking garage, and just as I had hoped, there was a maintenance entrance to the tunnels below. It was very large, suggesting that it allowed for even an elephant or a giraffe to operate with little discomfort. That made me think of Jasmine. I hope she was doing okay. 

The maintenance tunnel opened up into the main rail area. It was a double track, so the tunnel was very spacious. It was also surprisingly empty. Some discarded waste was here and there, but otherwise it was open. I was really hoping for an abandoned train or rail-car to be able to hide in if things went bad. 

“The exit is this way. Keep your ears and eyes open. Onion, you take the rear. Make sure we don’t get ambushed or followed.”

“Affirmative Miss.”

“Everyone, keep your weapons at the ready. I don’t want to be caught unprepared.”

We slowly moved towards the exit, the small amount of daylight pouring in through it told us we were getting close. Still no noise. We were close enough that if those three were chatting, I would have heard even a mumble by now. Maybe they were just paid to look tough. If the Red-Necks were attacking their base, I'm sure there are other mammals who have a gripe with them.

When we finally reached the exit I signaled them to stop. I went to activate my Stealth-Boar and was about to tell Nate to keep his ready but remembered that I was using his after I sacrificed mine back in Hope. Instead I just told them to wait there that I was just gonna take a look. I promised them I wouldn’t engage until I could inform them of my discoveries. They looked worried, but didn’t try to stop me. 

I slowly moved as far as I was comfortable doing before activating the stealth-boar. Was I was cloaked, I moved up the stairs. Once I reached the top I saw that the same three were just standing there, as if they had not even budged an inch. For a moment I wondered if they were just some kind of decoys when the tiger turned and stared right in my direction. I checked the status of the stealth-boar but the field was still strong. Did he hear… fuck. All three were turning towards me. Did they see me despite being invisible? When the elephant started to raise his rifle, pointing it directly at me, I knew that somehow they _did_ see me. Fuck. 

The elephant was the first to fire, but his shot went wide. It almost looked as if he was having difficulties even lifting it. The other two exhibited the same with their own weapons, and just like the elephant, their shots went wide. This was not typical Legionary behavior. What was going… then I remembered. I remembered why the clumsy movement was so familiar. I checked my scanner and my fears were confirmed. All three dots were… blinking in and out of existence. Fuck me! Corpse Engines!

I turn and ran back down to the tunnel as a few more bullets sounded. By the time I reached my friends, the invisibility had worn off. 

“‘Livi! I thought you said you weren't gonna engage them! We heard gunfire!”

“They aren’t Legionaries, they're fucking Corpse Engines and somehow they saw right _through_ the Stealth-Boar!”

“Corpse Engines?! Why the hell would they turn their own people into fucking Corpse Engines!”

I didn’t hear Holly swear that often, so from her reaction to this, I could already tell we were in trouble. 

“Corpse Engines?” Mark started, but he didn’t seem as worried, rather he seemed to be doing more thinking than worrying. “A tiger and a wolf, along with an elephant? Their pilots must be rodents, you can’t fit anything larger than that in a wolf at least.”

“What, you suddenly an expert on them or something?”

“No, I’ve just read a bit about them. Not much, just some things we found on our journeys. Not surprised they could detect you then Olivia. They're more machine than mammal, and some advanced military grade scanners can see right through a Stealth-Boar's effects.”

“Great, _now_ you tell me. Wait a second… more _machine_? I, I think I have an idea.” 

I took off my backpack and pulled out my remote gun. I only had two bullets, since as of late the need to make more hasn’t been at the top of my to-do list. I programmed both of them and loaded the first one. Once I was ready I told them to follow me and keep close. We moved back towards the entrance just as the wolf and the tiger were reaching the bottom of the stairs. The elephant was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t hesitate shooting the tiger with the remote bullet. 

The second it impacted I ducked behind the others to access my Pip-Boar. Bingo! I had full access to the Corpse Engine’s systems. A Burrow-Tec symbol flashed as I accessed it’s system. I swore under my breath at the mere thought of Burrow-Tec, but I couldn’t get distracted with trivial matters. It took me less than a minute to find and disable the Engine’s locomotion. I looked up and saw the tiger moving its upper body, but the legs were just planted to the ground as if they were trapped in hardened concrete. I loaded the second remote. 

I was able to stop the wolf’s movement as well. A few more minutes and I had them completely shut down. Whoever these were, they were once living mammals, but I couldn’t think of that now, I had to just picture them as robots, otherwise I may not be able to function right. 

“‘Livi! Something is happening!”

I looked up and saw movement in the chest of the tiger. After a few seconds the breastplate it was wearing popped off, revealing a hollowed cavity with flashing lights. Inside sat a grey furred rat. The wolf did the same thing, only this time its pilot was a black mouse. Both wore tattered jumpsuits that looked to have been heavily modified with metal plates. There was something familiar about them as well, but I wasn’t able to think about it too long before two more showed up. From the way they moved, they were _all_ Corpse Engines. Fuck. Who the fuck is doing this?!

“We gotta go.”

“But what about the Elite? What if he’s here?” Holly seemed a bit concerned.

“Fuck him! I'm out of remotes and I’ve seen these things first paw, they can tear us to shreds before we can even react!”

“I don’t think their pilots have been acclimated to their Engines. Look how clumsily they move.” Mark was still trying to figure out the current situation.

“I don’t care. If even one of you get hurt while we're trying to fight them. No, I made up my mind. It’s too dangerous. Quick, the maintenance hatch, maybe we can use the APC to blast them before we escape.”

“But ‘livi, I think we can…”

“NO!” 

I wasn’t about to argue this. I don’t care if we had all the bullets in the world. I saw how easily Mr. Big and his Corpse Engine took on an entire squad of mercs. If one could do that, these two, plus the missing elephant, could potentially kill us before we could even put a dent in them. These aren’t mammals anymore, they're glorified Exo-Armor. Any other day I would have ran up and grabbed one of those rodents and made him talk, but no. I can’t risk my family. I can’t risk another Blanche. 

I darted towards the maintenance tunnel. I had made sure to leave the door open just for such emergency. Once I reached it I looked behind and saw that everyone was keeping pace, but they had a worried look in their faces, even Nate. I would never tell them, but of all of them, it was Nate I feared to lose the most. If anything happened to him…

“Grenade!”

Grenade? Where… oh. A small blinking ball rolled towards me. I quickly jumped out of the tunnel as it exploded, causing a shock-wave that sent me sliding a few feet. When the dust finally cleared I made sure everyone was alright. Before we could figure out how many were in there, two more grenades rolled out. I pointed towards the main rail tunnel and we moved as quick as we could before the grenades went off. 

“Olivia!” Holly wasn’t using my nickname, that meant she was either very angry, or very worried. “We can’t just keep running! We can take a few Corpse Engines, I don’t care _how_ tough they are, some grenades of our own and some flechette rounds should make short work of these bastards!”

“I can’t risk any of you getting killed like I did with Blanche!”

That’s all I could think of. I put her in danger, and it got her killed. I kept pushing on, pushing everyone to their limits, but for what? To be rewarded with what? The loss of a friend? No, I don’t care if she wasn’t the closest of my friends. That’s actually what scared me the most. If I lost it that badly after losing her. I can’t imagine what would happen to me if I lost Mark, or Holly… or… Nate. Even just thinking of it was making me tear up. I wiped them away before checking on the others. I couldn’t see any Corpse Engines in the distance, but I could see them clear as day, even in the darkened tunnels, and they weren't just looking concerned. They were looking scared. 

I looked back to where I was running, not wanting their faces to cause me to stop. Not until we were safe. Then, and only then will I have to face my fears. I don’t think they'll let me go until I did. That’s when I noticed the giant wall ahead, the only separation in it was a large door. 

I stopped once I reached the door and started to look it over. The lock was an old manual type. I didn’t have time to pick it, but noticed the metal sign on it. I saw something familiar on it, but was to afraid to tell them what it meant. I had a feeling, but I was hoping it was wrong. 

“Olivia! We can’t keep running like this! And what you said about Blanche, this is different, this time _we_ are able to do something about it!” 

I took out my tools and ignored Holly. I felt the tears falling. I didn’t, no I _couldn’t_ face her like this. I removed the metal sign and tossed it aside. Just as I thought, there was a manual release mechanism underneath it. I popped the handle out and cranked it. The door seemed to sigh as it slowly swung open. Then I felt Holly grab me and force me to look at her.

“Olivia! You…” Once she saw me, saw how I really was, her visage instantly turned to compassion as she grabbed me and hugged me. “You poor thing. You… you're still not over Blanche, are you?”

“I-I… I’m not s-sure I could…” I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing now. 

“We got company!” Mark was still remaining calm despite everything. 

He was right. There were four Corpse Engines now, including the elephant. While they were all moving awkwardly, they were still closing in on us. Holly shoved me through the door and held it open as the others followed. They tried to close it, but the emergency release was jammed and it wouldn’t let it lock again. Everyone was concentrating on trying to get the door to stay closed. Everyone, but Nate. 

“N-no… It… it c-can’t…”

“Nate, what are you… oh, no.” Mark’s calmness was starting to crack.

I didn’t have to look up to know what it was. I saw the symbol on the sign. I didn’t want to believe it, but I saw that same one every single day for most of my life. It wasn’t just the fact that it was a Burrow-Tec symbol, no I’ve seen that other places as well. No, this was a Burrow-Tec identifier. This, was a Burrow.

“Fuck, five more showed up! Maybe it was a good idea to run ‘livi. Are you going to… what are you pointing at?”

I had slumped down, my back against the door as I pointed towards Mark and Nate. Her eyes followed my arm. I finally was able to wipe away the tears enough to focus on the giant round door that looked identical to my own Burrow, and I figured looked just like theirs. 

“A Burrow? There’s a Burrow… oh no, Nate.” Holly moved towards Nate and put a paw on his shoulder. “We can’t stay here, we just can’t.”

Nate looked towards me, I could see the fear in his face. He looked just like he did when we found that other Burrow, just before meeting, _him_. This time, it was different. While it took a physical action to get Nate to snap out of it just enough to make it through, this time, he just looked at me, slumped on the ground in tears. 

He was still scared, but I don’t think it was just from the Burrow. 

“W-We… we c-can’t…” He looked at me for a moment longer, I could see his tears as well. Then, he turned and walked towards the Burrow door. 

“Nate! What are you doing?”

He didn’t say anything, he simply walked up to the control panel that operated the door, hesitated and then connected his Pip-Boar to it. Moments later a flashing light started as loud klaxons sounded. Hissing sounds started to escape from the doors seals before it finally started to creak and moan as it rotated to the side. He just opened the Burrow door.

“Nate, what did you just…” 

Mark was interrupted when a wolf, a different one from the one I disabled, barged through the door. It didn’t maintain its balance and fell forward, arms flailing as it tried to get up. That caused me to jump to my feet. I looked out and saw three more approaching. We had to take our chances, before it was too late. 

I brushed away the tears, a surge of adrenaline filling my body as I tried to shove my emotions back down whatever hole they came from. 

“Nate! Start the closing procedure, everyone inside!”

At this point, I don’t think anyone was questioning me, either that or they were all just stunned by the current happenings, but once the door started to close, we all ran through the entrance. I watched as the rest of the Corpse Engines entered one by one. A few of them started to fire their weapons, but none of them were able to aim anywhere near us. The door finally sealed, leaving us inside the Burrow. 

“I can’t believe we just… Nate, why did you open the door?”

“I-I… O-Olivia… n-needed…”

“We have guests, how… unexpected.” 

The voice caught all of us off guard. We all turned to see where the voice came from. Standing fifty feet away were three, rabbits. Two of them were wearing Burrow security uniforms and wielding what looked like the same dart guns that the security at my Burrow tried, and succeeded, in using on me. Between them was a rabbit dressed in a black suit. His fur was so white it made Blanche’s look dull. He was wearing a short top hat and glasses. 

“Greetings. I'm Overseer Carl Banog, and welcome to Burrow 88.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! We're coming to you live outside of Steel Guardian HQ! For some reason I'm no longer welcome inside, but that doesn’t stop me from hanging out here until we meet up with today’s guest. Now, don’t mind Max, for some reason he felt inclined to bring his shotgun with him, despite me telling him countless times that this is probably the safest place to be… Oh, here she is, today’s guest, the Steel Guardians newest recruit, Miss Jasmine Rothschild! Good morning Miss Rothschild, how are you today?”

**[Jasmine]**

“Um, do I know you?”

**[Stripes]**

“Take it you don’t listen to the radio much. I'm C. Stripes with the number one show in the wasteland, Stripes in the Morning! Now, let me start off by saying you are looking very lovely today.”

**[Jasmine]**

“Um… I-I… I, I, um…”

**[Max]**

“Stripes… This is your ONLY warning. This shotgun is for me to use on you should you get outta line. And I, not you, will be the judge of that. Do I make myself clear on the issue?”

**[Stripes]**

“I have no idea what you're talking about Max. Now, there’s no need to be nervous Miss, I'm simply commenting on your overwhelming beauty. You see, I kinda have a thing for…”

**[Zack]**

“Hey Jay-Jay, this guy bothering you?”

**[Max]**

“Why yes officer, this mammal has a horrible inclination towards bothering others. Especially when it's most unwanted. Hence me bearing a shotgun… To use on him.”

**[Stripes]**

“Really now, I’m not *that* bad. Am I? Seriously Max, just because I have had a… slip-up or two on my days off doesn’t mean I'll slack on my duties to bring whatever news I can to our audience. Now then, fellow zebra, who are you?”

**[Zack]**

“I’m with her. Who are you and why are you tormenting my girl?”

**[Stripes]**

“Oh, so she’s taken. Damn. I mean… I'm Stripes bringing my audience everything they need to know about everything within the Wasteland. I know my audience would love to learn more about not only the Guardian’s newest recruit, but the fact that she's a former Red-Neck trying to fit in with today’s society. I'm just asking for a moment of her time.”

**[Zack]**

“No. Okay Jay-Jay, let’s go back inside, and away from the dullard.”

**[Stripes]**

“Really! It won't take long, I promise.”

**[Jasmine]**

“I… I don’t mind, actually…”

**[Max]**

“You're gonna regret those words any minute now…”

**[Stripes]**

“Thank you Miss Rothschild.”

**[Jasmine]**

“Y-you can just call me Jasmine.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well then, thank you, Jasmine. Now, let's start this interview off with a question that many may have been wondering. You're a former Red-Neck, yet your personality doesn’t seem to fit the typical rough, hateful, and generally fiery personality that has often come to be associated with them. May I ask why?”

**[Jasmine]**

“W-well, I… I never really felt like a Red-Neck, I… I hated them. I h-hated everything they stood for, but they still kept trying to drag me down to their level. I’ve seen many break from it. I-I… I couldn’t let them break me. I would have rather died than that happen. So I… I tried to be everything they weren’t. In private though. If they saw me like that, they would… they w-would have…”

**[Stripes]**

“Say no more. I've seen the atrocities that the Red-Necks have done to others. I can’t imagine what they would do to their own kind out of disobedience. But why so open about it now? I mean, most mammals who fight for years to hide feelings typically have trouble expressing them later on in life.”

**[Jasmine]**

“I… I found friends. P-people who actually seem to care about me. Thanks to Olivia, I feel safe and… free. I guess I just… no longer feel I need to hide it. It’s all still, strange to me.”

**[Stripes]**

“I can imagine. Well, I guess things could have been worse. I have seen mammals withhold their good intentions for so long that when they finally release them, their ‘good’ intentions are anything but. So, let’s move on to the next question. How's Guardian life treating you? Do you feel like you fit in more here than you did with the Red-Necks?”

**[Jasmine]**

“I… Y-yes, and no… I do feel safer, more welcomed than the Red-Necks, even if it is only a few. I… I don’t think some of the Guardians care for me, or I should say, my past. T-they look at me… wrong. Like I don’t belong… I can tell some of them h-hate me for being there, sometimes I feel…”

**[Zack]**

“You don’t have to continue answering this sorry excuse for a zebra’s questions.”

**[Stripes]**

“Hey! I resent that remark. I'm a fine equine if I do say so myself.”

**[Max]**

“If it's any help, he's always like this. Though I'd be lying if I said I agreed with him being anywhere near a good example of an equine. More an example of bad life choices gone unchecked than anything else in my experience.”

**[Stripes]**

“I haven’t gotten anyone killed, yet, and I'm doing rather well for myself in this dreadful wasteland. I think I have made some rather good life choices thank you very much. Now, Jasmine, you don’t have to answer if you can’t.”

**[Jasmine]**

“N-no… It’s… it’s okay… I n-need to learn to… S-sorry.”

**[Stripes]**

“No need to apologize. Take your time. I don’t mind being here watch… err waiting for you to collect yourself.”

**[Jasmine]**

“I… this life it’s… different. Very different. Yes, there are some m-mammals who I know don’t like me, but then there are others like Chief Lazlo, Stalker Logan, Engineer Tuskgen, Doctor Hedgeworth, and Zack, who don’t look at me like… a R-Red-Neck. I-I just need to… learn to ignore the others.”

**[Zack]**

“And if anyone gets out of line, let’s just say that I'm well versed in hoof-to-hoof combat. If you know what I'm saying.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, quite. You can put those hooves down now. Okay, next question then. What is your opinion on Olivia Springs?”

**[Jasmine]**

“She… she saved me. I-I never had friends in the Red-Necks, and while I say some of the… Guardians h-hate me for what I represent, most of the Red-Necks hated me even more for what I wouldn’t become. I… I never actually killed anyone before. Not with fire. I couldn’t. I was… t-tortured by the Red-Necks, my n-neck scarred beyond repair. I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone else. I think… they resented me for it. If Olivia wasn’t there to save me, when the other Red-Necks turned on me, probably t-trying to u-use the b-b-battle to finally… g-get rid of me… I would n—n-not be alive… I owe her my life.”

**[Stripes]**

“That’s horrible. For someone to turn on their own kind like that, even if they are a heartless raider, just shows how broken this world really is. That's what makes Olivia rather unique to this world. She sees beyond the false visage that the world wears and can see someone who for they really are. Most of the time. So, most of the people I interview tell me that despite her good intentions, she can be a little… crazy at times. What are your feelings on that?”

**[Jasmine]**

“I-I… don’t think she’s crazy, but… from what I have seen and heard from others, I wonder if she acts before thinking too much… I don’t like killing, unless I really have to, but she… she almost makes it look like an art-form…”

**[Stripes]**

“An art-form? Well, that’s a rather interesting way to think. Next time I do an interview with her, I'll make sure to bring a paintbrush with me. Anyways, Since your ‘lover’ doesn’t seem to care for me much… umm, are you okay Miss? You just… fell.”

**[Max]**

“Oh way to go you jackass! You knocked her on her rear just by talking! It's no wonder Miss Springs has denied any further interviews if they're held by you!”

**[Stripes]**

“How was I supposed to know my words would woo her so? I mean… are you okay Miss?”

**[Jasmine]**

“I-I-I-I-I…”

**[Zack]**

“She's easily flustered.”

**[Stripes]**

“I can see that. Well, I guess that'll be my next question. Why?”

**[Jasmine]**

“I-I… I don’t know… I-I'm not used to mammals actually… caring for me. N-no one ever showed me anything other than… displeasure towards me.”

**[Stripes]**

“Not even your parents?”

**[Jasmine]**

“M-my father d-died when I was young, and my m-mother… she… I think s-she cared about the Red-Necks more than… me…”

**[Stripes]**

“That’s a shame. I'm truly sorry for that. Well, I think that wraps it up for today’s episode. I have the strangest feeling that if I keep asking more questions I'll be leaving with a hoof-size mark on my face. If you don’t mind, once you're a bit more acclimated to your new life, I would love to have a follow up interview with you. Maybe with one less zebra in the room?”

**[Max]**

“Keep talking and hoof prints aren't the only thing you'll have to worry about you overgrown rutabaga…”

**[Stripes]**

“Rutabaga? What does that even have to do with… I’m not even sure if I have ever *had* one…”

**[Jasmine]**

“I-I…”

**[Stripes]**

“I’ll take that as a maybe. Well then folks, hope you enjoyed today’s episode. Tune in next time where I will be presenting part one of a multi-part series on, the Burrows. Now of course I can’t go into a lot of details in a single episode without spoiling things, but I felt that there's just way too much to talk about behind the scenes that one episode would be longer than a typical chapter, so I'll be breaking it down into specific parts, starting with… dun, dun, dun! Burrow Experiments. For all of those who have played a certain game series, you know what I'm talking about. So, until then, take care everyone!”

**[Max]**

“I swear… you get worse and worse as time goes on…”

**[Stripes]**

“No, I just age well. Good night everyone!”


	59. Into the Depths Unkown

There was something I learned very quick during my stay in the wasteland. If someone seems overly generous, unusually kind, or in this case, extremely inquisitive about you and your friends, then they're probably up to no good. After my little breakdown, my mind was clouded. I was angry, afraid, and most of all, concerned about the fox who was sticking very close to me. 

The thing is, under any other circumstance, I would imagine that Nate would be scared out of his mind, keeping me between him and this Overseer. This time? _He’s_ the one who built a wall between the Overseer and me. From the trembles in his body, and how his paws were gripping me, I could tell that he was scared, but right now, I wasn’t sure what was scaring him the most. This overly dressed rabbit, or whatever he saw in me right before he opened the Burrow door. 

“You see, we've been in full operation ever since the door closed. Our maintenance crew keeps this place running like clockwork, moral is at an all time high, and we've maintained a steady supply of food from our Garden Center.”

We were all scared, but none so as Mark and Nate. From what Holly had told me of their Burrow, neither of them were treated well. Nate got the brunt of it, but I could tell that Mark had been hurt by it as well. He stuck nearly as close to Holly as Nate was to me. Holly, however, didn’t seemed scared, at least not of the Burrow itself. She was concerned of its impact on Nate and Mark, as I saw her continuously glancing between the two. Her father had not only been the Overseer of their Burrow, but also the instigator of Nate and Mark’s pain. She wasn’t scared, no, she was spiteful, and I could tell from her voice, she didn’t trust this white rabbit one bit.

“That’s rather impressive given how old these places are. And you say this is the first time the door opened?” 

“Yes. Unfortunately, while we have been able to keep our major systems up and running, it seems that Burrow-Tec never finished installing the internal operation device that controls the door. Our engineers have tried to adapt some of our technology, but eventually it was deemed fruitless to continue, that the ‘all-clear’ would be our only way to escape this place. That is, until you four showed up.”

“Well the… wait, what? You mean…” Holly’s voice went from distrust to panic.

“Yes, when you resealed the door, you once again locked all of us, including yourselves in here.”

I felt Nate’s tail and paws clench tighter upon hearing those words. I felt the burning of a trapped anger flooding into my body. “WHAT?! You fucking mean we're TRAPPED HERE?!” My voice echoed down the corridor, and from the looks of it, I scared everyone, including the Overseer with my sudden outburst.

“Erm. Yes. But it’s not so bad here, although…” He looked at both Nate and Mark, scanning them up and down for a moment. “ _What_ exactly are you two?”

I think that surprised all of us just as much as I think my outburst did to him.

“What do you mean, _what_ are they? Haven’t you seen a fox before?” Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing anything but rabbits here so far. 

“Actually. No. At least not in person. You see, our Burrow is but a singular entity. What I mean to say is, we are all rabbits.”

“Wait, _all_ rabbits? That’s it? No other prey, or even predators?” Holly sounded rather surprised.

“Yes, that's correct. From the Burrow-Tec documents passed down to the Overseers, it seems that we're but one of two identical Burrows, the other one was only occupied by a single predator species. Alas, it doesn’t go into much detail beyond the fact that they were monitoring the adaptability of a prey versus a predator. Unfortunately, that's the extent of my knowledge on that matter.”

The anger at the sudden realization that we might be trapped in here snapped me out of my stupor, although I could tell that both him and his two guards were suddenly on their toes with how aggressive my tone now was, and I didn’t care one bit. “You sure are being open about that. Aren’t Overseer documents supposed to be for your eyes only?”

“You seem to be a bit knowledgeable about Overseer processes.” Despite his glasses, I could tell he was taking notice of Nate and I’s Pip-Boars. “You two from a Burrow by chance?”

There was one other thing I learned in my time out in the wasteland. Never, ever, tell someone you were from a Burrow or else it might come back and bite you on the ass. “No. We simply found a few abandoned ones in our travels. This is the first intact one we've come across.”

“Ah, I see. So then those,” He was now pointing at our two arm mounted devices, “are simply treasures of a long forgotten past I assume?”

“Yes.” I wouldn’t give him any more than that. 

“I see. Interesting. Well, let’s say we continue our little tour, shall we?”

The layout of the place was similar to my own Burrow, only everything was of equal size. There were no tiny doors for rodents, or dedicated furniture either. Everything was at a comfortable level and size for Holly and I. While Nate and Mark were not exactly towering giants, they did have to duck every time we passed through a connecting door. Thankfully most of the rooms were tall enough to allow them to stand comfortably. Or at least as comfortable as this place would let them. 

He showed us his office, the observation room, and the security area. I'm not sure if he questioned our potential risk to the Burrow and it’s residents, but he took care in informing us of how many security guards were posted throughout the place. Compared to Seventy-Six, this place felt like a prison. My Burrow had one guard per fifty residents. This place was nearly a ten to one ratio.

“Why all the security? You're not expecting trouble, are you?” This couldn’t be a response to us, we haven’t been here long enough for anyone to enact this much extra security.

“Not in the least. Sure, there have been those who are a little more adamant about leaving this place than others, but to tell you the truth, despite their being no danger, many of my fellow dwellers have a feeling of comfort knowing that they're protected in any emergency. Plus, they're not the gruff types you read in those mystery books, they lead prosperous lives as well. Isn’t that right George?”

The guard to his left spoke, his voice rather soft. “That’s right Sir. Got a game of cards tonight with some of the folks from Block B.”

“Block?” My Burrow was informally segregated between rodent and rabbit, but we didn’t have specific areas past that. What type of separation would a rabbit need from another rabbit?

“Ah yes. There are four Blocks within the Burrow. Block A is where my quarters are, along with the quarters for most of the security and their family, the doctors and any one deemed necessary in an emergency. Block B is where the residents who have major tasks reside, such as the cooks, the teachers, mechanics, and others. Block C is where all the residents who don't have a proper place go. You see, we have something called the Career Aptitude Test, or C.A.T. for short. It helps to decide who's best suited for what job. Unfortunately, we only have so many spots open for jobs, so the residents of Block C are where all of those who either are deemed unfit for most duties reside, or those who are placed on backup for if something happens to open up a slot. We may be at peak operation, but accidents and sicknesses do happen unfortunately.”

“You make it sound like they're second class citizens.”

“Oh, not at all. They have the same freedoms and rights as those in Block A and Block B. Anyone is free to come and go, make friends or even relationships with any of the three Blocks. It’s simply a division of labor is all.”

“You said there were _four_ blocks?” I could tell he was skirting around the subject. 

“I did? Oh my, yes, I did. You see, Block D is, well, it’s our quarantine zone. With such a huge population in such close confined quarters, it's easy for a contagion to spread, and the faster it spreads and more rabbits it jumps between, the higher chance that it will mutate into something we cannot easily stop. While it’s rare for that to happen, it has happened before. That's why we have a section designed to comfortably house those who are ill until they're treated properly.”

“And is there anything like that, now?” If I start to cough, he’s getting a bullet to the head.

“Rest easy knowing it has been two-hundred and sixty days since our last reported illness. Although, with your arrival, I'll have to insist that our doctors take a look over you, just to be sure.”

“That… sounds logical.” Though I'll kill someone before they try to stick Nate or the others with anything suspicious. 

The Overseer continued his tour through what I learned was Block A. Just as he said, there were higher position mammals running back and forth performing their duties. Since the medical facility was in this Block as well, we stopped by for an examination before continuing the tour. 

The medical technicians looked over Holly and I first, but they didn’t spend more than ten minutes between us before saying we were clean. With everything we've been through, I doubted that very much. What struck me as odd was the fact that they spent nearly three times as long looking over Nate and Mark. I started to inquire about it, but the Overseer said that it was simply because their instruments were designed with rabbit physiology in mind, and that adjustments had to be made for another species. Unfortunately that also sounded logical to me. I don’t know why, but I didn’t trust this place, and part of me just wanted someone to give me a reason to take my frustration out on them. This is the time that I’d expect Holly to take notice and say something, but she was keeping both eyes glued to the brothers just as I was. I don’t think she trusted them either. 

“Well, it’s hard to tell, but I don’t believe you two are in any danger of passing a contagion off to us. Honestly, I'm not even sure _if_ a virus or bacterial infection can transfer between species easily. I'll need you two to pay me a visit later today for a follow up.”

Mark nodded while Nate just simply followed his brother. Both of them were tense, but that melted away very so slightly once they were near us again. I needed to snap Nate out of his own stupor long enough to figure out a way to leave this place. The Overseer said that they tried to get it to open in the past, but I doubt they had the combined prowess of Nate and I. 

After we finished up there, the Overseer lead us into Block B. This is where I realized this Burrow’s layout was a bit different than my own. My Burrow was simply two large interconnecting tunnels with a third underneath to house the reactor and other functional equipment. As soon as I saw a Burrow navigation map, I saw how much different this place was. It was like a large circle. The entrance connected to Block A, but then the four Blocks formed an almost circle with only two connection points. A connected to B, which connected to C, and that connected to D. The second one all connected to the same room nestled in the center of the circle. 

“And this is our common room.” 

He opened up a door within Block B that lead to a room who’s ceiling was so far up, that they could easily add a second or even a third floor to this area. Just like the Blocks formed a circle around this room, this had its own circular design. He called them Rings. Ring A, the one directly connected to the Blocks contained the entertainment facilities, classrooms, and auditorium. 

“So basically every Block has equal access to all these facilities?” I kept trying to make him slip up, to tell me something that I could easily identify him as a bad guy.

“Yes. Past these doors is also the mess hall and Garden Center. While a past Overseer instigated the Block system, it was already designed to allow any of them to be able to come and go from the common areas without having to step foot in another Block. Security and the medical facilities are the few exceptions, of course.”

He wasn’t going to give me what I wanted, and I hated him even more for that. Yes, I'm sure it’s my anger and fear for Nate’s safety talking, but nothing would feel better than to have a reason to shoot someone. I really was messed up, wasn’t I? If there were any psychiatrists left in the world, they would have a field day with me. 

“I’m feeling a bit hungry, could we maybe stop by the kitchen for something to eat?” I wasn’t hungry, not in the least and I didn’t think the others were in the mood to eat, but the way he was avoiding showing us that one area made the fur on my neck stand on end. I could understand not showing us Block D. If it was truly a quarantine area, it may not be the safest place to be, but the kitchen? Even my Burrow had a cook stationed there at all time. 

“I am sorry, but we've had a little… issue with our latest crop. It happens from time to time, but something has infected the food and our botanists are busy trying to figure it out. Rest assured that no one has been affected by said contaminants, we caught it just in time. Unfortunately that means we're on strict rations for the next few days. Although…”

I didn’t like how he was suddenly trailing his words. 

“…we do have a bit of leftovers from the last crop. We produce so much food that we try to keep some aside for special events, and something tells me that your arrival will call for something of a celebration. We honestly weren't even sure if anyone survived the war. Knowing mammals are still alive and healthy on the outside gives us hope that the Burrow-Tec ‘All Clear’ can come at any time.”

I didn’t buy it, but at the same time he still hasn’t given me any reason not to trust his word. He was so eloquent, so precise with his words, he sounded just like… _him_. Maybe that’s why I had a sudden distrust of this rabbit. Maybe because deep down, it reminded me of that fucking boar. How he talked, how he held himself. The only thing this asshole was missing was me knocking one of his teeth out. Well, the day isn’t over yet. 

I tried a few more times to maybe get a small peak at what was going on behind these closed doors, but when one of the security guards put himself between me and the door, that was my hint to leave well enough alone. With so many guards, I highly doubt I'll get the chance to investigate myself. I _could_ use the Stealth-Boar, but I refuse to leave the others alone, even for a moment. I'll have to trust this rabbit. For now. 

Finally we were brought back to Block A. He said Block C was only living quarters, and one room looked the same as all of them. We were to be staying in Block A, in the guest quarters between his own quarters and security. I inquired about a guest quarter if we were their first and only guests, but he simply reworded it saying it was where the family of the Overseer lived, but he hadn't found a mate, nor had children so it's been empty. 

This was the part that made my fur stand on end the most. He said that there were two rooms, and they were only designed for two occupants each. It wasn’t the fact that he just went against what he said about it being for a family, especially since many of the rabbits we came across had two, three, or even four kids, very few had single children. No, it was the fact that he wanted to separate us. By species. 

“I apologize, I simply figured it would be more comfortable to keep the woman together and the men together.”

I grabbed Nate close to me, and I noticed Holly doing the same with Mark. “Well you thought wrong. These are _our_ men and they'll be sticking their rabbits, thank you very much. Now, you sure there isn’t anyplace else we can stay? Someplace that can fit _four_ mammals in one room?”

“Residency in Blocks B and C are full and Block A was only designed for essential personnel and their families. There is always Block D, but I can’t guarantee you won't catch something there. We only sterilize the rooms as needed, otherwise we wouldn’t have anything left for our medical personnel to use.”

Damn it. We couldn’t risk getting some unknown illness. If even one of us got sick, we’d have to spend more time here than I was already willing to accept. “Alright. Fine. But we're sticking together like this, alright?”

“That's acceptable. Here, let me show you to your rooms.”

The two rooms were facing each other, with the Overseer’s office nestled between them. Inside, it was indeed small. Two beds, neither large enough for Nate to lay without either his head or legs dangling over. Otherwise it was simple. A small area to keep belongings, and a second door that looks as if it connected to the Overseer’s office. I instantly walked over to it, but it seemed disabled.

“I keep those doors locked down. No point wasting energy on them if I don't have anyone using the rooms.”

“Well, _we_ are here now.”

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but my security chief would have a fit if I enabled the doors that connected my private quarters with those residing strangers. I hope you take no offense to it.”

He had an answer for everything, didn’t he? “No, that makes sense. Onion, go with Mark and Holly. I want to make sure we have a way to talk with each other.”

“Yes Miss.”

“Oh, it talks? I figured it was one of those assistant robots I read about, like the ones reporters used to have for documentation.”

“Nope. He’s my little bot. Armed to the teeth too. Just saying.” A stun baton was a decent weapon, but I wanted to make sure he knew not to mess with them. I know Holly could handle herself, but with Mark and Nate as terror stricken as they were, it might make for any retaliation that much harder if it came to it. I'm just glad that Onion has a self sustaining power supply. I’m gonna want him to keep every sensor active this entire time we're apart. 

“I need to go check on a few things and then start preparations for our festivities. I suggest all of you rest, it'll be a few hours at the minimum. I'll personally receive you once it's ready. Until then, rest easy.”

The Overseer ushered Holly, Mark, and Onion towards the other room. I saw Holly whisper something while pointing to Onion. My mind was still a bit clouded, but I think she was saying to contact them the moment the Overseer left. Once he left the room, I saw him press something outside and the door closed shut. I moved to the door but the control panel that normally operated the door was dead. I was getting a very bad feeling about this. Before I could bring Onion's direct comm link up on my Pip-Boar, a speaker started to play in the room.

“ _Greeting guests of the Overseer. This is Chief of Security, Artemus Fletcher. As you may have noticed, the control panel of your rooms has been put into security override. This is simply a security precaution put into place until tonight’s event. You are strangers to the Burrow and as Chief of Security, it's my duty to make sure the safety of all of Burrow Eighty-Eight’s residents is paramount. You are not prisoners, but you will not be allowed free run of the Burrow without the guidance of either the Overseer, one of my guards, or myself. I do hope you can understand. Chief Fletcher out._ ”

“Well ain’t that a good howdy do. I'm not liking this place one bit. How are you holding up sweetie?”

Nate had a wide expression in his eyes. It took a moment for him to realize that we were alone before his eyes started to soften. “S-scared.”

I gave him a hug. “I bet. I am too.”

“ _This thing on?_ ”

“ _Yes Miss Kerrigan. Miss? She keeps poking me._ ”

“I can hear you Holly. How you two holding up?”

“ _Not good. Well, not good for Marki here. I’m worried for him, but not as much as for Nate. You doing okay there Nate?_ ”

“Y-yes… S-sis…”

Holly sighed. “ _No, you're not, are you? You only ever call me ‘Sis’ when you're troubled. Keep an eye on him ‘livi. I doubt he’d do anything brash, but then again, I never thought_ he _would be the one opening a Burrow door. Oh and ‘livi, don’t think I haven’t forgotten about your little outburst back in the tunnels. When we get out of here, we need to sit down and have a little ‘chat’. Okay?_ ”

“Yes. You better not wear any of your good linen, I don’t think our little ‘chat’ will end without a little waterworks.”

“ _Geeze. Well, you two take it easy. Need to calm down Marki a little._ ”

“Okay. You two take care. Onion? Keep all sensors open at all times. If even a microbe goes out of place, I want to know.”

“ _Yes Miss. I shall keep ever vigilant._ ”

I cut the audio connection for now, but left everything else on. I wanted to know what Onion knows, but I think Nate and I needed to have a little talk of our own in some privacy. I moved towards the bed and motioned for Nate to sit next to me. He looked at me and then I felt his tail wrap around me, as if he was trying to keep me from leaving.

“Nate, sweetie. I know how hard being in a Burrow is to you. Hell, I think I can even… smell it coming from you. Are you going to be okay?”

“I-I… I don’t know…”

I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder. “I won’t leave your side. I promise you. We'll also find a way out of here. I don’t care if these rabbits really are good, kind mammals. This isn’t, and will never be a home to us. I just need you to focus. Between us, we'll be able to find a way out.”

“B-but what if w-we can’t?”

“We _will_ , even if I have to blow that door off its hinges.”

“T-they're pretty strong doors.”

“Well they haven’t met this crazy rabbit, have they?”

“W-what about the O-O-O…” I could tell he was having a very difficult time saying it. 

“Overseer?”

He just nodded. 

“I don’t like him. Not one bit. But, he hasn’t done anything to make me think he's up to no good. Honestly, I was hoping he would. I still want to pay your Burrow for what they did to you and your brother. I think part of me wants _this_ to be part of it.”

“Y-you… r-really mean that?”

“Yes, yes I do. And not every Overseer is a mammal to be afraid of either, even if they are a giant ass. Let me tell you a little story. Back in my Burrow, the Overseer there, she was, well… she and my mom used to be friends, but after she died, the Overseer started to change. She didn’t try to abuse me, she didn’t try to hurt me in any way, but I was slowly going from Jessica’s girl to just another resident. It was the day of my C.A.T. exam that changed everything. When I found out I was to be a… sanitation worker, I was furious. If I had a gun then, well I don’t think the Overseer would have been alive to hear me rant. I know, a silly little test isn’t something to be worked up over, but I wanted to do more, I wanted to _be_ more than just a glorified plumber. Unlike this place, my Burrow wasn’t pristine. Years of neglect and shoddy workmanship has left it well below nominal operation levels.”

“C-couldn’t you h-have her change it?”

“That’s exactly what I _wanted_ her to do when I paid her a visit the next morning. I knew she was in there, but she wasn’t answering my messages, and when I went to her office, she refused to even acknowledge me. So what did I do? I used my Pip-Boar and hacked into the Burrow communication network and linked it to her personal intercommunication system. I went off on her and _everyone_ could hear it. I think I embarrassed the hell out of her because seconds later she opened the door and told me to shut up and come in quietly.”

“Y-you really d-did that?”

“Yeah. I was pissed. She was not a happy rat. Unfortunately she told me she was unable to do anything about it. I didn’t believe her of course. I admit, I didn’t think about leaving then. No, I thought that maybe if I did a good enough job in my new career that I would be able to have ample time to continue my building and tinkering. Maybe I’d get lucky and all the maintenance guys would suddenly die and I would be able to convince them to let me take over.”

“If y-you didn’t p-plan to leave then, w-when?”

“I figured I’d give it a try. The next morning it went well enough. My new boss was a rabbit so I figured with how all the rodents looked down on us rabbits, we would become good friends and she would give me some slack. Boy was I wrong. She was a bitch and a half. She didn’t trust me to do simple tasks, and when I suggested ways to improve the machinery, she nearly tore my ears off with her yelling. After that she gave me all the worst jobs imaginable. Overflowing toilets? Me. Yearly septic cleaning? Me. Anything that would get me covered head to toe in literal shit, she had me do. _That’s_ when I decided I had to leave. I know it’s a childish reason compared to yours, but…”

I didn’t get to finish before he grabbed me and hugged me. I could tell he was starting to cry. “N-no, it i-isn’t… if y-you never left, I w-wouldn’t have m-met you.”

“You asked me once if I ever regretted leaving the Burrow? After Beaverton, and a few other times, yes, I did. I did so much that once I felt like I should just turn tail and run away, leave this entire fucked up world behind and return to the safety of my Burrow. But you know what? After meeting Holly and Mark, after meeting, you, I never want to go back there. I never want to go _anywhere_ that you didn’t belong. I will now, and forever be by your side.” 

I felt his tears grow more as mine joined. We sat there, encased in each other's arms for a while. Not talking, not moving, just feeling each other’s warmth as it protected us, as it bathed us in a comfort that I only ever knew with my mother. After a few minutes of this, I started to feel tired. I checked my Pip-Boar and saw that nothing had changed, there wasn’t even any dots within its scanning range. Nate’s yawning told me that he was feeling it too. We were both worn out. A little nap wouldn’t kill us. 

We both moved to lay down, still gripped in each other's arms. I felt safe like this, and something told me that he felt the same right now. As I felt my eyes close I held firm. I will never let him go.

***

Morning? I think? No, it can’t be, it had to be the middle of the night. Damn, this is why I hate being underground. I took a look at my Pip-Boar and saw that we had been asleep for about four hours. I still felt tired, but I was rested enough to feel functional. I felt my stomach rumble. Okay, _now_ I actually was hungry.

“Nate? You up?”

Nothing. Damn that fox and his deep sleeping. I was facing away from him, so I rolled over to try to nuzzle him a bit longer, but other than me, the bed was empty. 

“Nate?” 

The room was too small for him to be hiding. I looked around, letting my eyes adjust. Nothing. Turning on my Pip-Boar’s light reveled nothing as well. Fuck! Where did he go? I doubt he would have just left me. There was no bathroom in here, so maybe there? Wait, where the hell _was_ the bathroom? My heart started to race. I suddenly felt sick. 

“ _Miss!_ ”

“Onion! Nate’s gone, is he over there?”

“ _That’s what I was trying to tell you. His Pip-Boar was just removed._ ”

“FUCK! Holly! Mark! You guys okay?”

“ _Yeah, what’s the…_ ” It sounded like she had just woken up.

“NATE’S MISSING!”

I heard a loud noise. “ _Nate, is missing? Oh no. Oh no._ ”

I ran over to the control panel for the door and started to smash buttons. Nothing was working. I tried to access the communicator but it was also down. I even tried to connect my Pip-Boar to it, but the entire system was currently un powered and without power I couldn’t access a single system. Fuck! I ran to get my gun, but it was gone.

“Holly! The door won’t open, there's no power to it, and my fucking gun is gone!”

“ _What? Here let me… yeah same over here. Damn it, it_ was _a trap! How can… Mark! Hand me my gun!_ ”

I was about to ask what she was going to do when a loud noise echoed through the communicator, nearly blowing my speaker. I'm sure Onion wasn’t happy being on the receiving end of it either. I didn’t hear anything else and my panic levels were rising rapidly. Before I could begin to formulate even the simplest of plans, I heard that gunshot again, but this time it was right outside my door. A second later, Holly and Mark were manually sliding the door open. 

“Holly! Mark! We have to find Nate! I don’t know how, but I just _know_ he’s in trouble!” I was so panicked that those words left me breathing so heavily I felt like I was about to pass out. 

“‘Livi! Breathe! You can’t help him if you give yourself a heart attack! I knew something was fishy about that guy. Who the fuck wears glasses _inside_?”

“We… need… to…” 

My breathing was starting to get the better of me. Before I could even complete my sentence, Mark stabbed me with something. 

“It’s an adrenaline shot. Should help if only briefly.”

I felt my lungs starting to fill up as my heavy breathing subsided. I felt more awake, my mind more focused. It was almost as if I was under the effects of B.A.T.S. 

“Better? Now let's go find my brother.” He was eerily calm. I don’t know if it was his medic mode kicking in, or if his concern for his brother’s safety was taking precedence over his own fear of this place. 

“Follow me. Holly, got a spare?” 

She knew exactly what I was hinting at and tossed me a small pistol. I made sure there was a round in the chamber, grabbed the rest of my stuff and we left the room. Nobody better mess with us or get in the way of finding Nate, or else these metal walls will be stained with their blood. I was _not_ in the mood. 

The first thing we did was try to access the Overseer’s quarters. Pounding on the door didn’t yield any results, so I decided to hack it. I didn’t want Holly wasting all of her bullets just trying to open doors that I could actually hack. Thankfully Burrow-Tec was stupid enough to use the same basic encryptions in these doors as they did in my Burrow so popping it open was simple. 

Inside the room was very spacious, but it was also devoid of any life. We looked around and didn’t see much. Books, papers, random personal belongings, but no sign of where Nate might have been. On his desk, however, were two very familiar things. Firstly was _my_ gun. That proved that Nate didn’t just wander off on his own. Someone came in, took him and made sure I was disarmed. The second thing was a small gold coin. I shouldn’t be taking my sweet time, but every time I saw one of them, it drew me to it. This one had the picture of a badger on it. The other side read _Ferocity_. I held it for a second and then placed it in a pocket. That fucker wouldn’t miss this. 

After we were sure nothing else of importance was here, we started to leave, but not before nearly tripping over something. It was a bag. Nate’s bag. I grabbed it and saw that all of his stuff, including his weapon, was inside. It also had his… clothing. The ones that he had just been wearing. 

“Okay.” I primed my gun, holding it in the other paw. I was keeping the one Holly gave me. “Nate’s not here, but his stuff is. I am _thoroughly_ pissed. Onion, where did Nate’s Pip-Boar emergency link sound?”

“Near the center of the Burrow.”

Center? Well, that’s the best thing I've heard all night. “Come on, let’s go.”

We all ran towards where Block A and the common area connected. There was no one in the halls. Either they were in their rooms, or something else was going on, something that made my fur stand on end this entire time. If they hurt even a single hair on him, no one will be left alive. 

We turned the corner to the connecting hallway and there were four guards posted there. The second they saw us they raised their weapons. They didn’t fire right away. That was a mistake. 

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

Before Mark or Holly could stop me I put a bullet into each of their heads. Nate was in trouble. I knew he was in trouble. 

“Olivia! Why the hell did you…”

“Shut it! He’s in trouble. I know it. I-I… I can _smell_ it. I don’t know if it’s the fox in me, or a result of the marking, but I know beyond a doubt that he’s in trouble, and no one. _NO ONE_ is standing in my way.”

I didn’t even let her respond to that before I was moving towards the door they were guarding. It was locked as well, but since I was able to get one door open, this one opened in half the time. Inside there were two more guards, but they died before they could even react. Two more appeared and opened fire, and that’s when I knew they didn’t have simple dart guns. They were using _real_ guns, and for some reason that made my decision all the more justified. 

Before I could react to them, I heard the sound of both Mark’s gun and Holly’s shotgun go off, and they were both down.

“You better be right about this ‘livi.”

“I have never been so right in my entire life.”

We never made it past here, so I didn’t know where he could be. We stuck together The thing is, when I said I could smell Nate was in trouble? It wasn’t just an expression. I could literally smell it. His faint violet like scent mixed with the same fear I smelled in him earlier, only amplified tenfold. It was so strong that it was almost like a compass telling me where to go. For a second I wondered if Holly and Mark shared the same thing, or if it was because of my mutated genetics. My mind snapped off of that the moment I arrived at a door that his smell was strongest at. On it, it had two words: _Garden Center_ ”. 

“In here. He’s in here. I know it.”

“Well then, shall we knock?”

I went to hack the door when four more guards approached us. “I need a second!”

“You got it ‘livi!”

This one was a bit tougher to unlock. It’s design was much older than the other doors. Either it was built before the rest, or it had been re-purposed. Then again it was where the food was grown, so it might have been made so that no one could tamper, or steal, any of the food. After a minute I had it unlocked. When I opened it, the smell of Nate was drowned out by the smell of… blood. 

It was so strong, strong enough that I almost puked. I expected grass, fruit, vegetables. No, none of that was here. Instead it there were large chains hanging from the ceiling. Attached to them were… rabbits. Dead, butchered rabbits. I nearly fell to my knees and vomited until I saw him in the center. Tied to a large medical table was Nate, and surrounding him were three rabbits all dressed up in hazard suits, each with a a saw and two large knives. They were… My mind couldn’t process it. I _knew_ what was happening, but my brain couldn’t believe it was true. 

“Nate!” 

It was Mark who yelled out as his gun sounded, echoing in the enclosed room. He may not have had the luxury of B.A.T.S., but he dropped the first rabbit with ease. That was enough to snap me out of it. I didn’t care what the fuck was happening, I only cared about Nate, and he was right here. 

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

I took down the other two just as three more guards showed up. I turned, still under the effects and two of them out before my gun clicked. I lifted the one Holly gave me and finished the job. 

“Keep an eye out for anyone else! I'm getting Nate.”

They were both quiet. I think they both had the same thoughts going through their head as I was. This place, this wasn’t attached to a morgue. This wasn’t attached to a medical lab, this was attached to a kitchen, and what do you do in a kitchen? Cook. 

“Nate! Are you okay?”

He was awake, and he was more terrified than I ever saw him, but he wasn't hurt. I didn’t even see a cut on him. I had gotten up just in time. After removing his restraints, I eased him off the table. I turned to tell them we were leaving, now, but my heart sank when I saw both Mark and Holly in the arms of two security rabbits, and standing between them? The Overseer.

“Well, well. Looks like you discovered our little secret. Pity. I was really hoping to introduce you two rabbits to the flock.”

“What the FUCK is going on?” B.A.T.S. had just worn off, and I needed to buy time. Without it, I might risk injuring Mark or Holly.

“Isn’t it obvious? We've grown accustom to a bit of a… distinct taste, out of need of course.”

“How the fuck do you _need_ to eat your own kind?”

“Easy. We are rabbits after all, and what do rabbits do best? Well, we reproduce, but for some reason, no matter what precautions we put into effect in the past, our reproduction rates have increased tenfold over what is considered normal for our species. Where a standard rabbit would give birth to one to four at a time, many of our females are giving birth to five, six, even ten at a time. This place was only designed to house five hundred at best, but we used to have _thousands_. The Overseers before me agreed that there was only one way to quell the population that was guaranteed to work. We needed to become… predators.”

“That’s disgusting!”

“That’s necessity.”

“Why Nate? WHY THE FUCK NATE?!”

“Like I said, it's just been rabbits, so a new addition to the menu? You should have seen how the residents drooled over the prospect of something different. You can only prepare rabbit so many ways before it eventually becomes old.”

“Who the fuck decides who becomes dinner?” Twenty more seconds. That’s all I needed.

“C.A.T. of course. One of the Overseers figured out a way to modify it. You see, we still need capable mammals to keep the place as well kept as possible, so they're never chosen. The weak, the frail, the unintelligent, _they_ are always the ones who _fail_ the test, and they get moved over to Block D, or the ‘farm’ as we’ve come to call it.”

“I've met some despicable mammals in my time, but you are by far the worst.”

“I didn’t create this, I simply see the necessity to keep it going. You can’t fault me for wanting to keep my people healthy and happy, can you?”

“One last question. How did you capture them?”

“You make it sound like you're going someplace. You're not the only one with Pip-Boars, and I'm sure you are familiar with a Stealth-Boar. All of our guards have them.”

Three. Two. One. “You're wrong. We _are_ going someplace. Pip-Boar, kill.”

The two guards holding my friends were dead before they could react. I went to shoot the Overseer, but he must have been ready for this because he vanished. Either it was a hologram, or he activated a Stealth-Boar, but either way, I had to get them out of here. 

“T-that… I can’t…”

“It’s okay Holly. Let’s just get the fuck out of here.”

Nate was still frozen, but with me next to him, he was able to finally start moving, even able to reattach his pip-boar. He kept closer to me than I thought possible, but I wanted that. I would not leave his side until we were gone and someplace safe. 

Two more guards appeared but at this point, Mark and Holly weren't hesitating on shooting. We only killed those in our way or were a direct danger to us, but that seemed to be nearly every guard in the place. We finally made it to the entrance. He lied about a lot of things, so I bet he was lying about us not being able to leave. 

“Cover us! We're gonna try to get the door open.”

“You got it ‘livi!”

I plugged my Pip-Boar into the terminal and started working. This was much more secure than I remembered my own Burrow being. I couldn’t find the proper connections that I needed. 

“Nate! You need to help, I was much more prepared when I left my Burrow. I can’t do this alone.”

He seemed to react to me asking for help. “Y-yes…” 

He connected his as well as we both worked on the door access. It took a few minutes, all the while I could hear active gunfire behind us. Finally we were able to get it to work as the familiar lights and klaxon's started to go off. 

“Don’t let them escape!” The Overseer had made himself known again. I turned around wanting to blow his head off but he was nowhere to be seen. 

“We got the door! Hurry let’s get the fuck out of here!” 

I grabbed Nate and we ran as fast as we could towards the door as it slowly opened.

“What about the Corpse Engines?” Holly reminded me that they might have still been on the other side.

“This is the immediate danger!”

We were almost at the door when I heard a clicking noise from the ceiling. I turned to see a mounted turret drop out of the ceiling with a gun that looked a lot like the ones on the APC. It turned right towards me. B.A.T.S. was down, and I didn’t have anything with me powerful enough to take that out. I went to move out of the way, but my foot got caught on the bars that made up the small walkway connecting the door. 

“Fuck! I’m stuck!”

The gun had finally stopped moving as it pointed at me, ready to fire. I was about to tell Nate to go, to save himself when his eyes grew wide, but not out of fear. He looked back towards the gun that I was staring at, then I heard him whisper.

“Sacrifice.”

He had no weapon, what was he going to… the gun fired but Nate moved… fast, agile, it was like he was under… He jumped right in front of me as the bullet made contact with him. I… I saw… his arm… vanish. 

“NATE!!”

I finally got my foot free as I ran over to him. Blood was flooding out of what remained of his arm, everything from the shoulder was missing. I felt terrified, I felt angry, I felt…

A loud explosion sent bits of the turret flying. I looked at Holly and Mark, but they were just frozen, looking at Nate’s body in my arms. The sound of loud metal clinking across the floor made me turn. It was… Guardians?

“Olivia!” 

That voice. Was that a… giraffe? Jasmine?

“Clear the room! Jasmine, get Nate! Zack, Francis, take care of those hostiles!” 

It was Stalker Logan. Two more Guardians, an elephant decked out in Defender armor, and an equine, in gear similar to Logan's both opened fire on the guards. Jasmine slowly picked up Nate. I wanted to tell her to be careful, to not hurt him, but I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even comprehend what happened. Nate, he… he could be…

“I got you Olivia.” 

I felt my body lift off the ground, my arms and legs limp against my sides. 

“We got them! Okay Guardians! Move out!”

The elephant stood in front of us as Jasmine carried Nate and I out. I didn’t even look back to see where Holly or Mark were. The only thing I could do was to stare at the bleeding stump where Nate’s arm once was. He, he threw himself into the gun to protect me… I should have been the one protecting him. I should have never let them take him. 

If he died… no, he can’t die. He just _can’t_ die, because if he died, I don’t know if I could go on living.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good Morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! That chapter was a bit of a ride, wasn’t it? The next few chapters will really, how should I put it, showcase the fact that Olivia is more mentally broken then ever, but that’s for then, and this is now.

“The introduction of a new Burrow, despite how… vile it ended up being, brings up a few things to you I am sure. One of which is the age old question, are Burrows _really_ there for our protection? That folks, is a double-edged question. Yes, there are some Burrows that were genuinely built to allow for the future reputation of the mammalian race. I won’t go too much into that aspect yet, mainly because telling you that would spoil a few things, namely who really started the war, but there are some stuff I can start to share with you folks now. 

“So far we have seen, or at least heard of, four Burrows. Burrow Seventy-Six, home of our heroine, Burrow Ninety-Three, home to Nate, Mark, and Holly, Burrow Eighty-Eight, home to… well you saw, and Burrow twenty-one. ‘Now hold up Stripes’, you may be asking, ‘when did you introduce Burrow Twenty-One?’. Well, it was there, but it wasn’t as pronounced as the others. Remember everyone’s favorite boar to hate? That was a Burrow, specifically Burrow Twenty-One that he was performing his experiments in before he was forcefully evacuated. That place is now a deathwing lair, so I would advise against going there. 

“So, let me start off by telling a little overview on something. There were about one hundred and twenty two Burrow created, that we know of. Some Burrows have surfaced that were not on the master list, so there may be many more than that, not including the Burrows in other countries that were created by their own governments without the help of Burrow-Tec. You might think that Burrow One would be at the heart of it all, but that is not exactly true. Burrow One was designed to house all the leaders of this country, all the mammals within the government that were flagged as necessary for the reestablishment of a civilized world. Just like most Burrows, that one never opened up, and not even it’s location is known. Then there is Burrow Zero. This was the true heart of the Burrow System. It housed not only the president of Burrow-Tec, but also the lead scientists, engineers, and others who had full access to everything within the company and the Burrows. 

“There were ten control Burrows who were left to operate normally with no direct, or indirect interference from Burrow-Tec or it’s Overseer’s. They were given basic rules and filled with an equal variety of species, given complete freedom to grow as they choose fit. The other ones were not as lucky. Now, before you ask, no, Burrow Seventy-Six and Burrow Ninety-Three were _not_ control Burrows. They had experiments within them, but not nearly as severe as other Burrows. 

“Ninety-One was much more harsh an experiment than Olivia’s Burrow. As you may have already guessed, it was designed to test the line between predator and prey by giving prey all the power and suppressing the predators by it. Sure, it was a partial experiment in division by oppression, but there was a much more complex experiment going on underneath. Since the predator/prey relationship has been very rocky, since well, ever, Burrow-Tec wanted to see how far predators could be pushed before they finally pushed back. Let’s just say that the predators have finally pushed back, but that’s for another chapter. 

“Burrow Seventy-Six was a very similar experiment to Ninety-One, but it never got as violent as that other Burrow. Besides division through predator and prey, there were other divisions, such as division by size. The bigger mammals have always picked on the smaller ones just for being small. There is at least two Burrows that have elephants and giraffes living side by side with raccoons, wolves, and other smaller-than-them species. One gives the power to the larger species, and the other gives the power to the smaller species. Burrow Seventy-Six was basically the same premise. Rodents of all species living with rabbits. Sure, the size differences were no where near the differences between an elephant and a raccoon, but the difference here is that the others had a balanced population of big to small, Seventy-Six did not. There were a six to one ratio of rodents to rabbits, and rodents were given absolute power. That C.A.T. exam that Olivia took at the start of the story? It was rigged by Burrow-Tec in the rodents favor. 

“Now, you might ask, ‘But rabbits reproduce at an alarming rate, why did they never overtake the rodents?’. That is a very good question, and that leads me into Burrow Eighty-Eight as well. Burrow-Tec thought of that. You see, almost every Burrow that houses a species that is known to proliferate at a higher speed than others has a chemical added to their water supply. It’s completely harmless and serves only one purpose. Reducing conception rates. Olivia’s Burrow had it, which is why the rabbits were still in such small number compared to the rodents. Now, normally it would have allowed a rabbit to have twins or triplets, but Seventy-Six was given an increased dosage, that was genetically designed to target a rabbit’s reproduction, not a rodents, that basically left rabbits being able to birth one, two if they are really fertile, children every few years. 

“Burrow Eighty-Eight, however, was the complete opposite. That chemical was completely left out of the water supply. Eighty-Eight’s population cap was supposed to be five-hundred like most typical Burrows, and they started out with just shy of four-hundred rabbits when the doors sealed. Now that number is over a thousand. It is impossible to feed that many rabbits without resorting to… well, you saw. The whole separation of the Burrow into Blocks? That was not of Burrow-Tec design, but rather one of the past Overseer’s decision. 

“Now, let’s return to Burrow Twenty-One. Long before it was taken over by Baird for his… experiments, it had a rather nasty one itself. Many Burrows had their Overseer chosen from within Burrow-Tec due to the nature of the Overseer needing to know the experiments going on within. Burrow Twenty-One’s Overseer, however, was not. He was chosen through a contest. He had no leadership background, no prior knowledge of Burrow-Tec’s true purpose, he was, simply put, an average citizen with no defining traits.

“Why pick such a mammal to run an entire Burrow? Well, unbeknown to the new Overseer, there was no Burrow to run. At least, no people. You see, Burrow-Tec decided to run an experiment on forced solidarity. The Burrow was built using a very similar layout to other standard Burrows, with one exception. The Overseer’s office was the _only_ room. Remember when Olivia noticed that the doors were simply pictures plastered on the wall? That’s because the Burrow was never built to have rooms outside the Overseer’s office. Burrow-Tec built vacant halls that meandered like a maze to the Overseer’s office which was located at the center of this maze. Realistic doors were printed up as posters and slapped throughout the Burrow to give it the impression that it had plenty of space.

“Why didn’t the new Overseer figure this out before it was too late? It was quite simple really. He was so excited to be chosen, not just to lead the future of mammal-kind, but to also be guaranteed safety in the war. Burrow-Tec representatives picked him up in a limo, treated him to a luxurious dinner at one of Zootopia’s most expensive restaurants, and then given a ‘tour’ of his new Burrow. Filled with excitement and food, he never did once question why they were showing him his new office before the rest of the Burrow. And boy, did that office come stocked. Most Overseer’s offices have the basic essentials. Emergency supplies, manuals giving an overview of both the Burrow’s operations and the Overseer’s task, and your basic office supplies, along with what ever the Overseer brings themselves. This one, however, was decked out with the latest gadgets and gizmo's. A seventy-two inch high definition television. Every gaming system known to mammal. A library filled with thousands of books of various genres. It even had it’s own personal kitchen, stocked with fresh food, along with non-perishable emergency rations, and his own personal bathroom, complete with a spa and steam room. 

“Burrow-Tec told him that they would give him a few hours to get acclimated with his position before the ‘residents’ started to arrive, that he should take the time to go over the Burrow and Overseer’s manuals. In his excitement, he never saw the representatives leave. After that, he never saw anyone else ever again. Burrow-Tec sealed him in, alone. It only took a few hours before he started to realize that he was alone. He tried to find the others, but there was no one. It took him another day to finally realize that the doors were all fake, that there was no rooms, and that the main entrance was sealed. Since he was never given a Pip-Boar, he had no way of getting the door open, and all communications leaving the Burrow were severed. Sure, Burrow Zero was still monitoring him, but he had no way to call for help. Surprisingly he managed to live for a few years before succumbing to starvation, his insanity his only friend.

“As for Burrow Zero. Months after the war, something happened and all communications between that Burrow and the rest was severed. I have no idea why, and even _I_ don’t know where Burrow Zero is located. Only a hoof-full of mammals knew it’s location, and they are most certainly all dead, but then again, you never know.

“Well, that is all I have for today. I only covered the Burrows that were introduced so far, but in the future I will plan to talk more about them, and a few others that have managed to pop up here and there, so until then, take care folks!”


	60. Fearing Your Losses

“Logan! Get me that cauterizer!”

I felt helpless. Nate laid there unmoving, as Mark did his best to help his brother despite the fact that we were hundreds of feet in the air in a Tac-Lifter being rushed back to the Guardian base. I wanted to take Nate in my arms, to tell him to wake up, that everything would be okay, but every bone, every muscle was stricken with terror. Before I met Nate, I never thought about myself in a relationship, but now that I had found real love, I sat here watching it slowly fade away. Holly and Jasmine might have been cradling me between them, but right now I felt truly and utterly alone.

“Logan! I need that… damn it! Keep this fucking bird stable! Hang in there bro, just please, hang in there.”

I couldn’t talk, I just couldn’t find anything to say. My eyes were burning, trying to cry tears that have long since run out. My body trembled as I felt every single one of my nerves start to snap. I felt just like back in Wild Times, back when I had that chemical coursing through my body making me fear everything, but the only difference was that this feeling wasn't forced, it was real. I wanted to run, I wanted to hide, I wanted to…

“‘Livi, oh you poor… here.”

I threw up. It didn’t seem to faze Holly as she took a small cloth from her bag and wiped my mouth. I felt the world start to spin. My head was clouded and it felt like anything Holly tried to do or say was just barely getting through it. I felt her arm as she drew me closer to her, despite being covered in my own filth. 

“It'll be okay ‘livi, I promise. Once we get to the Guardians, everything will be okay. Nate he… he risked his life to save yours, and I'll be damned if we won’t do anything to try to save his.”

I wanted to say that I was sorry, that it was my own stupid actions that put us, that put him in this position. I wanted to tell her that I'm sorry I caused him to get hurt just for my sake. Nate was in their life longer than he was in mine, and he was more of a family to them than I could ever be. A real family wouldn’t put each other in danger like this, they wouldn’t let their emotions take control when a clear head was needed. If Nate died because of me, how could I ever call myself a part of theirs?

“You don’t have to say anything. I know how hard it is to try to think of anything to say in times like this, but remember, no matter what, you are a part of our family, and nothing will change that. We will always be here for you.”

Right now Nate was alive, barely clinging on. Would she still think that if the strings of life were cut once and for all? I felt a renewed sense of moisture in my eyes as more tears finally fell. Holly gripped me tight against her, but all I could do was watch Nate and hope that I was wrong.

***

When we finally reached the Guardians, a medical team met us in the hanger and rushed Nate away. I wanted to run after him, to make sure that I was by his side the entire time, but after trying to take a step, I fell flat on my face. Holly and Mark rushed over to me and helped me up, but not before I threw up. Again. 

“We need to get her into a bed. Jasmine, can you get us some water?”

“Y-yes!”

“Zack, can you get us some sedatives? I ran out and we may need them.”

“Yes Sir!”

My eyes were locked onto the doors that Nate was brought through. I had to go be by his side. I had to make sure he was okay, that they were doing everything to fix him. I needed to be there for if… no _when_ he woke up. If I wasn’t there then he might… he might think that…

“Olivia! You are in no condition to be wondering around. We need to get you someplace you can lie down.” Mark still seemed to be in medic mode. 

“He’s right ‘livi. We need to leave Nate in the paws of the medical technicians. I know I want to go in there and be by his side just as much as you, but if we get in their way, it might hinder, not help the situation.”

I still couldn’t find anything to say, and even if I did, the way my mind felt right now, I doubt words would be the best thing for the situation. Every time I thought my tears were over, something seemed to find a way to trigger it, and this time it was a faint smell of Nate’s musk that was still lingering in the room. As it’s aroma faded, my mind started to put together images of him breathing is last breath. I slipped out of Mark and Holly’s hold and fell to my knees as the tears started to fall again. 

They tried to get me up, but I wouldn’t budge. If I couldn’t be with Nate, there was no place that I felt I belonged right now. The images of Nate dying were flooding my head. I couldn’t smell him anymore, and to these images in my head, that was just as much proof to me that he was gone as anything. I felt my paw trembling as I reached for my gun.

“OLIVIA! Logan, grab her!”

I felt one of the wolf’s arms grab me by the neck and he knocked the gun out of my paw. I tried to struggle against him, but I didn’t have the energy, or the willpower to do so. Stalker Logan kept a firm grip on me as he brought me deeper into the headquarters towards the rooms that we had previously occupied. 

Logan set me down on the bed as Mark and Holly remained at both sides, probably making sure I didn’t move. 

“Logan, could you get someone to guard the door to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid?”

“Gotta file my reports so I'll send someone to watch the room. Knowing that rabbit, I might need to put a few Defenders on it.”

Logan left and closed the door behind him. Holly turned and sat down next to me on the bed. 

“‘Livi, sweetie, what is going on in that head of yours?”

“H-he… h-his s-scent, I c-can’t s-smell it… h-he’s… h-he’s… d…”

“He is _not_ dead! Now, I don’t know what that foxy DNA is doing to you ‘livi, but just because you can’t smell him now, doesn’t mean he's dead. I can’t even begin to imagine what that’s like for you. I can smell Mark’s scent, but only when we're fairly close together, you were acting like some tracker wolf the way you managed to find out where Nate was.”

“Even _I_ can’t sense Nate like that, and I'm a fox, _and_ his brother. You two, I feel as if your bond with my brother goes so much deeper than even Holly and my own. Maybe it’s because of your DNA, maybe it’s just because you two are the most mentally broken, yet kindest mammals I have ever known, but you need to stay strong for him. It’s what he would want.”

He was right, but I didn’t want him to be right. How can I feel strong when I know that this is my fault? That every time I keep trying to stand up, to face my fears, I keep getting knocked right back down into a deeper hole. This time, I wasn’t sure it would be easy to get back up. 

“I-It’s… t-this is all m-my… fault…”

“Mark, can you give us a few minutes alone?”

“Uh, yeah Holly. I should go check on things anyways, see if I can lend a paw or two.”

Mark left, closing the door behind him. Holly looked at me, an odd expression on her face. “Olivia, come here.”

She didn’t sound very happy. I slowly turned to face her better, not sure what she was about to say. Then she slapped me across the face.

“It is NOT your fault! You got it? You had a high caliber auto-turret pointing right at you! If Nate hadn’t jumped in, it would have… we _would_ have lost _you_!”

I was rubbing my face, it was feeling very sore. “But if I-I was s-stronger, if I-I didn’t let my e-emotions…”

Holly raised her paw again, causing me to close my eyes and wince. I had expected her to hit me again, but instead, I felt her grab me tight and pull me close to her as she whispered into my ears. I felt a slight dampness that told me she was done holding back her own tears.

“We are all upset at what happened to Nate. If I wasn’t so shocked at what I had just seen, I would have unloaded every grenade I had into that fucking Burrow. His near sacrifice should tell you how much he really loves you. You didn’t tell him to save you, he _chose_ to. You weren’t going to be able to dodge a gun like that, especially since you had just used your B.A.T.S. It was his decision, and his alone, and whatever happens, you need to remember that it was him, and him alone that saved your life. He’s still alive and he’s still fighting to stay that way. I’ll tell you something that I'm unsure if he even knows it himself. 

“He’s not a fighter, you can probably tell that already. He’d do his best to either avoid a situation, find an escape, or simply go with the flow, keeping his head down the entire way. There’s… been times when his emotions seem to overwhelm him so much that he just shuts down. Mark and I have seen it too many times already. It scares us, but what scared us the most was that, after everything him and his brother had been through, that one of these days he would simply… stop trying. That was before he met you. I don’t like saying this, but if this same thing happened, but it was him protecting one of us instead of you? I…” she had to stop for a moment to wipe her tears away. “I'm unsure if he would still be alive. You didn’t get him hurt, but it’s _you_ that’s keeping him alive right now.”

We were both crying now as we held each other. I knew how much Nate cared about me, but to hear something like that from someone else, someone who is so much more a family to him than I am, it didn’t stop me from blaming myself for what happened, but maybe, just maybe, it will help put me on the right path.

***

Three days. It's been three days since we arrived back at Guardian HQ. While Nate’s vitals had been stabilized, he was still in a coma. The trauma to his body seemed to have shut down all but his most basic of mental activities. He was alive, but I had no idea when, or if, he'd wake up. 

Doc said that him activating the B.A.T.S. also caused major issues with his heart. Nate had told me once before that he never used that serum because it messes with his heart, but I didn’t realize how serious it was. In order to keep his heart from exploding, they had to keep him hooked up to a chemical drip to slow his heart down to a more manageable pace. Between losing his arm and his erratic heart functions, they weren't sure if he’d ever be able to live a normal life again. 

All of this had happened because of my incessant need to track down those Legionary fuckers to protect everyone from them, but instead I failed to protect the one mammal who means everything to me. Until Nate's awake and better, I could care less about what the Legionaries are doing. 

While I have some brief interactions with my friends, I mostly stayed in either my room, or at Nate’s side. He looked peaceful in his induced state. There were a few times that I kissed him, hoping that this would be like one of those fairy tales where the valiant prince wakes the sleeping princess with a kiss. I never believed them when I was a kid, and now I believe them less.

Mark had needed to take a trip back to the bunker to pick up a few supplies, and while one of the Guardians had driven the APC here, Logan recommended that they take a Tac-Lifter in case they needed to get back in a hurry. It took them the better part of the day to make the trip, but it was better than a the few days driving the APC may have taken. 

He had brought back with him all of the Jack Savage books along with a few others that he thought would interest me. I hadn't been doing anything productive, and had barely even been eating, so I think it was his way to help me pass the time. I tried to read some of them, but my mind kept drifting off, replaying that scene in the Burrow over and over again. I had to keep checking the machine Nate was hooked up to in order to remind me that he was still alive. 

The morning of the fourth day was when I think Holly had enough of watching me mope around. 

“‘Livi, you've barely eaten anything these past few days. Come and join us in the mess hall for breakfast. Don’t make me slap you again.”

I begrudgingly got up and followed her. I kept looking back at Nate every few steps, wondering if he would still be there each time.

“He’s not going anywhere ‘livi. He's stable, and in no risk of dying.”

“W-what if he… never… wakes up?”

“He will. I told you, he’s being strong because of you. As long as you keep your chin up and hope for the best, he'll pull through.”

“But what about his… arm?”

“I won’t lie and say that he'll be the same old Nate when he wakes up. He’s not, but that’s why you need to be strong for him ‘livi. If you keep putting yourself into such a dreadful state, how are you going to be able to support him during this long road ahead?”

“Y-your, right. I… it’s just that… When my mother died I was upset, I was beside myself with grief. I wasn’t able to operate normally for months afterwards, and even then, it was building Onion that ultimately helped me get over her death.”

“He’s not going to die, I keep telling you that. He _will_ wake up, he has to.”

“But the thing is, when my mom died, I was grieving for months. With Nate? He’s still alive, yet I'm not feeling the same sorrow I did for my mother. This grief, it’s… agonizing. When my mom died, it felt as if I lost something, when Nate was hurt, I felt it torn from me, and every time I look at him, all I can see is the trail of blood leading right back to… me.”

“Look, he’s not going to die _and_ it’s not your fault. How many times do I have to tell you this before that brain of yours registers it? This isn’t easy for any of us, and we all know you're taking it the hardest. I’m not asking you to cheer up, to act all happy and such. No, I’m just asking you to stop blaming yourself. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nate woke up long enough to slap you too.”

I know she was trying, and in a way it was helping, but trying to clear my head of these thoughts was the hardest thing I could ever do. I had to be stronger, not just for Nate, but for my friends as well. If I kept worrying them, then soon this entire place will be drowning in my own sorrow.

We entered the mess-hall and I saw Jasmine and Zack having a conversation, while Logan and Mark were talking. The moment they heard the doors open, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at us, at me. Silence filled the room as if the Grim Reaper himself just entered, looking for his next victim.

“Relax everyone, she’s fine. I think.” 

Holly led me to the table the others were at as I sat down between her and Mark. A plate of small fried carrots was in front of me. 

“Bo and his wife got their first batch of produce grown. They ain’t he largest things, but it’s better than the crap they serve here.” I could tell that Mark was trying to skirt the obvious cloud of emotion surrounding me.

“It looks… good.” I poked one of the carrots, but I didn’t feel hungry.

“Eat ‘livi. You need your strength.”

I picked one up and put it in my mouth. I feigned enjoyment of it as I swallowed.

“So Logan, Mark was telling me that Chief Lazlo is on some kind of mission? I'm sure Olivia would love to hear about it.”

“Yeah, well, the Chief finally decided to put together a team to take back Precinct One. They left shortly after you departed here last time. Problem is, we've lost communication with them. We were on our way to reestablish communication when we intercepted a communication about you four in the Bu…”

Holly cut him off before he could finish, but I knew what he was about to say, and it caused me to stab one of the carrots with my nail. 

“Aaany word on it?”

“Afraid not. We're in the process of trying to establish a link now. A team left yesterday to assist with that.”

“You think he’s okay?”

“He may be old, but the Chief is a strong mammal. He also made sure to take the best soldiers we have. They'll be able to take anything that's thrown at them, but it’s caused a bit of a… disturbance in the ranks.”

It must have been something new because Holly’s question had a tinge of concern in it. “What do you mean a, disturbance?”

“It's common knowledge that the Chief should have presented an heir by now to take over the leadership of the Guardians. Ever since Chief Bogo of the ZPD founded the Guardians, it's always been a decedent of his that took over, but since the Chief never wed or took a child, there's currently no one in line to take over, and that's caused some concern with a few of the mammals over the future of the Steel Guardians.”

“That sounds serious. Can’t he just pick someone?”

“With him so adamant about taking back Precinct One, he's been avoiding it. He says he’s fit as a fiddle, and while many of us believe him, he's not immortal, and one day will die, either naturally or in battle. Then, we'll be left without a leader, and that's unsettling to many of us.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Mark also seemed concerned about what Logan had just said.

“Until the Chief’s return, there's nothing we can do. Plus, you three already have your paws full.”

“‘Livi, you okay?”

Holly must have noticed that I had been playing with my food rather than eating it. I had stabbed the carrots so many times with my nail that they were starting to lose structure, turning into a crumbly mess on my plate. 

“I’m not hungry.” I probably should have been eating, but the thought of food just made my stomach unsettled. I don’t think even Petunia’s meals could win me over right now.

Holly was about to say something when Logan received a communication on his radio. I hadn't been paying attention, not really caring about anything else, but when I heard Nate’s name mentioned, my ears perked. 

“Engineer Tuskgen would like to see you. She thinks she has an idea. I need to report back to duty. Rothschild, you can take the next few hours to be with your friends before reporting for training. Stalker Grant, come with me. We have a few things to tend to before you start your shift.”

“Yes Sir!” Zack always seemed rather dutiful, no matter the situation.

“Y-yes. Thank you.” Jasmine, however, still didn’t seem like she belonged yet. She did, however, smile as Zack motioned her to bend her neck down before giving her a polite kiss on the cheek. That caused her to turn ever so slightly red before he hurried on after Logan.

“Well, let’s go see what Tuskgen wants. Come on ‘livi, maybe whatever it is will help get your mind focused on something else. I’ve seen how you ogle over techy stuff.”

“Yeah, maybe.” I doubt it though. If my mind would just stop playing back that scene over and over, then maybe I would be able to focus better, but it was almost as if my brain was trying to taunt me, to keep me locked down in this state.

***

Tuskgen’s lab was a mess, even more so than usual. There were papers scattered over nearly every desk, and parts of machinery dotted all over, each of them busy slaving away at whatever automated task she had given them. Bolts, screws, and every assortment of scrap parts were littered on the floor. It almost looked as if this room, and this room only had been hit with a massive earthquake.

“There you are!” Tuskgen, in her long flowing lab-coat, came out of an adjacent room. She used her trunk to push up the thick goggles she had been wearing. 

“Logan said you had something important to tell us?”

“Yes, yes! Well you see… Onion, could you bring it please?”

Onion? I had forgotten about him. I vaguely remember the elephant asking for his assistance, but I wasn’t in the mental state to really register it.

“Yes Miss Tuskgen.”

“How many times do I gotta tell you, stop calling me ‘Miss’. You make me feel old. Tuskgen, or even Edna is fine.”

“Yes Miss Tuskgen.”

“Didn’t I just… how do you put up with him Olivia?” I didn’t answer, my mind only seeming to register bits and pieces of everything. “Oh, well, anyways, the reason I called you here is because of this.” She held up a Pip-Boar. Was that…

“I-It’s, Nate’s, isn’t it?” The words seem to have flowed without me even telling them to.

“Yes, it is actually. Well, I came up with a rather brilliant idea. Got it while trying to fix one of the arm actuators on Defender Dollop’s Exo-Armor. The controlling circuit got fried and left his arm stuck in a rather embarrassing position. I joked telling him it was a good thing that arm wasn’t attached, but he didn’t seem to find that funny. I found it rather humorous myself. Maybe you should have been there. Anyways. We obviously can’t grow Nate’s arm back, but what if we could _build_ him one?”

Once again the mention of Nate had snapped me back into reality. “Build him one? That’s… why the fuck didn’t _I_ think of that!”

My sudden outburst caused Tuskgen, who was much, much larger than I, to take a few steps back.

“‘Livi, calm down. Your mind wasn’t in the right place to think of that. You think you can do it Tuskgen?”

“Yes, I think. No, I know I can, but… there are two problems. Since it was his Pip-Boar arm that was taken, I want to integrate his unit into it, but I am lacking the proper connectors to allow the arm and the Pip-Boar to properly communicate. Also, I don’t have the properly sized actuators for the elbow or wrist.”

My hopes were both built and then destroyed in one swoop. I had not thought of this, so that made me angry at myself. When she said it was possible, that anger subsided, but when she said there wasn’t the parts for it, when we were surrounded by scrap, and standing in an underground base with more pieces of tech than I have ever seen in my life, I felt something snap.

“What the fuck do you mean you don’t have the parts?! You have fucking parts all over the place! Scrap one of the Defender’s armor! Scrap half of this fucking place if that’s what it'll take to fix him!”

“Olivia! Calm down!” Holly grabbed me when I started to make a motion towards Tuskgen. I could see the fear forming in the elephants eyes.

“I-I’m sorry, but we just don’t have the parts here. I can’t just go around taking things apart, plus there are no Exo-Suits Nate’s size, otherwise I would've thought of that first.”

“That’s no excuse! This is Nate’s fucking life on the line! I'll scrap this entire place if I have to just to make sure he can have what I fucking got taken from him!”

“Olivia! Stop this at once! I thought we were over this, it. Isn’t. Your. Fault!”

I tried to fight Holly. I don’t know what my body wanted me to do, but I was tired of fighting it. Something had to be done to help him, no matter what the cost. I don’t care who I have to hurt to make him better, no one is more important than Nate, no one is…

“I knew these would come in handy.”

I felt weak all of a sudden. My eyes grew heavy as my muscles stopped listening to my brain. I felt as if I was melting. I felt as if…

***

“You failed me.”

What? Who is that?

“You tried to throw your life away again.”

“Who is that?”

“You failed me.”

A face suddenly appeared in front of me. How did I not recognize that voice? How I did I not know it was him?

“I loved you, and you got me killed for that.”

“I’m sorry Nate! I… I wasn’t strong enough!”

“You could have been stronger. You _should_ have been stronger. I guess you really didn’t love me after all, did you?”

“No! That isn’t true! I love you, more than anything Nate!”

“I'm dead because of you, is that how you express love? By getting those you love killed? You got Blanche killed. Now you showed the same ‘love’ to me.”

“No! Please, please don’t go. Please. I don’t want you to leave me!”

“You already threw your own life away along with mine. There's no turning back from this.”

The face faded away. 

“Come back! Please come back! I'm sorry, I am so, so, sorry! Please, don’t leave me!”

***

“Please don’t leave…”

“‘Livi, we're here, we're not going to leave you.”

I opened my eyes to see Holly and Mark both sitting beside me on one of the bunker beds. I was curled up, a damp feeling on the bed. Both of them had their paws on my arm, and they both looked at me with worry in their eyes.

“I-I’m sorry. I… I don’t want him to l-leave me.”

“He won’t, I promise.” 

“I’m sorry I had to sedate you Olivia, but you were going nuts and nearly scared Tuskgen to death.”

I felt my neck where he had injected me. “I… I shouldn’t have snapped. I… I just…”

“Shh. It’s okay ‘livi. No one is mad at you. Took a bit to get Tuskgen calmed down after that, but she understands the stress you're under. Mark and I are here for you. Remember Olivia Springs, you are our family just as much as Nate is, and nothing, I mean nothing will ever change that.”

Mark and Holly both wrapped their arms around me, cradling me there as I started to cry again. I haven’t eaten or drunken much, so where were all these tears coming from? I didn’t try to stop them, I just placed my arms on both of them and let it flow. I could tell they were doing the same. 

I had to be stronger than I am. I had to do it not only for Nate, but for them as well. 

I had to do it for my family.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Can you believe it? This marks not only the sixtieth chapter, but the fortieth After Show? Boy how time flies. Only twenty-two more chapters until it’s all done folks. If my math is correct, that would mean this story will wrap up just as the year wraps up. Now, let’s get this show on the road! Today I’ve caught up with someone who was introduced somewhat recently, and to be completely honest, she was going to be a simple throw-away character, just don’t tell her that. I really enjoyed creating her so much that I just had to revisit her later on in the story, but that’s for another day. So without further ado, may I present one Letty Oswald! Good day Miss Oswald, how are you doing?”

**[Letty]**

“Oh, hello. I’m doing okay. Were you talking about throwing something away just a moment ago?”

**[Stripes]**

“Pay no mind to that, it’s nothing really. So Miss Oswald…”

**[Letty]**

“Just Letty please. I’m not much on formalities.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well then, Letty… that’s quite the unique name you have. Any meaning behind it?”

**[Letty]**

“Yeah, apparently it’s not a very common name. My father really wanted a boy to name after his father, Lanny Oswald, but my mother really wanted a daughter to name Betty after some famous actress she had seen a recording of. Guess when I was born they decided on a compromise. You should’ve heard the nicknames when I was a kid. Some of them clever, some of them… not so much.”

**[Stripes]**

“I would love to hear some of them, but Letty continue with the interview… ouch! You hit me! Picard never hit me! Oh, that’s gonna leave a bruise.”

**[Letty]**

“Who’s Picard?”

**[Stripes]**

“Um… he’s a star who makes a trek… you know, never mind that. You don’t hold back your punches, do you?”

**[Letty]**

“Next time I’ll use my claws. So, you have another question for me?”

**[Max]**

“I know I’ve been fairly quiet up until now but uh… If you feel the sudden urge to lash out at him? Don’t hold back… Like…At all.”

**[Stripes]**

“You are one feisty kitty. It still stings… yes, I do have some more questions, but please, lay off the physicality.”

**[Letty]**

“Just don’t give me a reason.”

**[Stripes]**

“Not one word Max, not one word. So, you run a bar in Hope, am I correct?”

**[Max]**

“Either you’re deaf or you just weren’t paying attention buuut… Beat ya too it!”

**[Letty]**

“Yeah, I’m actually on the way back with supplies, maybe we can walk and talk? I’ll even knock a few caps off a drink, as an apology for your bruise. Press any of my buttons however and it’ll be double, even _if_ you don’t buy anything.”

**[Max]**

“You might wanna just skip the discount and roll straight into the double pricing… Quadruple if you really wanna make my day!”

**[Stripes]**

“While I would love to take you up on that offer, the whole discounted thing that is, just ignore my partner over there, plus… the mayor kinda… banned me from the town…”

**[Letty]**

“What in the world did you do to ruffle her tail?”

**[Stripes]**

“Apparently some of the residents and visitors filed some complaints that I was a ‘public nuisance’ as she put it. I still have no idea why, but she won’t even see me to find out.”

**[Letty]**

“You’re _that_ zebra?”

**[Stripes]**

“Let me guess, you’re going to tell me to shove my mic someplace not so pleasant, aren’t you?”

**[Letty]**

“Oh, quite the opposite. I would _love_ to find out what makes you get under her fur. Please, continue.”

**[Max]**

“… You are SO going to regret saying that to him…”

**[Stripes]**

“Ooookaaay… not exactly the reaction I’m used to, but hey, an interview is an interview. So, back to the bar. How is it working there?”

**[Letty]**

“To be completely honest, I’m not that good at it. Mixing drinks is a lot harder than it looks. Half the time I knock a poor patron unconscious because it’s too strong, the other half they complain that I gave them watered down piss. I have a long way to go to live up to the reputation Bucky left behind. I’m having to take up a business partner just to make ends meet.”

**[Stripes]**

“Bucky?”

**[Letty]**

“My boss, Jeremy Bucksworth, I call him Bucky when I get annoyed with him. Or in this case, stressed over something he has me doing.”

**[Stripes]**

“That bad huh? I’d love to help, but other than the fact that I’m a bit unwelcomed there at the moment, I’m also a drinker, not a drink maker. Knowing my luck I’d accidentally create an atomic cocktail that actually goes nuclear. If the place is going so bad, why all the supplies?”

**[Letty]**

“Surprisingly, the ones who complain buy the most booze, go figure. Plus, there is _one_ thing I can do well. I can sing, and the crowd knows it. Sometimes I wonder if that’s the only reason people show up to Nyte Lyfe.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, you are awfully attractive for a cat.”

**[Letty]**

“‘For a cat’? What? You have something against preds?”

**[Stripes]**

“NO! No, no, no, no. I apologize, I really didn’t mean it that way. I’m just normally more inclined towards the… taller ladies. Like, _really_ tall. Let’s move on before I say something I’ll regret… Now, I ask this question to everyone, so don’t feel like I’m singling you out after a recent… incident, but what is your opinion on one Olivia Springs?”

**[Letty]**

“She’s a good kid. Too good for me now that I look back. Yeah, that wasn’t the greatest thing I’ve ever done, I was just… desperate for attention. It’s no secret that I like women, but not just any girl does it for me. I like them cute and fierce. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been drawn to strong bodied and strong willed prey, the kind that won’t back down from a fight, who would make even the meanest predator turn tail and run.”

**[Stripes]**

“That’s not really that uncommon honestly, especially out here. The strong survive and the weak perish. It’s as simple as that unfortunately.”

**[Max]**

“Yet YOU seem to find a way to defy conventionality and run straight into the most dangerous places in the wasteland…DRAGGING ME ALONG WITH YOU!”

**[Stripes]**

“Didn’t I say the _strong_ survive Max? I am no spring chicken here.”

**[Max]**

“YOU only survive because I’m there to chase whatever the hell is attacking us away at any given time.”

 

**[Letty]**

“It’s more than that. I dunno. Maybe it was the fact that I was raised by parents who felt prey were inherently weak, the first prey I ever saw was this cute little deer who gave a beat-down to a tiger like it was nothing, and after that I found myself drawn towards girls like her. When I heard about this rabbit causing trouble to all these raider groups, I was drawn to her like a fly to a flame. When she came waltzing into my bar, I thought it was fate.”

**[Stripes]**

“But why try to force it like you did with a chemical? I know it didn’t quite work out the way you thought it would, and I believe you when you said you really didn’t know what that stuff was, but why not just talk to her?”

**[Letty]**

“I… that never ends well. You might call me cute, but many prey see me simply as a predator. Yeah, not all do, but those usually end up being straight, taken, or genuinely uninterested. I used to try to get them to ‘relax’ a bit with a drink, but I built up such a tab with Bucky doing it that he started to take it out of what little wages I was already making. When I _do_ score a date, I usually do or say something so bad that I never see them again.”

**[Stripes]**

“I know what you mean. I usually say or do the wrong thing before there’s even a _chance_ for a first date. Now, I have to ask. The way you addressed Mayor Swift those two times during this interview with those dreamy looking eyes, is there… anything going on between the two of you? We already know that she swings in your gender’s direction.”

**[Letty]**

“Well… maybe… I hope? I’ve been trying to… well… take it slow. Besides the whole debacle with Olivia, the last thing I need to happen is being kicked out and not being able to pay Bucky back.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, I won’t press the subject anymore. Today. So, let’s see, we have time for a few quick questions. How exactly did you wind up working for Mister Bucksworth to begin with?”

**[Letty]**

“Well, I had been wondering the wasteland looking for someplace to call a home for, well, two years almost. I was lucky enough to keep my head down, but lived on whatever I could scavenge for most of that, doing odd jobs here and there for people, but it was never enough to make a living, and half the time I was run out for trying to woo a daughter or two. I had stopped at the tavern to escape an oncoming rad-storm. I had no caps to my name, and I was starving and thirsty. Now, it wasn’t Bucky’s tavern, it was his brother’s at the time but he was kind enough to give me some water and a few nibbles of food, but still had a business to run and he had no time for freeloaders. I tried to get him to give me a job, but I’m not a good bartender, a horrible cook, and not very good at delivering the right food to the right people. Then his jukebox broke.

“It was an unusually crowded night. Normally there were maybe four to seven regulars since it was a bit out of the way from, well, anything. It was a bunch of raiders, the Quills I think, who had stopped in for some drinks. Despite them being raiders, they were… mostly civilized, the music and the booze keeping them rather sedated. That was until the jukebox stopped working. Drunk and irritated mammals don’t make for good manners and it started to get a bit… rowdy. I had one foot out the door when it hit me. I dropped what little stuff I had and ran onto the stage where the jukebox was and started to sing. My voice was really the only compliment that I was ever given, so I decided to use it. Seems that they were so enthralled by my singing that when he finally got that jukebox working again, the crowd didn’t even want him to turn it back on. From there on out, I had a job and he even gave me the small room upstairs to live in. Sure it wasn’t perfect, but I had a roof over my head and food to eat so long as I could sing. When Bucky came to take over for his brother when he went on some ‘foolish treasure hunt’ as he always called it, he kept me on, although gave me a bit more work to do than his brother ever did, but my singing was always my main job there.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, I guess beauty really _can_ sooth the savage beast. Now, you said you were alone for two years? What about your parents? Don’t tell me they died due to some unfortunate circumstance. That seems to be the case with a few it seems.”

**[Letty]**

“I wish that was the case. No, unfortunately my parents are both alive and well. Remember how I said that I grew up being told that prey were weaklings? They _really_ did not like prey. I am ashamed to say they dealt with the slavers. They weren’t slavers themselves, but they ran a fishery and used exclusively prey slaves to do all the manual labor. It never sat right with me, but as my father always said: ‘My roof, my rules’. I got a small side job handing out fliers for the Arena Fights. It didn’t pay much, but I wanted to save up everything I could in order to move out, to set my own rules. Unfortunately, my ‘freedom’ was much sooner than I thought. Remember that deer I told you about to fought down a tiger? Well, she was one of the slaves my parents owned. You see, it never did sit right with me how my parents treated the slaves, or any prey for that matter. Hell, their only clients were predators, they downright refused to sell to or even buy anything from any prey. I think that’s why they chose a fishery, since prey are vegetarians, they wouldn’t have to deal with them. 

“Well, I snuck off to the slave quarters most nights after my parents fell asleep, bringing food, drinks, anything I could to them. I made a few friends, although I had to play it off during the day, I knew what those collars could do and didn’t want anything to happen to my friends. There was this one girl who stuck out to me though. Sharice. That cute deer and I developed something more than a friendship. To be honest, she was my first, and the only girl to ever really take notice of me. All the slaves knew of our developing feelings towards each other, but we all kept it from my parents. In front of them, I was another predator subjugating prey, when in reality, I felt like the one being subjugated along with my friends.

“One day my parents sent me on an errand to pick up supplies from a nearby settlement. My father normally did it but he was ill and my mother was taking care of him. I told them that I wasn’t sure if I could do it by myself, if I could take one of the slaves to help me carry the stuff. They agreed, saying that I needed to know how to ‘use’ a slave since it was their plan to leave me the hatchery when they passed, being their only child. I choose Sharice, but my parents saw deer as one of the weaker of the slaves we owned, but she was also the largest, and I played that to my advantage, saying how I might need more help if I brought the smaller slaves with me. They didn’t like too many slaves leaving, even with one of them, so they finally agreed. Sharice and I would have a bit of freedom, and alone time, for the first time ever and we were both ecstatic. 

“Halfway to the settlement, a group of raiders attacked us. It was only three of them, but it was still one more than I thought we could handle. Two wolves and a tiger. Now, the one good thing my father did for me was teach me how to defend myself. The wolves weren’t much of a problem for me and my rifle, but then the gun jammed just as the tiger charged me. Normally I could unjam it quickly, especially since it had the tendency to do such and I knew exactly the cause, but I had never been in a real fight and I was scared, so scared that I kept fumbling with the gun. That’s when Sharice ran in and kicked him so hard he fell flat on his back, stunned. She grabbed me and we ran as fast as we could back home. 

“I told my parents what happened, and what did they do? They blamed _her_ for it! Not only did they not believe that Sharice had knocked out a tiger, but they thought she lured me into a trap! The two of us often found secluded places during the day to make out, and my parents noticed that absence, yet never noticed that I was always missing at the same time. I was so flustered and angry that I blurted out that I was in love with Sharice. Let’s just say that didn’t end well. For either of us. They thought she brainwashed me, that I was ‘corrupted’ by prey influences. They tortured Sharice. Tied her to a pillar and whipped her until she was barely holding onto consciousness, and made me watch. I was so upset, so angry, that I punched my father, grabbed the remote to the collars and disabled them, grabbed Sharice and ran, ran as far away from that place as I could. Or at least I tried to. My father taught me how to use a rifle, and he never missed a shot. You can probably guess what happened then. I was so horrified that I just kept running, and never looked back.”

**[Stripes]**

“I am so sorry. If I had known, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”

**[Letty]**

“No… no, it’s okay. It isn’t the first time I’ve told that story. I’m not a very closed person, especially if I’m comfortable around them.”

**[Max]**

“Well that’s a first to my ears…”

**[Stripes]**

“‘Comfortable’? So does that mean…”

**[Letty]**

“Don’t push it. I will, however, try talking with Jessabell about your little ‘ban’. Now, if you excuse me, my new business partner is waiting for me, and for a two-hundred year old ghoul, he is really impatient sometimes.”

**[Stripes]**

“Sounds like a perfect place to call this a wrap. This interview might be a bit longer than a normal one, but I rather enjoyed it, and I hope you did as well folks. I seriously have no idea where I will wind up next episode, so any ideas on a potential interviewee or historical tidbit you want to know about, do not be afraid to let me know, so until then folks, take care and stay safe!”

**[Max]**

“Heey uh… Letty? If I could just have a moment of your time here… Now I know Stripes is… Somewhat harmless. There’s a reason he’s banned from Hope and the Guardian’s HQ… There’s also a bounty out for his head from the Red-Necks now, don’t tell him that last bit. Anyhow, I think it would be much safer, and better for Mayor Swift’s mental wellbeing if we just kinda…Let the ban stick for now? I’m really trying to keep lines open between Hope and the Guardians for my employer and well… One of the conditions is that I keep Stripes FAR away from either location. Trust me. It’s for the greater good of us all right now.”

**[Stripes]**

“You do realize that not only is the mic still on, but that I can still hear everything broadcasted through it…”

**[Max]**

“Since you deigned to ignore my existence through most of this interview, turn about is fair play today I’d say.”


	61. Counting Your Gains

I remember feeling like I was drowning, like a dam opened up and it held an infinite amount of water that would never stop flowing. My eyes burned as I tried to open them, and instead of being greeted by my surroundings, it felt as if someone suddenly stuck a red hot poker right through them. My head hurt, worse than I can ever remember. I also felt drained. Physically and emotionally.

I tried to open my eyes again, but even with what little light there was in the room, it was still enough to cause the headache to worsen. I felt around the bed I was in, trying to find anything to remind me where I was, and that this pain wasn’t just simply the passing feelings of a dying body. Then I remembered last night.

“Holly? Mark? You guys here?”

Nothing. Were they still asleep? I remember them holding me as I drifted away, but I didn’t even know if they had stayed. They said they would never leave me, but here I am, alone and blind, felling helpless. No Olivia! Stop thinking like that! I am _not_ helpless. I need to be strong. I’ve been nearly blown up, have a giant scar on my face, nearly got eaten. I’ve been shot, dunked into radioactive waters, even been violated, but I'm still here. I'm _still_ alive. Nate, he’s the one I need to be strong for. 

I opened my eyes. The pain was great, and I just wanted to close them again, but I forced them to stay open. I slowly moved to get off of the bed, but the moment I stood up, I felt nauseous and lightheaded, causing me to collapse right back onto the bed. I felt better lying down here with my eyes closed, but I needed to see Nate. I needed to be there when he woke up. I tried again.

It took me a good four attempts before I was able to stand on my own. I still felt lightheaded, and every step made me want to puke, but I slowly worked my way out of the room and towards the medical facility. I saw a few Guardians on the way, but none I recognized, although from how some of them gave me a wide berth, they sure as hell recognized me. Was it wrong of me to chuckle internally at the fact, that these Guardians, these trained soldiers, are scared of a tiny bunny who hasn’t even been on the surface for a few months? Maybe it was just fact that I probably look like I’ve gone to Hell and back. I sure do feel like it.

Under normal circumstances, it would have probably only taken me ten minutes to get to the med lab, but with my head pounding, and having to stop a few times to prevent myself from puking, it took me nearly thirty minutes, but I made it. I tried to compose myself better, but I failed miserably as I had to grab the edge of a nearby desk to prevent myself from falling. That caught the Doc’s attention. Then I noticed, besides him, the room was empty. 

“Where’s Nate?” 

I felt a spark of anger intertwining with my words. If anything happened to him and no one bothered to wake me? Then this crazy rabbit will show them what crazy really is.

“Oh, Miss Springs, you don’t look very well, can I…”

“Where’s. Nate?”

“He’s fine, I assure you. Unfortunately he’s still in a coma, but since there's nothing more to do here, I figured a more comfortable resting accommodation would be deserved. We moved him to some quarters away from most of the activity to give him some peace and quiet while he continues to recover.”

The spark of anger faded as I realized he was still okay. Why do I keep snapping like that? I'm worried for him, but Holly's right. I really _am_ letting my emotions get the better of me. I really need to work on that, but it’s so hard to do that when bad things keep happening to good mammals. 

“You don’t look well, is there anything I can do for you?”

“My head hurts. Bad.”

“You experiencing nausea and light-headiness?”

I simply nodded.

“Got just the thing for you.” The badger moved towards a large cabinet and after a few seconds pulled out a small bottle. He empties its contents into his paw. Two small blue pills. “These will do the trick, here.” 

He gave them to me along with a small cup of water. The water felt really good as it swept the pills into my stomach. A cool feeling filled my stomach. Then I realized, I wasn't only thirsty, but for the first time in days, I actually felt hungry. Once I checked on Nate and the others, I may have to find some food. Even if it is a powdered gruel.

“Thanks.” This must have been some fast working medicine because while the headache wasn’t gone, it felt a hundred times better. “Wow, these things sure kick in quick.”

“Headaches like that are not uncommon here. You'll need to take it easy for a bit and drink plenty of fluids, but otherwise you should be fine.”

“Could I get a few for the road?”

“Afraid not. These are highly addictive, and very dangerous. Two pills can cure a migraine, four pills will make sure you never have one again.”

“I’d love to never get one of these again.”

“Um, I think you missed the point. Too many can _kill_ you.”

“Oh. Yeah, don’t think the others would take too kindly on that.”

“You best be on your way Miss Springs. I have Nate’s vitals connected to my office, so if there's any change what so ever, I will make sure you are the first to know about it.”

“Thank you. And, sorry for snapping.”

“I’m used to it, and given the circumstances, I’d be worried if you _didn’t_ snap, just take it easy on some of the Guardians. Not everyone is used to being yelled at. Good day Miss Springs.”

What did he…? Oh. Tuskgen. If it wasn’t for Mark and Holly… I'll need to apologize to her for that. I didn’t mean it, I wasn’t myself then. I just don’t know what to do to in order to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Since I left the Burrow, it feels as if I've split the wasteland into two. Half of it wants to kill me, while the other half is scared of me. There are only a few beacons of light in my life and I need to make sure that I don’t drive them away. Or get them extinguished.

***

I had forgotten to ask the doctor where exactly these quieter quarters were, so I found myself wandering the hallways of the base. With my headache mostly subdued, I was able to move at a much quicker pace. I kept my eyes open for any mammal to ask, or any signs to point me in the right direction, but when he said this was a quieter area, he wasn’t kidding. Save for a few automated task robots, it was lifeless. I was about to give up and go back to ask where this place was when I heard someone talking. No, it wasn’t talking, it was singing.

It sounded like a rather sad song, but it wasn’t the singing that caught my attention really, it was the sound of crying between verses. I slowly followed the music until I was at a door partially opened. I slowly pushed it and saw Nate laying on a bed, small machines with wires and hoses leading from them to his body. There, sitting on a small chair by the side of the bed, was Mark. 

I moved up behind him and put my paw on his shoulder. I wasn’t trying to scare him, but I also didn’t want him to stop. The song was sad, but at the same time it felt right to be hearing it.

“Holly?”

“It’s me.”

“Oh. You…” he made a motion with his paw, probably trying to wipe the tears off of his face, “…how you doing?”

“I’m okay, I think. How about you?”

“I’m… I’m scared. We've been through a lot together, especially in the Burrow. I’ve always been there for him, always found some way to help him, but now? I'm feeling helpless as he lies here. I want to do something for my brother, but besides praying for him, I don’t know what else to do.”

I moved my paw and hugged Mark. “I know exactly what you're going through. I feel helpless as well. I feel like there's something I should be doing to help, but for the life of me I can’t think what.”

Mark moved his paws and held mine. “You know he loves you, right? Deeper than I think it was even possible for him to. The thing is, in the past he'd always done what he could to watch out for Holly and me, but when things got really bad, he often was too scared, or too broken, to do much. It didn’t bother me or Holly at all. We know how he thinks, how he works, and more often than not, it's us saving his scrawny butt. But then you came along and, well, it seemed to have opened up something deep inside, something neither of us knew he had. Heck, I don’t even think _he_ knew he had it. Now, when I see him together with you, and how he goes out of his way, out of his own comfort zones to protect you? It feels like you have done so much for him in such a little time than I could ever have in my entire life.”

He was crying again, but this time he wasn’t trying to hide it. “You… I’m not _trying_ to take him away from you.”

“No, that’s… that’s not what I mean. I'm happy for this change, I really am. I couldn’t be any more proud of my little brother. He’s turned into someone far greater than I ever thought possible. And I have you to thank for it. You really are the best thing that could have ever happened to him.”

I didn’t know how to respond. I know that he and Holly have told me how much Nate cared for me, but to hear it put like this, to hear his own brother tell me with such emotion tied to it, if I didn’t believe it before, it was impossible to deny it now. 

“I’m afraid.”

His words caught me off-guard. Not what he said, but how he said it. His voice was filled with such pure unadulterated fear.

“We're all afraid Mark.”

“No, I mean. There's an unspoken bond between most siblings. Sure, some might act like they hate each other, but deep down, there's a love that binds them more than just biologically. This love instills each of them to protect one another. To share each other's joys, to feel each other's pain. The thing is, I'm afraid that after everything that has happened that I'm not loving him nearly as much as a brother should, that I've failed him somehow as family.”

“You have not failed him. You have stuck by his side this entire time, right?” He simply nodded, tears falling heavier than before. “Holly told me what happened to him when you two were kids. What happened up until you two left the Burrow. Did you ever abandon him then? Do you plan on abandoning him now?”

“N-no.”

“Then that shows you still love him. Sure, I might get a bit too violent and emotional when it comes to my love for him, but that’s me. You show it differently, and without you and Holly, I don’t think he would have ever survived long enough to even meet me. If what you two say is true, and I _have_ helped shape him into who is he today, it also stands to reason that you have helped shape him into the mammal that was able to make it till today.”

I felt his paws grip mine tighter as I held him even more so. Neither of us had anything else to say, there really wasn’t much else to. We both sat there in a few moments of silence, sharing each other’s tears until he started to softly sing again. While I didn’t know the words, I started to join in. It was a sad song, but now was a time to be sad.

“Hey Mark, have you seen… oh. You two look like a mess.”

If this was any other time, I'm sure Holly would have made a teasing remark at the fact I had my arms wrapped around her boyfriend, but I could tell that she was taking this entire thing just as hard. We both stopped singing as we turned towards Holly who was slowly approaching us. When she got close enough, she joined in on the hugging. It was nice to not feel alone.

“So ‘livi, how you holding up?”

“I’m doing dandy, can’t you tell?”

“Keep that up and I'll have to question why you have your paws wrapped around my fox. Seriously though, you doing okay? Yesterday you were a little…”

“I'm not going to lie and say it’s in the past. When I woke and saw Nate wasn’t in the med lab anymore, I nearly snapped again thinking the worst. I'm trying though. I really am. It’s just, hard, you know?”

“Yeah, I can understand. You're a good girl ‘livi, you just have a few loose wires is all.”

“Heh, I can fix everything but myself.”

“That’s why you need to be strong. Don’t hope that Nate will wake, _know_ he will. You’ve done so much to fix him, I have a feeling that after this whole ordeal is over, he might be the one fixing _you_ for a change.”

I was going to make a remark at that, but my stomach reminded me of how hungry I was. It was so loud I think _everyone_ heard it. 

“Someone’s hungry. Not surprised. You haven’t eaten a good meal in days. Any longer and I was gonna have the Doc hook you up to an I.V. and force it in you.”

“Yeah, I think I'm actually willing to eat something.”

Holly must have noticed that I was staring at Nate this entire time. “He'll be right here waiting for you. I gave the Doc your Pip-Boar comm-link identifier. Told him that as soon as he regains consciousness that _you_ are the first to be contacted.”

“T-thank you.” 

I knew he had said he would contact me, but I didn’t realize _how_. Having a direct link to Nate made me feel ever so slightly better at leaving him. I still didn’t want to, but I knew I couldn’t just spend my entire life in this room waiting for him to wake. Mark and Holly got up and headed towards the door, but before I joined them I moved close to Nate. He had a breathing tube in his mouth so I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

“I love you.”

***

Someone must have told Bo that I was coming because he had brought some more fresh food from the garden. It still wasn’t the prettiest looking vegetables I've seen, but it was so much better than these rations. Bo was actually in the kitchen with the on-duty chef preparing the food. It seems that bison was a mammal of many talents. There were so many intoxicating smells coming from there, but one caught my nose above all else.

“What is that? It smells really good.”

“Got mushrooms, asparagus, fried leeks and tuna, working on some carrots for you Olivia.”

“Actually, can I have the fish?”

Everyone stopped talking and I could feel all of their eyes focused right on the rabbit who just ordered meat. I could have sworn I saw a few worried looks in a few of the Defenders. 

“Yeah, long story. Turns out I'm a rabbit who can digest meat, who knew? So, may I have some of that fish? Getting a bit tired of carrots.”

“Uh…” Bo wasn’t sure how to respond. 

“Yeah, she’s a strange bunny, but it’s okay, she can handle it. She’s already had trout.” Holly seemed to be having a bit too much fun with freaking out the Guardians in the room.

“Sure…”

“You really know how to capture a crowd, don’t you ‘livi?”

“Kinda forgot about it honestly. Smelled nice and I really am getting tired of having carrots all the time.”

“I know you liked that trout that Nate had, but after everything, with the other rabbits…”

I had actually forgotten about that Burrow. I was too busy blaming myself for everything that happened, I just didn’t even put two and two together. 

“I didn’t order rabbit or anything. Plus, I don’t know. Yeah, I did like the taste, but is it weird to say that part of me thinks that I'm somehow sharing my taste of it with him?”

“A bit, but a marking can do weird things to a mammals brain, and being that you're already part fox, I'm sure it's effecting you in a way that Mark and I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Could you… could you really smell him back there?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t explain it if I tried, but not only did I smell his own aroma, but I could smell his fear as well. It was strong, strong enough that it was like there was a path to him being drawn right before my eyes. Are you telling me that neither of you have had a feeling like that?”

“Honestly? No. Sure, sitting here I can smell Mark clear as day, but put me out of this room? I would probably lose it. Only time it's ever stronger is when we are, well… you know.”

“She’s right. I have a much better nose than her, but even then I wouldn’t be able to smell her scent much farther than this room. If it was a fresh marking, maybe, but you two haven’t remarked, have you?”

“Wait, you have to _re_ -mark?”

“Yeah. Not like every day of course. After a few months, especially if you've been taking a lot of showers, it can be necessary. Unless you, unless you, well… what she was trying to say.”

“Nate and I have actually only done it once. _Both_ ‘it’s, It’s just. It was just as strong, if not stronger than even the day he marked me. It also made it hard to focus on anything else other than saving him. At that point, nothing else in the world mattered.”

“We could tell.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Yes, you need to work on that short fuse you’ve seemed to have developed, but don’t stop trying to protect those you love. To be honest, while I don’t agree with what happened initially, if we had taken it any slower, Nate might have not lived long enough to save you. Right now I would love nothing more than to drop a nuke into that Burrow.” Holly seemed very serious about that last part.

“If we stumbled upon that place a few weeks ago, I probably would have not wanted to leave until we freed those rabbits being kept as food. Now? I couldn’t give a fuck about that place. Let the Guardians deal with it. I don't ever want to go back to that place.”

Bo brought us our food, but seemed a little hesitant about putting the fish in front of me. I assured him that it was okay. I really hadn't been thinking about those murderous rabbits when I ordered the fish, but now as I looked at it, poking it with my fork as I watched it flake into pieces, it was now fresh on my mind. I closed my eyes and breathed. I pushed that image out of my head and inhaled the smell of the food. It didn’t smell like blood, it didn’t smell like a rotting corpse. It smelled like food. This was fish, not rabbit. I may be able to eat meat, but I'll never resort to eating a rabbit, or _any_ mammal, no matter the circumstances.

I put the food into my mouth and started to chew. It was good, really good. The fish was soft and tender, but the fried skin gave it a bit of a crunch. The thoughts of that Burrow melted away as my stomach started to thank me for finally feeding it. I think everyone was staring at me, watching, probably for the first time a rabbit eating meat, but when I went to return their glares, they all acted like nothing happened and went back to their own selves.

“This is pretty good.”

“You really are an odd rabbit Olivia Springs.” Bo still seemed surprised, but was slowly fading into acceptance. 

“So people keep telling me. Okay Holly, out with it. You’ve been looking like you had to say something for a while now.”

“Yeah. Well, Tuskgen has compiled a few places for the parts we need for the arm.”

I had also forgotten about that. I was so worried about whether or not he would live, that I had kept ignoring the fact that he was currently missing one of his appendages. “Go on.”

“There's actually an old robotics facility nearby, about an hour away by Tac that is. While she says it has been heavily picked over, what she needs is so small that it's possible that the items may still be there, hidden away in some nook or cranny.”

“So, when we leave?” Mark and Holly stopped eating and just stared at me. “What? I don’t want to leave Nate, but I'm also feeling helpless at the moment. If there is _anything_ that I can do to help him recover, I need to be able to do it. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I missed an opportunity to help. Plus scrounging up random parts is kinda my thing.”

“You sure? Tuskgen says that Jasmine needs to work out a few things in her custom armor, so they were going to both go. From what the Agents tell us, it’s relatively safe. Guess all the scavengers figured it was too picked over and it doesn’t really serve any significant advantage for a raider group to take it over.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Plus if Jasmine is going, I haven’t spent enough time really getting to know her. Think it be good for the both of us.”

“Well, if you're sure. Some fresh air wouldn’t hurt either.”

“Did I hear my name?”

Jasmine came walking in with Zack by her side. It was an odd pairing, her nearly three times his height, but it didn’t seem to affect him the slightest.

“Yeah, we were just talking about you, come sit with us.”

They both grabbed some food and then moved and sat down next to us. 

“Um, how are… well…”

She was a bit hesitant about saying it for some reason, but I knew what she wanted to ask. It was what all my friends were asking me. 

“I'm doing okay. Not a hundred percent, but working on it.”

“T-that’s good. What is that you're… is that…” She had a very worried expression on her face, “are you eating… you know that is…”

Holly just smiled at the baffled giraffe. “Yeah. She’s eating meat, and yes, she is well aware of her species. Long story short, she’s part fox.”

“Part. Fox? How is that even…”

“Unless you want a headache, it’s best not to think of it right now. The Doc will tell you all about it. He’s the one who discovered it.”

She still seemed horribly confused. Something tells me it’s not very hard to confuse her.

“There, there Jay-Jay.”

“Jay-Jay?” I gave Zack a questioning look.

“He’s come to call me that. I… I kinda like it actually.”

“That’s cute. Maybe when Nate wakes up, we can have a double wedding.”

Both Zack and Jasmine spit out their food and gave me a look as if they were asking me if I really said that. I needed to stop thinking about if Nate wakes up, and start to tell me that he _will_ wake up. If I can make myself see that in a positive light, then maybe that'll be my next step in trying to control this depression welling up in me. I'm afraid of what will happen if it ever took over. Again.

“She’s kidding.” Holly looked as if she was trying to hide a snicker. 

“Yes, well, we've _only_ just gotten to know each other. I do think that would be rushing things rather quickly.” Zack had a slightly worried tone to his speech.

“Actually, what I meant was that Mark and I haven’t officially tied the knot yet, so I was thinking we could have a _triple_ wedding.”

I was expecting some snickering, and some more of that questionable look from Zack and Jasmine’s faces, but what I didn’t expect was to see Jasmine suddenly faint. A giraffe fainting is not a pretty sight, especially when there are movable objects nearby. Large, movable objects nearby. 

We all got up and rushed to her side. It took a few attempts, but we finally got her to wake up. 

“I… I… I…” She was stuttering uncontrollably. 

“Way to go Holly, you have officially knocked someone unconscious with your teasing.”

“I didn’t expect her to _faint_!” 

“You okay Jasmine?”

“I… I think so?”

“Holly was only teasing you. It’s what she does, and apparently too well for her own good. Hey Zack, go get her some water.”

“Yes Ma’am!” Every time anyone gives him something to do, he always seems to take it as an order. I'm not even _in_ the Guardians and he’s addressing me like I was.

Once he was out of earshot, I knelled close to Jasmine’s head. “So, between us, _do_ you like him?”

“I… I… think?”

“Well, he sure seems enamored with you. Take it from us, it’s never a bad thing to have someone who cares for you at your side.”

Zack returned with a large pitcher of water and a large straw. Jasmine’s long tongue wrapped around the straw, bringing it close enough for her to drink. I think she was a bit nervous having Zack close enough that she could probably feel his body heat because she gulped down that entire pitcher without breathing, only to take a huge gulp of air when she was done. 

“Feel better?”

“Y-yes. I do.”

“Is everything alright here?” Tuskgen was at the doorway. Her voice was so quiet that if you weren't looking at her, you would never tell she was a two ton elephant. 

“Yeah, just had a little incident is all. Everyone’s fine.” I needed to apologize to her, _really_ apologize. I got up and moved towards her, but she took a step back. “I'm not going to hurt you. I’m sorry for what happened. I really am. I wasn’t myself. I know you've probably heard some stories about me, and yes, most if not all of them are true, but you can understand that I'm going through some difficult times right now, but that is no excuse for taking it out on someone who only wants to help, and I can tell you genuinely want to.”

“I shouldn’t have reacted like that, it’s just that, for such a small mammal, you are very scary.” She was very blunt apparently. 

“Yeah, I'm trying to work on that. I won’t promise that I'll never snap again, until Nate is fully recovered I'm not going to be myself, but I do promise you this. No matter what happens, I will do no harm to you. I don’t think Nate would be very happy to hear I hurt someone trying to help.”

“I-I’ll try not to do or say anything to set you off.”

“Don’t say that. All I want from you is for you to keep trying your best to help Nate, that’s all.”

“I promise.”

“Now, I hear you're taking Jasmine to a place that might have the parts for Nate’s arm?”

“Yes. I was actually coming to get her now. We leave in twenty minutes.”

“Great. I’m coming with you.” Her expression was that of worry when I said that. “I have to do something to help him, besides. You said it yourself that I'm a scary mammal, and you're an ally. Imagine how my enemies see me. You're probably safer _with_ me around. Now, let’s go build us an arm.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! Now, before I begin, I’m sure you have already noticed that I sound a bit… different. That’s because of today’s interview, or rather, where it would be taking place. It seems that I’m not only banned from the city of Hope, but rather unwelcomed within Guardian HQ where our interviewee, one Mark Valiant, is currently at. BUT! I always find a way to bring you everything, no matter how badly it hurts Max, so I asked my partner Max here to be so kind as to bring a radio in with him where I will be conducting the interview from the comfort of my own home. So Max, we ready?”

**[Max]**

“Ooone second here Stripes… Right okay I’ve got this stupid thing shut down for the moment so he won’t hear what I have to say. I’ll let his question through just so we can gauge how stupid it is, and if by some brilliant stroke of luck it isn’t, I’ll either let ya answer it or figure a better question for ya. Trust me, I’ve been slippin’ this past his drunk ass for months now. Works like a dream!… Right then… Sorry about that Stripes, seems we’re having some intermittent reception issues here so you might get cut out a few times.”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“Really? Because it sounded to me that you shut it off, but rad storms do have the tendency to interrupt radio messages, so, let us just begin with something simple like always. Recently there have been many events that have prevented you from returning to your home within your bunker. Tell us, do you miss that place?”

**[Mark] (Glancing at Max for go ahead.)**

“Er… Yeah, yeah we’re all kinda missing the familiarity right now. It’s… Difficult.”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“I’m sure it is, especially having to be constantly around a certain wolf whom the last time I saw I was sure he was going to shoot me… Now with recent events, there’s not a whole lot of ‘happy’ questions to ask you, so I will try to keep them as calm as possible, however, after what happened to your brother, how do you feel about this whole situation that the three of you, meaning you, Nate, and Holly, have been dragged into? Do you ever regret the continued following of a certain rabbit?”

**[Max]**

“Shit… Sorry about that. You don’t have to answer that one. He doesn’t always think straight when a traumatic event has just taken place around others… I can, er… Give ya something else to answer if you want.”

**[Mark]**

“I… Um… I think I can handle this one, just give me the go ahead when you’ve put him back on.”

**[Max]**

“Sorry, any time you’d like now Mister Valiant.”

**[Mark]**

“Right… We don’t regret it for a second. Olivia is part of our family now, and she will be for as long as any of us still draw breath. Y-Yes it’s been difficult and there have been painful moments. I-I don’t even know if my brother is gonna pull through right now and that could very well kill Olivia. Holly’s sitting with her right now and I’ll need to head back there once this is over, but no. We have no regrets about her or following her. She’s our family and that’s that.”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“How exactly is your brother doing? Things have not looked very pleasing on our end.”

**[Mark]**

“How did you even…”

**[Max] (Cutting the radio again)**

“Honestly I have no clue and since we’re not family we technically don’t have any right to an answer right now so we can just skip this one. I think it’d be for the best anyhow.”

**[Mark]**

“Th-thank you… I… Really. No one’s really ever looked out for us like this. It’s, it’s really trying on us right now and I just… I really don’t wanna focus on that.”

**[Max]**

“Hey… Hey deep breathes now. I know what it’s like. I really do, so take it slow and just nod to me if you’re too uncomfortable and I’ll cut us off and just let Stripes think we’d lost the signal. I didn’t wanna do this at this time anyhow, but the Chief encouraged me to give you a friendly ear to talk to at least so I’ll do my best to be a good distraction… And my damnedest to keep Stripes from interfering too long. Which reminds me… Did ya get that Stripes? No update right now, signal is really being wonky here.”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“No update yet? Hmm, hope things are okay with him. Let us break away from this rather depressing venue and move onto something that I’m curious about. I heard it through the grapevine that you enjoy singing and even have a musical instrument of your own, a banjo was it?”

**[Mark]**

“Violin… I… I play a violin.”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“Close enough. How come you don’t play it at all? I’m sure the audience would love to hear it.”

**[Mark]**

“Don’t… Don’t do crowds, stage fright freezes me up. And they’re nothing alike! A violin is a master’s instrument! Anyone can pick a banjo up and strum something out but a Violin takes months of practice and YEARS of mastering!”

**[Max]**

“STRIPES! I warned you about making off paw remarks like that damn it!”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“Hey now, I’m not the musically gifted one here. I think I’ve tried my hooves at a drum-set I found once, however that turned out badly when my hoof went right through it… anyways, next question. I know that it has seemed rather… quick, but what is your opinion on both Jasmine and her developing relationship with Stalker Zachariah Grant? I know this has been asked of Holly before, but does both their rapid relationship and the one between your brother and Olivia ever make you feel… I don’t know, jealous?”

**[Mark]**

“Why in the hell would I be jealous? So they’ve found comfort and love in another and it’s developed and bloomed quickly! I’m happy for em and I hope everything works out. Jasmine is a fine girl once you get to know her and Zack is surely dedicated to keeping her safe and happy. Just as Nate and I are in our respective relationships.”

**[Max]**

“Damn stupid Zebra… Gonna cut it here for a few seconds, let you catch your breath and even yourself out. Believe me, if you wanna punch him, which you honestly don’t look to be the normal type to wanna do that, there’s a queue forming right behind me… I think it’s at three hundred eighty-two mammals now…?”

**[Mark]**

“… Really? It… It’s that small? Er… Th-thanks again by the way. For having my back through this.”

**[Max]**

“Heh, hey, us vulpine gotta stick together in this crazy world sometimes. And I know right? Celeste and I swear it should be in the thousands by now… But eh.”

**[Mark]**

“Soo uh… Where are you and your girlfriend in that list…?”

**[Max]**

“… One eighty-five… Everyone thinks I’m number one on that list buuut nope. Mayor Swift is actually… Heh. Anyhow… Stripes, you hear me? We cut out there again.”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“It’s a clear day out there, isn’t it? Let’s just get back to your brother. While I know all of us wish him the best at his recovery, lets say, for just a moment, that he didn’t make it, that he never woke from this coma he is currently in. What would you do?”

**[Mark]**

“…Nope, not answering that. Step too far and you’ve pretty much ensured I’m not doing another one of these with you. Max or his Girlfriend Celeste probably, but nope, not you.”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“A simple no would have sufficed. Remember, I’m not forcing this, I’m simply asking the questions no one else will. Hearing your current mood, I think I am going to take a step back, figuratively speaking, and let Max ask some questions while I… ahem, take care of something.”

**[Max]**

“So… Wow… Shoulda seen him going for that. Sorry about not stopping him mid stride there but you held your own. SO why don’t we focus on something that’s more your… Tenor. Yes I’m making a musical joke and I know it’s hashy as hell so keep the snickering up.”

**[Mark]**

“N-no… No that’s, that’s just fine. I think I needed that little chuckle. And thanks, but I don’t think I’ll be answering any further familial questions on here.”

**[Max]**

“That’s not a problem. So, I understand you love music. Honestly I’ll encourage that until my dying breath. Music is the voice of the soul and today it’s very under-appreciated. So in that guise I’m curious as to what forms of music you prefer, vocal, instrumental, classical… Please enlighten us.”

**[Mark]**

“Well, I’m a voracious reader and musician. So almost any piece of music harkens to me. But if we’re gonna be a bit more specific. I am a Jazz Fox and a Classical Fox. I have been in love with those two forms of music for as long as I can remember. Jazz just sings to my heart while Classical expounds upon my soul and lets me experience a full breath of emotions. Of course I’m not opposed to a number of Rock and Roll songs or certain other types of music. Though Country and Rap are not part of my repertoire. I just… Can’t stand either one of those formats.”

**[Max]**

“Well I’ve always found myself a bit of a metal fan so I can’t complain much on where you’re coming from there. Thank you though Mister Valiant. It’s refreshing to know music lovers still exist out there in the wasteland… Oh! I almost forgot, an Arctic Fox Named Andy asked me to give this to you. It’s apparently a large digital collection of music that was played all over Zootopia some two hundred years back. He said he thought you’d appreciate this little gift from the past.”

**[Mark]**

“That… ReallY?! That’s wonderful, seriously! I’ll definitely take care of this and make sure others get to hear it too. This is… Marion this is amazing! A-And please. Mark is just fine.”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“Well I’m back folks. Fresh vegetables are great and all, but I really need to double check my source for them next time. Anyways, I want to ask you something, something that has nothing to do with your brother and his condition. Out of every raider group out there, especially after everything you have been through with some of them, who do you think is the most immediate danger to this world?”

**[Mark]**

“Oh… Great… You again. I have no further opinions to offer you sir. Good Day.”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“Did I hear something about Andy the fox from ZNN? Did he even sign off on this? You know what, I don’t want to know. About that last question Mister Valiant?”

**[Max]**

“I think you’ve used all of your credits up on this one Stripes, better cut off now while you still have a chance…”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“Credits? This isn’t some video game. It’s kind of hard doing your job when no one likes you for doing it. Can I at least ask Mister Valiant one last question? It has to do with books, I know he likes books.”

**[Mark]**

“We’re sorry, the mammal or mammals you’re attempting to interview are not available at this time. Please hang up and try again later…”

**[Stripes] (through radio)**

“Can I at least ask if he has any to borrow? I hear he has a copy of Fifty Shades of Fur and the Camel Sutra…”

**[Max]**

“Right, that’s it. Cutting it off. No more of that and no more need be said.”

**[Mark]**

“How… HOW do you survive working under him? I mean really?! Where does he even get his information? Never even heard of a ‘Camel Sutra’ was it…?”

**[Max]**

“Well… It used to be an inordinate amount of strong whiskey, but he’d always end up digging into my stash. That and Celeste got me off of drinking most of that gut rot. Which my liver thanks you for sweetheart! And as for his information strings…? Lord only knows. Honestly I’m really hoping Mister Lagopus gets ZNN back up and running. I’m tired of working under Stripes. I really, really am.”

**[Mark]**

“Well… I dunno, Guardians could always use a good Public Relations representative. They might wanna pick you up too!”

**[Max]**

“… Huh. Never thought of that. I’ll have ta check that up later then. Well Mark, thank you for sticking with me through this and I’m sorry I couldn’t be a better buffer for ya. I’m sure your family is missing you so you’d best be off. AS for the rest of you listeners out there. I hope you’ve enjoyed the show and always remember, if you’re curious about some piece of the Wasteland, or there’s a mammal you wanna hear more from. Please let us know! We’re always looking for exciting stories to throw out there for you all!”


	62. Tending the Soul

I keep finding myself back here, back in Nate’s room, just sitting here and watching him. Part of me hopes that one of these days he'll just wake up and everything will go back to how it was. Unfortunately, there was still the part of me that feared he'd never wake up, that I would never have gotten to say good bye to him. Some days these feelings are small, but then there are days that feel like they will simply overwhelm me. 

“Nate, I don’t know if you can hear me, but please know that I will be here for you, for as long as you need me to be. I miss you, more than I thought I could miss anyone since my mother died. I’ve already had to face losing a friend that at times was no more than a simple acquaintance, and you saw how much it hurt me. To lose you, I really don’t know what I would do. So please, if you can hear me, just… keep fighting. Fight for your friends, fight for your family, fight for, me.”

So many bad things have happened to me that I feel that I'm helpless to do anything about. There are the Legionaries that despite how many we kill, how many we track down, we are no closer to finding out who hired them. There's that fucking boar, Baird, that no one can find, despite how many want him dead. Those damn mice that killed Blanche died with her, and I wasn't able to even _hurt_ that fucking cannibalistic Overseer who nearly killed Nate, and now here I am, helpless to save the mammal I love. 

That’s why I need to be the one to go out and find the parts needed for Nate’s replacement arm. Mark and Holly don’t want me to leave, and I really don’t want to either, but at the same time, everyone feels it’s for the best. I know Mark and Holly are concerned over Nate as much as I am, but they're being level headed about it. I keep yelling, crying, trying to hurt others and myself, even I'm starting to realize that I wasn't taking this well. That’s why I needed to do this. I needed to clear my head and focus on finding parts to help Nate live, not wallowing in a cesspool of negative emotions I've created for myself. 

“I know I said I'll be here for you no matter what, but I need to take care of something, and that'll take me away from here. I need you to know that I _will_ be back, and if you wake while I'm gone, I'll come straight back to you, no matter what is going on. There's nothing in this world more important to me than you are. I love you Nate, and no matter what, that will never change.”

I gave him a kiss. I had no idea if he could hear any of that, and if he did there was no response. Even if he couldn’t, it still felt good to say that out loud to him. I need to make sure that I keep telling myself that he will be okay, that he will wake, because then maybe my heart will start to believe it. 

“You know he would be doing the same thing if the tables were turned.”

Mark’s voice, despite being calm and quiet, still scared me. “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough.”

“It’s probably silly to talk to someone in a coma, isn’t it?”

“Not at all. When we rescued Holly from that boar, I found myself talking to her, despite the fact she was still unconscious. They say that a coma isn’t simply a mammal locked in a deep sleep, but in actuality, many are fully awake and aware of their surroundings, just simply unable to show any physical signs of that. Until he wakes, talking to him is just as sane as having a conversation with me or Holly.”

“When Holly was unconscious, did you ever… were you scared that she would never wake?”

“Yes, very much so. Just like how you feel about Nate, if she never woke up, I wasn’t sure if I would've been able to go on. I'm still not sure. In times like this, you need to do two things to help keep your sanity. You need to stop saying _if_ he wakes, but _when_ he wakes.”

“I keep trying, I really do but it feels as if that void he filled is slowly emptying, and it’s bringing all sorts of painful thoughts with it. You said there was something else you can do?”

“It isn’t for everyone, but in times of trouble, some well placed prayer can help, even if it's to help yourself to get through trying times.”

“I never really understood praying.”

“Many mammals of different faiths all take their prayers to different levels. Some pray to one or more gods, some pray to demons, or spiritual beings, some even pray to inanimate objects. I mostly pray to Saint Marian and my God. I’m not going to tell you who or what to pray to, or what to pray for, it’s up to you to decide.”

“But how can I decide? With so many choices, how do you know yours is the right one?”

“I don’t. The thing is, it doesn’t matter if my God is the right one or your god is, what matters is how _you_ believe. Just pick a feeling, a thought, a pleasant emotion and go from there. You'll know you're on the right path when you find it. Trust me, it'll be plain as day.”

“Thank you, I'll try anything to help see me through this. I’ve got time before Tuskgen is ready to depart anyways.”

“You sure you wanna go through with this?”

“I have to. I need time to clear my head, to combat whatever dark feelings are within me. I still feel tormented, and I'm afraid that next time I lose it, I'll lose so much more than my emotions.”

“Just don’t over exert yourself. I'm not sure how he will react waking up just to see you in the same position as him.”

“I’ll try. Plus I'll have Jasmine and Zack with me. Knowing Holly, she probably gave them each a shotgun full of tranquilizers just for me.”

“You don’t know the half of it. Ahem, anyways, I should probably be finding Holly. We both agreed to help Bo’s wife with the garden. Just like you, we needed something to keep us busy.”

“Not sure when I will be leaving, but I’ll be sure to find you before I do. Keep Onion close to you both. I will feel more comfortable having a direct connection to the both of you.”

“And we will make sure to keep you updated on any changes.”

I gave Mark a hug before he left me and Nate alone. I looked over to him, once again hoping that I would see his eyes open, but he still looked the same as he has been. Mark had told me to focus on a feeling, a strong feeling. Right now my only feelings all involve Nate, but they are so congested, that it was hard to pick up a single one to focus on. So I turned my thoughts onto the second strongest feeling I have ever had. 

“I’ve never done this before, and I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to even do this, but there has to be something I can do, and you always had a kind word and comforting answer to everything that ailed me in the past.” I closed my eyes and concentrated on the feeling. “Mom. If you can hear me, I need help. I feel so very lost and I can’t even begin to think how I can find my path again. I know it wasn’t real, but I keep thinking back to that illusion of you. I had actually started to forget what you looked like, and remembering what you looked like made me so happy. I wish I had a picture, or even a small token to remember you by, but all I have are my memories, and as the years go on, I find them slipping more and more. 

“Now, I have something else that I care about slowly slipping away from me. I have no idea if you're somewhere looking down on me, but I did something that I never thought I'd be able to do. I fell in love. I admit, it happened really fast. It wasn’t really love at first sight or anything, more like love at fourth or fifth goofiness. I think you would like him. 

“That’s the problem though mom. I loved you and I lost you, and now I find myself on the verge of losing another I love again. I don’t know what to do. I really don’t. I've always been a problem solver, and you know that. No matter what the issue was, I managed to find a solution. For the first time in my entire life, I have a problem that I _can’t_ solve. If you were still alive, I know you would have some kind of motherly advice for me, some small bit of wisdom that would make all the pieces finally fall together. I need that, more than anything right now. So please, if you really are out there somewhere watching over me, give me something, anything. No matter how minuscule it might seem to others, it would be more to cling on than I already have.”

I opened my eyes. Nothing had changed. Nate was still in a coma, no magical rays of light were dancing around me, nothing. Did I not pray hard enough? Was there something else I needed to do? Maybe my mom is really gone and there is nothing I can do to change it. If that’s the case, then why even pray at all?

“Miss?”

Onion startled me and made me realize that I had been crying. I wiped the tears onto my sleeve and turned to face him. “Yeah Onion?”

“Well, I was helping Miss Tuskgen get ready for her departure when I one of my arm’s servos fried.”

“Oh, well let me get my tools and I can get that fixed for you.”

“Actually Miss, Miss Tuskgen already fixed it.”

“Then why tell me about it?”

“Well Miss, when she went to repair it, she accidentally overloaded my memory banks and had to perform a hard reboot to prevent anything from getting erased or corrupted.”

“How the hell did she do that trying to fix a servo?”

“Unlike your singular mindset when it comes to tech, she seems to be working on five things at once and tends to get easily distracted it seems. The thing is, when she performed my reboot and my self-diagnostic initiated, I found a very small sector of my memory that I thought was blank, but it turns out it was a deeply encrypted file.”

“What is it?”

“I have no idea Miss, it’s far too complex an encryption. More than I can handle. I don’t think it was for me to find either.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Its encryption contains your Pip-Boar identifier.”

“Wait, what? _My_ Pip-Boar? Who the hell put a message in _you_ attuned to _my_ Pip-Boar?”

“Uncertain Miss. Shall I upload it to your Pip-Boar?”

“Yes, please.”

This was just bizarre. Beside Nate and Tuskgen, no one had had access to his memory banks, and he sure as hell wouldn’t let some random stranger mess with him. The way I snapped at Tuskgen, she would probably be to scared of me if she tampered with him, and Nate was way to open with me to do anything either. 

My Pip-Boar beeped, signaling me that the file transfer was complete. I took a look at it first. Yeah, this was a very powerful encryption. It had to be at least twenty layers, each of them containing a different algorithm. Not even Burrow-Tec’s stuff was this encrypted. Onion was right however. Every single layer had a single commonality to them. The identifier that my Pip-Boar, and only mine had. It could be a trap, it could be some kinda virus that will suddenly broadcast my very whereabouts to the entire wasteland. I shouldn’t open it, but it was driving me nuts trying to figure out what it was. I had nothing better to do right now, so I opened it. 

It contained two items. First was an audio recording. It was dated… the day after my mother died. I pushed play.

“ _Hello Olivia._ ”

I couldn’t believe it. It was Overseer Marsh’s voice. Why the hell did _she_ leave me a message?

“ _I'm sorry I couldn’t say this in person, but you are still too young to understand. I hope that one day I can give this message to you and you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I was young, I was stupid, and I was in love. Before you were born, your mother and I were the closest of friends. We had been that way ever since we were kids really. The problem was, while I was simply a friend of hers, probably her best friend, to me she was so much more. I loved your mother, probably more than she ever knew. When she started to fool around with some of the males, I overlooked that. Loving someone and making love to them are completely different things. Then everything changed._

“ _I was the very first person she told when she found out she was pregnant with you. I was happy for her, I was happy to meet you when the time came, but I was also heartbroken. I thought that maybe it was just simply a byproduct of her promiscuity, but when she told me that she finally found_ the one _, it felt as if she had just torn my heart from my chest. I was distraught, I was depressed. I was angry. I did things that I still regret, things I don’t think you should know. But remember, it wasn’t at her. It was never at her. Even then I still loved her, and nothing, and no one, would change that._

“ _When your father died, I waited. I waited for such a long time, hoping that she would see my kindness, that she would finally realize how much I loved and cared for her. As Overseer, I was able to do anything to make the two of you comfortable. Extra food, the best clothing and supplies we had, I even approved your mother’s request to teach you herself, despite it going against every Burrow-Tec regulation there was. Still, it wasn’t enough._ ”

“ _That’s when I found the recipe for Phero-X. According to Burrow-Tec files, Phero-X was designed to entice two mammals, regardless of gender, to fall madly in love with each other. Apparently it was used to test the effects of long term relationships between vastly different mammalian species, but to me, it was the answer I needed. I started to think of you as my own daughter. Your mother and I, working side by side to raise a child to be better than anyone else could possibly be in this Burrow. I thought that one day, maybe even_ you _could be the Overseer. Oh how I wished that was the case, I really do. When she died, I knew you had no one to look after you. That’s why I couldn’t tell you until now. That your mother didn’t die due to some freak illness. Your mother’s death, it was… it was all my fault. I double, no_ triple _checked the recipe, but even that wasn’t enough. I didn’t create a love potion like I wanted. I created a poison. One that killed your mother. I am so sorry Olivia. This will haunt me for the rest of my life. I couldn’t sleep last night, I couldn’t even eat anything. I don’t know if you will forgive me after hearing this, I know I wouldn’t. That is why I will do everything I can to help you. I will continue to treat you like my own daughter, but I will have to do it in secrecy. There is already enough strain between the rodent and rabbit populations. I had hoped that your mother and I would be able to change it together, but my actions might end up making things worse._

“ _In a few days I will have personally arrived to take your mother’s possessions as per Burrow policy. I may be Overseer, but there are still things that I have to do in order to keep peace. I will, however, not be putting many of those possessions back into Burrow circulation as per policy. Some of them, pictures, recordings, even her favorite dress, I plan to keep them, in hopes that one day I can give them back to you._

“ _I can’t possibly imagine how you're feeling right now, and I don’t even know when, or if I will be able to give you this message, but remember. She loved you, probably even more than I loved her. I know I said it, but I am so very sorry I took her away from you. I was selfish. While I hope you can, I will understand if you can never find it in yourself to forgive me. Just remember, no matter what happens, don’t forget her._ ”

“Oh dear. Miss, maybe you shouldn’t have…”

“Onion, can you go check on Mark and Holly?” 

“Miss you…”

“Now.”

He didn’t say anything else before leaving, rather hesitantly. It felt like my brain and my heart were about to explode. I wasn’t prepared for that. My mind, my emotions, my entire body was fighting me to just lash out. I wanted to break something. I wanted to _kill_ someone, but there was only one thing my body agreed on. 

I put my head on Nate’s slowly rising chest and started to cry. This entire time, I thought my mom caught some unknown disease that killed her, that it was no one’s fault. Turns out, it _was_ someone's fault. The fucking Overseer killed my mom! She poisoned her out of sheer jealousy! I just wanted to find that fucking rat and squeeze the life out of her. 

The problem was, my emotions were not of singular mind. I wanted to kill that woman, but at the same time, somehow I _knew_ she was being genuine. Her voice, the way it broke, probably into tears during its recording, seemed so sincere that it was causing a rift between wanting to kill her and wanting to forgive her. She didn’t deserve forgiveness. Maybe she didn’t deserve to die, but she definitely didn’t deserve forgiveness. 

“I don’t know what to think anymore Nate. It feels like all my walls are crashing down around me. First Blanche, then you, now I learn how my mother really died. I just… I just can’t keep going without you. I need you Nate. Please, _please_ , wake up. Please.”

I just kept my face in his chest, letting out more tears than I think I have ever shed before. The void in my heart was emptying faster and I felt helpless to fill it back in. I thought that whatever that file was would have helped get my mind off of things, but it drew me even deeper into it. A small beep from my Pip-Boar was the only thing that broke though. 

I didn’t want to look at it, but after two more notifications, I slowly moved it towards my face. It was from Onion. I was going to ignore it, but what if something had happened to Mark and Holly? I opened the file and inside was a message. 

“ _Miss, I know you are probably not in the best of moods after hearing that message. I know that if I had the emotional spectrum that most mammals had, I would be the same, but there was one other file in there that I think might help you. I am sorry for intruding on your personal space, but I had to know what the other contents were, for your safety and that of your friends. I will leave you alone until you contact me again._ ”

He was right, I wasn't in the best of moods, I was probably in the worst mood that I had ever been in, but he was also worried about me, and I could tell. If even a programmed personality was worried, than it must mean something, right? I decided to look at the other file, hoping he was right. It was an image. When I opened it, I felt more emotions flood me, but these were not the same ones I was feeling now. These were better. I felt the good emotions and the bad fighting inside me. My paws still a bit shaky, and my head not rising from Nate’s chest, I sent a simple reply to Onion. 

“Thank you.”

I looked at the image on my Pip-Boar, I looked at it so hard, trying to etch it’s very existence onto my brain so I would never forget. When Nate wakes up, I will be sure to show him this. On my Pip-Boar was a single picture. A picture that I thought I would never see again.

A picture of my mom.

***

“Olivia? We're ready to go.”

Jasmine’s voice woke me up from a slumber I didn’t realize I had fallen into. I was still in Nate’s room, my head on his chest. I felt a bit bad that his shirt was now soaked from my tears. I gave Nate another kiss, and I don’t know if it was from my own, but it almost looked as if the fur under his eyes was wet as well. I felt a paw on my shoulder breaking my concentration.

“‘Livi.” Holly’s voice sounded mournful.

“Oh, hey guys.” I wiped my eyes as I turned to see Holly, Mark, and Jasmine in the room.

“Now don’t be mad, but Onion played that message for us. We… we are so sorry.” Holly and Mark grabbed me and hugged me. Jasmine did as well, but more awkwardly.

“I’m not mad. I was planning on playing it for you guys, but perhaps it’s better that I wasn’t there a second time.”

“Are you okay? You don’t have to go with them. I know we suggested it, but with recent events, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to stay here.”

“No. I still need to do this. I need to show Nate that I wasn’t simply sitting idly by when there are things I could be doing to help him, even if it isn’t immediately helpful.”

“I think he would understand ‘livi.”

“No Holly, I _need_ to do this. I still don’t know how my mind wants to react to all of this. I need to do something to clear it before I inadvertently do something that I, or someone else, will regret.”

“We're not going to stop you. Just remember, you can turn around at any time. Nate can live without an arm. Not sure he could without you.”

I gave Holly a hug again. “I promise. Plus I have Jasmine and Zack at my back. I'll be fine.”

“It’s not them I'm worried about.”

“I’ll be fine. Can’t say the same thing if any fucker tries to mess with us.”

“That is _exactly_ what I'm worried about.”

“C’mon Jasmine, let’s go meet up with Tuskgen. Where’s Zack?”

“They're both in the hangar gearing up the Tac-Lifter.”

“Be nice to finally fly in one of those things not half unconscious or too worried to enjoy the view.”

I gave Mark and Holly another hug, and told Nate I'll be back soon. Part of me actually hopes he doesn’t wake up until I return, because I want to make sure he knows I'm alive. I don’t know if he is dreaming, or even able to think, but if he is, I'm sure he is reliving everything that happened, wondering if I was okay, just as I have been reliving everything in my own dreams. I look forward to us being able to cuddle together again. What I wouldn’t give to simply feel his tail wrap around me, drawing me close to him. I miss the little things, the things that remind me that we're alive. 

Holly and Mark remained back in the room as Jasmine and I left. I had been in there so much, I was probably preventing them from having their own time with Nate. I need to remember that it isn’t just me that's worried over him. I’m just the only one expressing it on an extreme scale. 

“I'm sorry.”

“For what Jasmine?”

“Your mother. She cared for you, didn’t she.”

“She did. I care about all my friends, but my mother and Nate, they have been the two mammals in my life that I cared for the most. I’ll admit something though. I was devastated when my mother died, but I feel a hundred times worse right now, and Nate is still alive.”

“He'll pull through. From what Holly and Doc tell me, he’s a lot stronger than he looks.”

“He sure is. Heh, Doc? You mean Mark, right?”

“Y-yeah…” She sounded as if she said something wrong.

“Don’t be like that. It suits him. Honestly, when he's in full on doctor mode is when he seems to really shine. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead ten times over. Tell me, do you ever miss your mother? Even remotely?”

“I… is it wrong of me to say no?”

“With how she treated you, no, it’s not wrong at all.”

“I did love her, and for a time I thought she loved me, until the Red-Necks. She was willing to put their lifestyle before me, so much that she would even betray her own daughter to appease them. I wish I could get her to love me again, I really do, but I know that will never happen, so it’s better to just not love her at all.”

“We all have some pretty messed up parent issues it seems. Just remember, we care for you, and I can tell that Zack cares for you a bit more.” I could see her face redden upon the mention of his name. “As long as you have people who truly care about you, you'll always have a reason to look towards the future.”

She just smiled at me. It's funny how inside your own mind everything seems screwed up and untrustworthy, but when you comfort a close friend, all the truths and best things to say come pouring out to them. If I could easily tell her that, why was it so hard to believe them myself?

“You two finally made it! Hurry, we gotta go so we can make this trip before it gets dark. We got six hours before we need to report back.” 

Zack and Tuskgen were both standing next to one of the larger Tac-Lifters. Zack was all dressed in his Stalker uniform, a visored helmet held under one arm. Tuskgen was wearing some kind of tactical vest and pants, with enough pockets to make Nate jealous. On her head was a helmet that had all sorts of gadgets and gizmos attached to it. 

“Defender King is in one of his moods again. He’s been getting worse since the Chief left.” 

“Should we be worried Zack?”

“Naw. He might be an oversized ball of steam, but he’s either too loyal, or too stupid, to ever do something. Plus he’s spent more days in the brig than the entire force combined, so he knows what'll happen if he gets out of line. Stalker Logan knows how to deal with him.”

“That’s good to hear. Let’s make this trip quick. I wanna make sure I'm back for when Nate wakes.”

“Don’t worry, we'll be in and out quicker than lightning. Just hang on, it’s been a few months since I last flew one of these things.”

He was right too. The moment we lifted off, the whole thing was shaking so hard I thought it was going to fall apart. Once we cleared the base and were in the air, things started to smooth out. I know that the wasteland air is probably not the freshest thing out there, but it felt nice to breath it in. I watched as the ground started to get farther and farther away until we were skimming the cloud cover. From down there, everything looked like one giant overturned trash can, but from up here, it looked almost pleasant. Sure the ground was made up of muted browns and grays from the dirt and concrete, and there were dilapidated buildings all over, but I could also see mammals with large carts racing across trodden paths. I saw the flickering lights of gunfire between two small groups of raiders. From up here I could see everything. 

I started to remember Drake. He saw this type of view all the time. I actually envied him a bit. Imagine if I had wings and could go where I want when I want. Danger littered the ground, but up here, up in the air, it was free. I really hope he is doing okay, I may not think of him as much with everything going on, but I still miss him. Once Nate is better, I promise you, I will do better to find you. 

But first, I needed to make sure Nate got better. Right now he’s the most important thing in my world.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Before I begin, I want to address something. Often when there is a bit of, how should I put it? Extreme backgrounds involving very murder, rape, torture, and all that stuff, it is after a very long thought out process. Especially that message from Burrow Seventy-Six’s Overseer, Tara Marsh. Many people perform extreme acts out of love, but often lack the foresight to understand how that will effect those around them, including those they truly love. Just remember, after the war took it’s toll on the world, it effected everyone, even those within the Burrow. It will be very hard pressed to find a mammal with a clean and happy background. Don’t get me wrong, they do exist, but generally they make for boring stories.

“Now that that is out of the way, you know the problem with adding an extra day to the posting schedule? It means that I have less and less time to come up with anything good for the After Show, yet I don’t want to leave you guys hanging. Sure, there are a dozen and a half mammals I can interview, and still plenty of lore items to talk about, but sometimes I just have a hard time thinking of something good that will interest the audience, yet something that isn’t either a spoiler or something that hasn’t been covered already, especially with twenty more After Show subjects to come up with. I’m going to remove a few bricks from the wall to also let you the audience know of another project that’s kinda impeding upon my After Show development. 

Many of you probably discovered this story on the ZNN site. Others might even know of a certain month long project called the National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. The ZNN has started their first annual NaZoWriMo event where authors of any caliber are tasked with creating a Zootopia fan-fic of any design during the month of November. The goal is fifty-thousand words by December first, but that isn’t a set in stone goal. The entire point of the event is to not only have fun, but to also potentially unlock the hidden writer in anyone who wants to participate, or if they already are, to challenge them to potentially work outside of their normal boundaries. Of course you can do whatever you want, even if it’s inside your current limits, but the point is to have fun!

“Now, I’m not affiliated with the ZNN nor do I have my hooves involved with this event. However, I’m participating in it. Before you all shout ‘yay another Fallout story!’, I won’t be doing that for this event. Yes, I have the sparks of my own spin-offs that I want to deal with at some point, a few that Max has even helped me flush out already, but the thing with this little world I have created is that it needs time to develop, to mature, no pun intended. Rushing through something as in-depth and complex as the world I have created would take much longer than thirty days to do, and I know I would not have fun with trying to cut corners just to make an addition to my world. So, what will I be doing for that event you may ask? It’s an oldie, but a goody. A Zootopia AU based around a classic movie from decades ago that was remade into a new one that didn’t hold a candle to the original, just don’t ask Max about it. He REALLY hates that remake. So, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! I will be posting in on the same sites you’re reading this on, so stay tuned for December! Even if I don’t make the fifty-thousand word goal, or if I don’t get it finished, I will still work on it and post it because I have quit way too many projects, projects that may have been better than I thought it would be. 

“So, now that I have put those bricks back, what should I cover today? I could talk about some lost technology, or I could wander out of the safety of my own place and talk to the first mammal I see, or I could…” 

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Stripes]**

“… answer the phone? Um, since when did I have a phone? Is there even a phone company still in existence?” 

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Stripes]**

“Yeah, yeah. One moment. Where is that blasted thing coming from? Oh, here we go. Wow, a rotary phone none the less. Wait, there isn’t even a cable attached! Max! Is this some kind of joke?”

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Stripes]**

“Um… hello?”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“Hello Sir or Madam, I’m a Burrow-Tec Representative. How are you today?”

**[Stripes]**

“Um… Burrow-Tec? I didn’t think you guys still existed.”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“That is right Sir! We at Burrow-Tec pride ourselves in our efficiency during these troubling times. I am sure you have seen the news and read the papers about mammal-kind’s uncertain future, have you not?”

**[Stripes]**

“I’m sorry, but that ‘uncertain future’ has already happened unfortunately. You’re about two centuries too late I’m afraid.”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“Nonsense! The safety of all mammals is our responsibility as a citizen of this fine country. Sure, the war has been a little turbulent, but we at Burrow-Tec know that every mammal deserves a second chance at life, and we are here to provide that. Now, it seems that you have been one of the lucky individuals to be assigned to a Burrow, and I am here to make sure that the paperwork is all in order. You never know when the war will come knocking at your door. This will only take a moment Sir.”

**[Stripes]**

“I assure you, that even if you are who you say you are, which I am most certainly sure you are not, I have never once shown even the remote interest in a Burrow. Have you even _seen_ the state most of them are in?”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“I assure you Sir that Burrow-Tec’s Burrows contain the most modern of amenities and the best technology backs it one-hundred percent! Now Sir, may I get your full name to verify my records?”

**[Stripes]**

“Max! If this is some sort of joke you can cut it out now!”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“Max, did I catch that right? Your name is Max? I am sorry, but that does not match our records. Do you have another name?”

**[Stripes]**

“Gah, it’s Cider Stripes, alright? Happy now?”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“Cider Stripes… ahh, here we go, a one C. Stripes. Yes, it tells me you are a zebra, male, thirty four, currently single…”

**[Stripes]**

“What does my relationship status have to do with this?”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“You see Sir, while all the Burrows contain everything you would need for an extended time, they do not have unlimited space. If you have a significant other, or even children, that would play heavily upon not only your acceptance status, but what Burrow you may be placed in. So, am I correct that you are single?”

**[Stripes]**

_grumbling_ “Yes.”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“Splendid. Not that you are single of course, but that our records are correct.”

**[Stripes]**

“Wait a second… where did you even… who are you?”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“Your friendly neighborhood Burrow-Tec Representative of course. Now, do you have any medical conditions that you are aware of? I see you are an alcoholic, is that correct?”

**[Stripes]**

“NO! I am most certainly NOT! I drink in moderation, and never once _needed_ it… why am I even talking to you about this? You haven’t even given me a name yourself!”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“I didn’t? I apologize. My name is…” _static_ “… so, may I continue Sir?”

**[Stripes]**

“What… no… you just… what is going on?!”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“I should probably mark you down as easily agitated and prone to aggression. That may negatively impact your processing, but fear not! We still have plenty of room within your local Burrows. Now tell me, have you ever had sexual encounters with any robots or non-mammals?”

**[Stripes]**

“WHAT? What kind of… no, I’m done. Good bye whoever you are!” _slams phone_ “Sorry about that folks, I really have no idea what that was about. I think…”

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Stripes]**

“No. I just… no.”

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Stripes]**

“Not gonna do it. Nope.”

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Stripes]**

“Gah! Hello!?”

**[Voice On Phone]**

“We must have gotten disconnected, I apologize for that Sir, now where were we?”

_sounds of something breaking and frustrated grunts_

**[Stripes]**

“That’s it! Shows over. I need a drink. Take care everyone, I will be back Sunday with hopefully a better turnout for the show.”

_Sound of phone ringing_

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Celeste]**

“Did it work… Well? Did it? Diditdiditdiditdidit?”

**[Max]**

“Hang on I… Yup… Worked like a charm! I never knew prank calls could be so disturbingly fun! Shame we don’t have phones anymore…”

**[Celeste]**

“Hee! See?! I TOLD you this would be great…By the way, you sure you’re in the right line of work? Cause I swear you have _great_ potential as a voice actor… Uuunnless I decide to keep that talent for my own personal amusement.”

**[Max]**

“Sometimes… You scare me… Then again you’re probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life! So I think being a bit of a slave to love can’t hurt… Oh crap… He left the system broadcasting…”

**[Celeste]**

“Um… This… Pipes through the whole station too doesn’t it… We…We should probably go… Like… Now.”

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Max]**

“Um… Sweetie we can stop now…”

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Celeste]**

“That… That’s not me Maxie…”

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Max]**

“… LEAVING NOW!”

_Sound of phone ringing_

**[Voice On Phone After being knocked off hook]**

“Hello…? Burrow-Tec calling!”

_Sounds of haunting laughter_


	63. Clearing the Foggy Mind

Just as Zack said, the flight took about an hour to reach our destination. To avoid any unnecessary confrontation, we kept above cloud cover most of the time, only dropping beneath to get his bearings. I had enjoyed the view when I could, but since it was a pretty cloudy day, flying this high got boring, fast. 

Jasmine and I had a few bits of conversation here and there, but nothing really pertaining to, well anything. I didn’t want to drag her into my emotional squalor and I could tell she wasn't used to having to deal with stuff like this, at least not with people who cared for her like I did. She did tell me that she kept her feelings to herself while with the Red-Necks, always afraid it would show weakness and in turn get her punished again. I kept having to assure her that she can be open around any of us, and we will not get angry at her for it. We were quite opposite in that way. I wasn’t afraid of showing my feelings most of the time, but she always kept either a neutral or positive expression about her, no matter how she felt. Guess in order to survive as long as she did with those bastards, she had to. 

Engineer Tuskgen was a different story. While she was very kind and outspoken, she still seemed to be a bit nervous around me, using Jasmine as some kind of barrier between us. I kept telling her that I was sorry for how I yelled at her, that it was out of distress, and not any lack of ability on her end, but my tales seem to have proceeded me, leaving her feeling rather uneasy.

Zack was in full on Guardian mode most of the time, keeping his eyes on both the sensors and what was in front of him, only adding his own words in during a few of Jasmine’s stories on what they did since we left Jasmine there. Seems those two had hit it off better than I thought. Seems that he and a few others were the only ones who would even speak to her. For some reason an ex-Red-Neck seemed more of a threat to the Guardians than a talking deathwing did. 

“So Zack, tell me what was your first opinion on Jasmine? You seemed to have hit it off with her rather well.”

“I ain’t gonna lie, I have a… thing for tall women, and Jay-Jay is no exception.”

“Jay-Jay huh? You two have just recently met and already you have a nickname for her?” 

“Was a bit of an accident you see. I was helping her fill out her recruitment files, and stupid me blanked on how to spell her name. I kept trying to think, ‘J… J…’ but have the tendency to think out loud. Guess she liked it and it stuck.”

I looked over to Jasmine and saw she was blushing. “I-I’ve never had a nickname, at l-least not a positive one…”

“It’s cute. So tall women, huh? You didn’t care about the fact that she used to be a Red-Neck or has a metal plate for a jaw?”

“Sure, when I heard that a Red-Neck was brought here, I was on edge, not sure what to expect, but when I saw her, and saw how scared she was, that edginess melted away. One look at her and I knew she wasn’t trouble. Since no one other than Stalker Logan and Chief Lazlo would approach her, I felt it was my duty as a Guardian and a gentlemammal to make sure she felt safe and at home. To be honest, I don’t see that metal jaw anymore, simply that cute face of hers.”

I heard a loud noise and looked over to see that Jasmine had suddenly bolted upright and smashed her head on the roof of the Tac-Lifter. 

“You alright Jasmine?” It was hard not to giggle. Good thing Holly wasn’t here to take advantage of the situation.

“Y-yeah… I’m just… a bit clumsy.”

“Is it wrong that it makes her even cuter?”

The way Jasmine smacked her head on the roof again in a state of shock made me wonder if Zack simply said that to get a reaction out of her. 

“Better knock that off Zack before she hits hear head too much, or else she might not remember you.”

“That would make me sad. Well, looks like we're here.”

Jasmine was rubbing her head, but she seemed fine, so I took a look outside. We had just dropped below cloud cover and I could see a very large building before us. A large sign was on it that read: _SwineCo Robotics International_. Surprisingly, it seemed in much better condition than the other structures around it. Small craters in the ground told me that this was once a battlefield, but remnants of the combatants were long gone, so I had no idea if it was pre-war or more recent. 

“We got to land on the roof. Despite this having been pretty much cleared out, there are always raider groups around here trying to break past our automated defenses.”

“If it’s cleaned out, then why try to keep it defended?” It was rather odd that the Guardians would be protecting a place that was supposedly empty.

“As you can see, this place was built to withstand everything but a direct impact. Despite it being build long before the war, military grade reinforcements were utilized in its construction.”

A thought occurred to me. One that caused me to clench my paws. “Please don’t tell me Burrow-Tec has anything to do with this.”

“No. This place was built long before Burrow-Tec existed. I don’t think Burrow-Tec was even formed until the war broke out.”

“Gee, what a coincidence.”

“What you mean Olivia?”

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it but I've developed a bit of a hatred towards that company. I doubt any of them are even still alive, but everything that has ever gone wrong. Seventy-Six, Ninety-Three, Eighty-Eight. Even the Corpse Engines, they've all been associated in one way or another with that damn company.”

“They saved countless lives after the bombs started dropping.” Zack seemed concerned with the growing tone in my voice.

“Yeah, but how many more had to suffer because of them? I've read some of their files involving Corpse Engines. They didn’t show any sympathy cutting open innocent mammals in order to find ways to stuff a smaller one into them. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had something to do with how Nate and Mark were treated, or how an entire Burrow turned cannibal.”

“Look at it this way, if Burrow-Tec didn’t exist, your ancestors might not have survived the war, meaning you wouldn’t be here helping others, and in turn I would've never met the beautiful giraffe sitting next to you.”

And there goes another thunk, this time followed by a muffled scream. 

“Remember Zack, brain cells?”

“Sorry.” 

“You okay Jasmine?”

“Mm-hm.” 

I fished out some pain medication and gave it to Jasmine. I could tell that three whacks to the head was starting to cause a little discomfort to her. You’d think by now she’d be used to it. At least she didn’t faint this entire time. 

“You may want to give her helmet shock-absorbers Tuskgen.”

“Well it does have extra plating on it. Giraffes are known to use their ossicones during combat.”

“Ossi-what-now?”

“Ossicones, the small horn-like structures that giraffes have.”

Jasmine lowered her head down and I saw the two little stumps that she was talking about. “Oh. Guess I never really noticed.”

“They tend to get a little sensitive. Especially the females. There are times that they…”

My time with Nate gave me a bit of forewarning as to where she was going with this. “Yeah, you can stop right there. Whatever you and Zack do in private can stay there.” 

I felt the Tac-Lifter suddenly take a dive for a second before leveling out as Jasmine smacked her head on the roof again. Why did I say that? That damn rabbit was rubbing off on me too much. 

“We haven’t… I mean…” Now Zack was nervously stuttering, breaking through his normally suave tone.

“Don’t worry. I had nearly the same reaction when Holly teased me about Nate and I. Only, I wasn’t flying a giant metal object. Please, try not to kill us.”

“Sorry. Ahem, we should be landing any moment. This looks like a good spot.”

I watched as we slowly approached the roof. There was a very large clearing that Zack had maneuvered us to. There was a slight bump when we landed, followed by some small shaking before everything stabilized. 

“Sure the roof is safe?” I was concerned, remembering all the times I inexplicably fell through a floor or the ground.

“Don’t worry. This place was built with special dampeners to protect from violent earthquakes. It might sway here and there, but nothing to be nervous about.”

“So Tuskgen, have any ideas where to start?”

“Well, what I need would probably be located in the fabrication plant. From the blueprints, it's located in the basement of the building.”

“Basement? Figures. This is what, four stories tall?”

“Five. With two sub-basements.”

“Now Zack, you sure this place isn’t occupied?”

“Positive. We send some Agents here every few weeks to make sure.”

“Why haven’t the Guardians just taken it over and turned it into some kind of outpost?”

“While very secure, it’s not a tactical location. Chief Lazlo prefers placing our outposts on the outskirts of raider territory to act as a buffer. There are too many Firebug nests nearby, so most raiders steer clear.”

“Wait. You mean those living nuclear bombs?”

“Yeah. Hard to tell their nests because they burrow underground when not feeding.”

“Well fuck.” My swearing seemed to have caused Tuskgen to take pause. “Sorry. Not aiming it at anyone. I just was hoping for a quick mission. I want to get back as soon as possible so I can be there when Nate wakes up.”

“Don’t worry. He’s in good paws.” Jasmine said it in a way that I think she was trying to comfort me.

“I know. It’s just… knowing him, if he woke and didn’t find me there, he might think the worst. I don’t want him to have to worry about me.”

“Well then, let’s move out. Tuskgen, make sure you don’t go off by yourself. Make sure at least one of us is with you at all times, although I would prefer if none of us split up.” Zack snapped into his role and was now acting very serious.

“I got my Pip-Boar’s scanner on. I’ll be sure to keep a watch. Speaking of which. Give me a moment.” 

I remembered that my friends wanted an update from me to make sure we were safe. Didn’t want them to worry. 

“ _Miss? Everything okay?_ ”

“Yeah Onion, we just arrived. Holly and Mark with you?”

“ _Miss Kerrigan is here, but Mister Valiant went to check up on the other Mister Valiant._ ”

“ _‘Livi! You guys okay?_ ”

“We’re fine. Just got here and about to go inside. So far there's no trouble. How’s Nate doing?”

“ _No change. I'm sure he'll be awake in no time ‘livi. Please be safe and hurry back._ ”

“Trust me, I don’t plan on doing any dawdling here. Once we find what we came for, we'll rush right back.”

“ _We'll be anxiously awaiting your ret…_ ” Holly’s voice was cut off and replaced by static. 

“Holly? Holly! Zack we gotta go…”

“Don’t worry Olivia. Nothing's wrong, it’s just a radio blackout.” Zack sounded rather calm about it.

“What do you mean ‘radio blackout’?”

“Part of the defense system. Prevents any raiders from calling for help before the nearest Guardian patrol can arrive. System should have kicked in sooner than that. I might have to check it out while you're looking for your parts.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about that?” I was starting to get mad.

“I forgot you weren't at the briefing. Don’t worry, the others were informed about it. It’s a standard Guardian procedure.”

I looked at Jasmine and she nodded in agreement with Zack. 

“Why was I not informed about this briefing?” 

“You were… well it was just before we left and you were with Nate, and let’s just say that no one was willing to interrupt you in your current condition at the time.”

“What do you mean… it was after the recording, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. While I nor any of the other Guardians were made privy to its contents, Holly and Mark suggested that we leave you alone. I was supposed to go over it with you, but I had other things on my mind.” Zack seemed to say that last part with a bit of dread.

“Like what? Everything okay?”

“It’s official Guardian business. Nothing you need to worry about. So, shall we continue?”

I didn’t like it, but I had to trust in him. Jasmine agreed with Zack, and since I trusted her, I felt better. It’s not that I didn’t trust Zack, it’s just that I still didn’t know him very well, and he’s been nothing but friendly, especially to Jasmine and I’ve learned that overly friendly is often not a good sign. Though I didn’t feel any threat from the zebra, so I guess it must just be the stress I was under. I had to make sure this was quick. I needed to get back.

***

We spent the first forty minutes waiting for Zack to disable the automated defenses so that we could traverse down to the basement levels. I decided that this would be best spent looking in our immediate vicinity for anything useful. Right away I could tell that this place had been ransacked. Minus a few odds and ends, and some garbage laying on the floor, this first room was empty. The next few were the same. If it wasn’t bolted to the floor or wall, it was gone. 

“You sure weren’t kidding about this place being cleaned out. You think we'll even find anything useful here Tuskgen?”

“No clue, but it was either this or sending out every Guardian to scour the wasteland, and that wouldn't have been well received.”

“Damn, I was hoping to be lucky. How’s the defenses coming along Zack?”

“Well, I have floors five through one deactivated, but I'm having issues connecting with the sub-level defenses.”

“You think we could have company?”

“Not sure. None of the active defenses were triggered, and the minefield is intact.”

“How can you tell?”

“See here?” Zack showed me a screen that had an outline of the building from the top. Surrounding the place were hundreds of small red dots. “Every red dot is an actively armed mine. If any were green, they would have been disarmed, and any white dots would mean they were detonated. Since they're all red, I can assume the field is intact. The only way into this place is the roof, and the ground floor and neither were triggered.”

“Then what’s the issue with the sub-levels?”

“Could be a short in the system. I’ll have to take a look at it then report it once we leave. You three can continue the mission once we get there.”

I saw a look of concern in Jasmine’s face, but she didn’t say anything. I was still not sure as to their relationship, but I wasn’t about to let him get hurt. I know all too well how it feels to see someone you care about get hurt. 

We took it slow moving from floor to floor. Every time we passed a promising area, Tuskgen asked us to stop to check it out, but while she found a few bits of machinery here and there, none of it was what we were looking for. Each time she went ‘ooh’, and ‘ah’, my hopes rose that we had found what we needed and can leave. Soon as I found out it wasn’t, they were dashed. 

Zack told me that even if we found what we were after, he wouldn’t have been able to leave until he figured out the issue with the sub-basement, and since he was the only one who knew how to fly the Tac-Lifter, we were basically stranded here until he did. I should have known this wouldn’t be a walk in the park. Last time we were in a park, someone died…

Damn it Olivia! This is not the time or the place!

“You okay?” Jasmine seemed worried, and it was then I realized I had just slapped my head. 

“Yeah, sorry. Just thinking thoughts that I really shouldn’t be. So, how you doing?”

“Okay I guess. It’s a little nerve racking, not knowing what to expect.”

“I know what you mean. Ever since Zack said there was something wrong with the defenses, the fur on the back of my neck won’t relax.”

Floors four, three, and two were just as empty as the rest. Whoever cleared this place out was very thorough, and it made me increasingly more nervous that we won't find what we were looking for. I know that this arm isn’t the deciding factor whether Nate lives or dies, but I don’t want him to start to feel like he’s useless again after everything we’ve been through to convince him otherwise. 

“I don’t think we're going to find anything.” I couldn’t help but say it morosely. 

“I can see the anxiety building on your face.” For the first time Tuskgen approached me with concern, not nervousness. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up, especially after seeing how you handled them getting torn down already, but there's a very specific reason I chose this place.”

“Why?”

“While we knew ninety-nine percent of this place had been scavenged, there is one place, located within sub-section two of the basement, that has remained untouched. It was where the SwineCo technicians kept the prototypes while awaiting shipment to production facilities. Most of the prototype rooms unlocked when the power's main system failed, but one went into lock down mode. Not even our best technicians could get it unlocked, and from the looks of it, neither could any other scavengers.”

“Then what makes you think we can get into it now?”

“We have something no one else had. A Pip-Boar.” She glanced down to my arm. “You see, SwineCo created the Pip-Boars, and besides Burrow-Tec personnel, most SwineCo technicians used them. Yes, the Guardians are no strangers to those devices, but all the ones we have found so far were too damaged to help us any. Yours however, is still in pristine condition, and from what I've been told, still has aspects of it in factory mode. Plus, I heard you're a pretty good hacker.”

“Well, I am actually, but what is this about it being in factory mode?”

“You see, while Burrow-Tec and SwineCo worked together on the Burrow system, for some reason SwineCo cut ties with them only weeks before the bombs fell. No one knew why, but from some records we found, the higher ups didn’t want some random Burrow-Tec personnel to waltz right into the prototyping facilities, so only SwineCo personnel had their Pip-Boars linked to security access. That feature is still inactive on yours, meaning we can use it to clone an access link to get us in.”

“If this is a Burrow Pip-Boar, why is that inactive? You’d think that after two hundred years of passing it down through the generations that someone would have eventually accessed everything.”

“That’s the thing. We didn’t think it was important then, but when you first arrived at our base and you were being healed, they sent your Pip-Boar off to me to take a look at. I promise you, I didn't do anything to it other than inspect it for damage and to try to figure out if you were a threat to us. I did, however, notice one thing. _You_ Olivia Springs, have been the only user.”

“Wait, what? How can that be? I was told that there were exactly enough Pip-Boars for the original five hundred occupants.”

“Yes, but from what little Burrow-Tec records we have recovered, most of the Burrows never met capacity before they were sealed. You must have gotten lucky and when they passed it out, it was one of the new ones. Funny thing is, that was never designed for a rabbit.”

“Um, there were only rabbits and rodents, and that sure as hell wasn’t designed for a rodent.”

“Take a look here.” Tuskgen gently rotated my arm and pointed to the bottom. “See that line? They don’t exist normally. Someone modified it to make it smaller. Haven’t you ever wondered why yours and Nate’s screens were the same size?”

“Not really.”

“A rabbit is supposed to have a screen two inches smaller than a fox. Every Pip-Boar line was uniquely created for a specific species. Next time you take it off, look at the serial number under it. Holly told me about the emergency link you established between you and Onion, so I won’t ask you to take it off and cause them worry, but just check.”

“What am I looking for?”

“You'll know.”

Why did that seem ominous coming from her? Before I could inquire further, Zack stopped us. 

“This is where we have to split up. The control for the defenses is here, and I can manually disable the sub-basement defenses. I need to see what happened so I can report it when we get back. You three keep going, I'll meet up with you once I'm done.”

“You sure? What if something happens?” Jasmine sounded concerned.

“Don’t worry Jay-Jay, I can take care of myself. It shouldn’t take me more than fifteen minutes. Then I'll meet up with you.”

“O-okay…”

“He'll be fine Jasmine. Let’s go.”

The entrance to the basement levels was through a large metal door. It was sealed and I saw the familiar sight of a defense turret attached to the ceiling. I gulped, not wanting to deal with another turret after what happened with Nate, but after a few seconds the door made a beep nose as it slid open. The turret didn’t budge an inch. 

The door opened to a large elevator. Thankfully there was power, because it took almost five minutes just to reach the bottom. I would have hated to see how many flights of stairs it would have taken to reach our destination. 

Outside the elevator it was just as ransacked over as the rest of the place. There were a few posters on the wall, depicting various robots, including the one that had been used against Hope, and the one that nearly captured Drake. There was even a robot that looked a lot like Onion, only with some kind of visor like attachment on it. 

“Wait, did this place make robots?”

“Yeah, besides the Pip-Boar, SwineCo was the number one manufacturer of robots. They started out with personal ones, but moved into military use once the war started. This is actually one of the main research and development facilities for the military robotics division.”

I poked my head into any unlocked room I found, hoping to find something of use, but they were all empty. Tuskgen informed me that this was still the upper basement level, and that when we got to the lower one, the chances of finding something were much greater. When we finally approached the door leading to the lower level, my heart skipped as I heard a loud noise. 

“What was that?”

“Radroach?”

I didn’t buy it, and I could tell by Tuskgen’s answer that she didn’t believe it either. The door was closed, but not locked. I went to push it open but Tuskgen stopped me. 

“Jasmine, put your helmet on.”

“Y-yes.”

“Helmet? I didn’t see you have a…”

She had been wearing a very large metal backpack, with what looked like a giant antenna sticking out of it. I figured it was simply a Guardian thing, but when I saw a small panel open up with an attached helmet flip out, I knew it was nothing but standard equipment. I knew that they couldn’t remove Jasmine’s metal jaw, but when the helmet rotated to attach, I saw how it made the jaw blend into the rest of it, making it look like one unit. It was actually very cool. 

“Okay, now use the thermal imager.”

I saw the ‘eyes’ of the helmet fluctuate between green and red. “I see four things.”

“Okay, now concentrate on one of the images, and think about focusing it.”

“I see… it looks like a… lion?”

“Good. Now do the same with the others. Take your time, and get used to the feeling.”

“What's going on Tuskgen?” I was very confused.

“Well, it seems that Red-Necks, despite their backwards thinking, were really good at utilizing the tech to control their flamers. You see, the reason we couldn’t remove the jaw is that it has circuitry that was directly connected to her brain. It actually allows them to control their weapons with thoughts, only they never utilized the technology much further than a simple on/off of their weapons. I managed to tweak it to unlock its full potential.”

“I can’t believe those bastards could have created something so useful.”

“They didn’t. It was one of the products of a joint project between Burrow-Tec and SwineCo. It never saw mass production.”

Technology that required physical mutilation to get it to work? Why am I not surprised that Burrow-Tec was involved. 

“Two lions, a beaver, and a porcupine.”

“Four? That’s all you see?”

“Yeah.”

“Well Olivia, you're the expert in… confrontation. How do you think we should proceed?”

“Confrontation is not what I want right now. I just want to get in and get out. We should go back and get Zack and then come up with a plan.”

They agreed as we turned back towards the entrance to the basement. We didn’t make it more than five feet before yellow lights started to flash. A large metal door slammed closed in front of us, blocking our way back to Zack. I looked for a control panel, but there were none. 

“Damn it! What the fuck is going on? Tuskgen, Jasmine, do either of you have a way to contact Zack?”

“I already tried, the radio blocker is preventing it.” I could tell Jasmine was starting to panic.

“Okay, let’s keep calm. Maybe he hit a button accidentally?”

“That doesn’t explain our company.”

Fuck. Tuskgen was right. This had to be their doing. There was only one thing to do. “Let’s go pay them a visit then. Jasmine, keep Tuskgen in your sight the entire time.”

“W-what are you going to do?”

“I’m gonna go play scout.” 

I opened the door to the lower level and saw a set of stairs leading down. I took a quick peak, but didn’t see any sign of mammals. 

“Count to sixty. If I'm not back, proceed slowly.”

“Back? What are…”

I activated my Stealth-Boar and slipped down the stairs before Jasmine could finish. It was only four flights, but I moved down them so fast it almost felt like I was floating. Once I reached the bottom, I saw the only door, and it was partially open. I slipped through it. On the other side was a long hallway. Every ten feet there was a door on either the left, or the right side of it, but down at the other end was a single door with a red flashing light above it. In front of the door were the mammals Jasmine saw. 

I wanted to take out my scope, to see what they were up to, but my invisibility started to fade. I ducked into the nearest room that was unlocked. Grabbing my scope, I took a peak to make sure they didn’t notice me and then peered down at them. They had some kind of machine attached to the wall, with a series of flashing lights and numbers on it. I think they were trying to hack the control panel. 

“Fuck it Ralph! You set off the alarm! Now we'll have every fucking Guardian on our ass!”

“Don’t get your quills in a bunch Felicity. You’re the one who told me to attach this damn thing. Why the hell does Impotent-Doe want in here so badly?”

“You fucktard! You know the boss don’t like anyone calling her that! Do your job or I'll personally make sure she finds out. Remember what happened to Sammy?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just got to…” 

A giant spark caused the beaver to fly backwards. I could see he was knocked unconscious from it, and I started to smell singed fur… no. Please not now. I need to…

“Ralph! You okay? Damn it Gene, he’s…” While I was trying to shake the image of burning flesh from my head, the porcupine made eye contact with me. “Who the fuck are you? Wait… IT’S HER! Tammy! Tommy! Get that fucking rabbit!”

Well, looks like my fan club has arrived. Fuck. I pulled out my gun, but not before I saw the two lions inject themselves with something. Oh fuck, they’re Berserk-Kings. I saw the familiar look of controlled rage fill both of their faces as they then started charging me. I pulled out my gun to fire, but before I could pull the trigger, one of them dropped. I turned back towards the door and saw Jasmine standing there with what I thought was an antenna hovering over her shoulder. 

“That’s a gun?!”

“Yup. My own design. Just like her helmet, it’s controlled via her implant.”

“Oh, Holly would… just a sec.” When Jasmine took out the one lion, it caused the other one to stop and simply stare it the corpse. Now, she was charging us again, with a very hateful look in her face. “Pip-Boar, kill.”

I knew it was a large enough target that I could have taken her down without the need for B.A.T.S., but I didn’t care. One bullet to the lion’s head caused her entire body to collapse to the ground. I took aim at the porcupine, but I was too far away, and only had an eleven percent chance to hit according to my Pip-Boar. I fired anyways, and missed.

“Damn it, I gotta get closer.”

“No need. Jasmine?”

“Y-yes.”

The gun rotated a bit and then fired. Still under the effects of B.A.T.S., I was able to nearly trace the bullet towards its target. Despite the distance, it was a clean shot as the porcupine dropped. 

“Computer controlled targeting. All Jasmine has to do is lock on and fire, the system does all the work for her.”

“I-It worked…” She didn’t sound too happy about it. 

“Jasmine, I know you don’t like killing, but you did just save us. Don’t think of it as killing a mammal, think of it as saving a friend. They would not have.”

“I-I… I know. I just…”

“I won’t ask you to do it again if you don’t want. Just do what you think is best. I won’t fault you for it. Now, let’s go see what the hell they did and try to undo it, okay?”

They agreed and I walked down the long hallway. Every single door was opened, except for this one. The device that they had planted on the access panel had shorted out, and smoke was pouring from it. It took some effort but I finally got it off. Thankfully, it was only the device that got fried, not the actual access panel. 

“So Tuskgen, what do I do?”

“Just like Burrow doors, there's a small manual access port under the instruction sign, only it’s designed for a manual Pip-Boar interface.”

I took out my screwdriver and unscrewed all four screws connecting it to the wall. Just like she said, there was a small port that matched the size and shape of my Pip-Boar’s access cable. I connected it and was greeted with a SwineCo welcome screen. It then changed to a simple screen that asked for password and a user-name.

“What now?”

“Enter the user ‘Swinton.H’ and leave the password blank. Just give me a moment…” Tuskgen dug around her satchel and pulled out a small device. “When you enter the blank password, this should intercept the authentication and hopefully generate a password for me. I would have never been able to use this without a Pip-Boar like yours.”

I pushed the button and got an error. 

“Okay, now use the same user name, but try this password: ‘S1W2I3N4T5O6N7’.”

Entering the information greeted me with an access accepted screen as the door’s lock disengaged. 

“Well, looks like your planning paid off. What if it didn’t?”

“Zack has three pounds of altered plastic explosive with him.”

“What do you mean ‘altered’?”

“Well, when it explodes it admits a highly corrosive acid that should eat through the door. Never tested it due to the side effects.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“It turns the air into a toxic gas.”

“Yeah, you're not using that stuff around me Tuskgen.”

We entered the room and it was much different than the other ones. Firstly, it was so large that Jasmine could stand on the shoulders of three other giraffe and still not reach the ceiling. It was also completely untouched. There were deactivated robots in small cubical devices that lined the walls. There was even one the size of the APC, with a segmented body. Weapons of designs I've never seen before lined the walls. 

“We have gotta come back here.” I felt myself in awe at everything.

“My sentiments exactly.”

I heard the sound of someone running down the hallway. Not knowing if there were any more Berserk-Kings hiding, I quickly turned, gun in my paw. It’s a good thing I didn’t pull the trigger. It was Zack.

“Don’t shoot!”

“Don’t go running up on us like that! Don’t you see the corpses?”

“Yeah, I was gonna ask about that. I got the lock down disabled, but we need to go. Now.”

“They're dead, what’s the…”

“Found it!” Tuskgen rushed over to us with a small box. “Got everything I need, plus a bit more. Didn’t even have to take apart anything. We can go, but I want to get a team back here ASAP to transport the rest of this stuff to the base.”

“No can do Tuskgen.”

“Why not?”

“It’s under lock down.”

I turned towards the entrance to see a face I didn’t expect. Stalker Logan. Behind him were Mark and Holly with very worried looks on their face. Onion floated by their side. 

“Why are you here? What the fuck is going on?” Why did I have a bad feeling.

“Defender King has taken over the Guardian Headquarters. He says he’s taking control of the Guardians.” Logan was calm, but I could tell there was a bit of concern in his voice.

“How can he do that? I thought Lazlo was in charge?” Then my heart sank. “Where the fuck is Nate?”

“Nate’s safe ‘livi. The medical team is en route with him to a temporary base.”

“On top of that, we've had no contact with Chief Lazlo and his team. Currently I'm in charge of making sure the remaining Defenders don't split apart anymore than they already are.”

The feeling of dread was rapidly increasing within me. I could tell that none of them were taking this well, even if they weren't showing it. Lazlo is missing, some brute of a rhino has declared himself leader, and Nate is still in a coma. Why was it every time something happened to make me feel a bit better, it all comes crashing down around me?

“What do we do now?” I wasn’t even sure how to react to this, I could only think of Nate’s safety.

“We regroup. Call back all the Guardians loyal to Chief Lazlo and make plans to get him. Until we can get the Chief back, we have to prepare ourselves for something that hasn’t happened in a very long time.”

“What's that Logan?”

“A Guardian civil war.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! So, yeah that just happened. No, it had nothing to do with a certain superhero movie that was out around the time this chapter was being developed, but rather an inkling of an idea developed between Max and I. These next few chapters will be, well, interesting to say the least. I will tell you this, the next two story arcs will start to focus a bit more on another character than Olivia, but don’t worry, she’s still the star of the show, but she can’t hog _all_ the spotlight.

“Now, today’s episode will be very special. Defender Matheous King is a rather… unique individual and I felt that now would be a good time to get to know him a little better. Now while the onset of a civil war within the Protectors of the Wasteland will prove to be a bit… harrowing for all parties involved, Defender King has agreed to share his side of the story. Defender King, how are you?”

**[King]**

“You better fucking make sure you do exactly as you’re told while you’re here zebra.”

**[Max]** _(Whispering to Stripes)_

“Well this feels like a mistake right off the bat… Stripes…Really not sure about this. I mean I’m normally all for getting your ass kicked around but uh… C’mon Stripes… This is a little extreme don’tcha think?”

**[Stripes]**

“Well ain’t that a fine howdy do? And don’t worry Max, they are still Guardians, right? Now you see folks, Defender King has so ‘graciously’ invited me here to help spread word of his take over of the Guardians. However, that’s not really my cup of tea so let’s see how this turns out.” _whispers_ “Don’t worry, I’m still rooting for team Olivia, I’m just curious how this turns out.”

**[King]**

“What was that zebra?”

**[Stripes]**

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing. Ahem. So, I want to warm up the audience with a few questions before we go into the big ones. How long have you been a Guardian?”

**[Max]**

“Yer finally gonna get us killed… Congrats Stripes..”

**[King]**

“ _You_ are here for _me_! Not them!”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, um… yeah. You see, yelling and demanding really doesn’t get you as far as you’d think in life. Let the people get to know you, get to understand you better. You’ll have a much easier time doing, what ever it is you are planning to do, if the people understand it better.”

**[King]**

“If I find out that you’re stalling me in order to initiate a sneak attack against us, your hide will make a fine addition to my trophy room!”

**[Max]**

“A-allow me to interject here! Stripes is well… Utterly incapable of planning such a feat and considering we’re literally on the doorstep of your uh… Headquarters… Well I doubt you’re in any danger… Like at all. Stripes is completely harmless really.”

**[Stripes]**

“Max is right, except for that completely harmless bit. Though I did graciously leave my weapons at the door, so I guess I am a bit harmless right now. Plus, anyone who would even be willing to make that kind of assault against you is… well… let’s just say they don’t want me within a hundred feet of them. So, anyways. About the question?”

**[King]**

“Fine. Fifteen years.”

**[Stripes]**

“Fifteen years? Why is it we haven’t really seen mention of you until recently?”

**[King]**

“Just got out of the brig a week ago.”

**[Stripes]**

“Brig? You mean like a jail? What did you do?”

**[King]**

“I’ve been told I have an anger problem. Last mammal who told me that now has a broken jaw.”

**[Stripes]**

“I see… yeah, no problems right there… So, anyways. Why the sudden uprising? Chief Lazlo seems to run a pretty good operation here.”

**[King]**

“The _Chief_ is getting senile in his old age. He thinks that protecting the weak is more important than actually doing our job.”

**[Stripes]**

“Isn’t protecting the weak what the Guardians are all about?”

**[King]**

“Ha! That’s old talk right there. Really old. Yeah, before the war I’m certain that the weak needed to be protected. Those mammals paying taxes, working to make this world a ‘better’ place. How did that help? It DIDN’T! This world is fucked. The weak are fucked. Why bother to protect those who will give nothing in return? I say screw them. If they want to contribute to a better world, they can do it on their own. The Guardians should be out there doing what we do best. Taking out the trash. These fucking raiders, these lowlifes who think they’re better than the rest of us. _We_ got the power, so why not show it? That fucking pitiful excuse for a leader just wanted to hide here, popping our heads out here and there and then retreating. He turned an army into a group of servants!”

**[Stripes]**

“Personally I think they were doing a good job… so why now?”

**[King]**

“That fucking Lazlo is M.I.A., probably got himself killed along with the rest of those fuckers that look up to him. What better time? Plus this was ripe for division. We’re busting our fucking asses out there trying to wipe out these fucking raider degenerates, and what does that fucking Lazlo do? Invites a fucking _RED-NECK_ into our base! They’re the worst scum out there! I don’t fucking care how ‘hurt’ or ‘innocent’ she looks, she’s a fucking monster and should be treated like one! Between her and that fucking bitch of a rabbit and her fucking cowardly fox, this place is turning into a daycare!”

**[Stripes]**

“Wow, you sure have a lot of hate in you. Ever think about anger management?”

**[King]**

“Last mammal who told me that has to drink his meals through a straw, so best not get on my bad side.”

**[Stripes]**

“It’s kinda hard to tell what one that is… eep!”

**[King]**

“What did I fucking tell you?”

**[Stripes]**

“Ow-ow-ow-ow… my mane is not a handle!”

**[King]**

“This interview is over.” 

_sound of crashing and bones breaking_

**[Stripes]**

“Oh fucking… sorry folks, I didn’t mean to… I can see my bone! Max! Get me the hell out of here! All that blood… is it… m…”

**[Max]**

“God damn it Stripes! I… Fuckfuckfuck! I fuckin’ told you! I fuckin’ told you you god damn idiot! Marian Preserve my soul if I don’t make it out of this! You’re gonna pay for this one King! Your fuckin’ days are NUMBERED YOU HEAR ME YOU OVERSIZED GOR-AGAARH”

_Sounds of gunfire and scrambling_


	64. Never Lost Among Friends and Family

“Nate will be fine ‘livi, I promise.”

We were en-route to some hospital that Logan said only a few Guardians, including Lazlo, knew about. It was supposed to be safe, secure, and most importantly, hidden from any initial aggression by Defender King and his renegades. I didn’t even know how far away it was, nor how long I was in this aircraft. So many things were going through my mind that were distracting me from it. 

“Aren’t you scared Holly?” 

“Yes, we are.” She and Mark had been huddled close together, and close to me, since we boarded the Tac-Lifter. “The Guardians have been our friends ever since shortly after we left our Burrow. While we don’t know all of them, The ones we do have been so very helpful to us, and to many of the helpless wastelanders simply trying to make ends meet. But we're also concerned for Nate. The Guardian base had some of the most advanced medical technology around here. This whole thing scares us.”

“I know he'll be fine, but what if this place doesn’t have what Tuskgen needs to attach his arm, what if it doesn’t have proper equipment to make sure he’s kept alive, what if someone attacks the medical transport, what if they get lost, what if…”

I felt Holly’s paw grab my shoulder, forcing me to turn to her. “I know you're worried ‘livi, but you can’t go on thinking that way. We know how you get when your mind isn't in the right place, and we don’t like seeing you there. He'll be fine. Most of the medical team is loyal to Chief Lazlo, so we have their full support. We made sure to grab everything we could from Tuskgen’s lab, along with anything Nate might need to help with his recovery. That damn King was so busy trying to make sure none of us took anything from the armory, that he left most of the place un-secure.”

“How did this happen anyways?” She was right, I needed to get mind off of Nate. I could feel myself slowly sinking into that dark place. 

“From what Logan tells us, King has tried this in the past, but always failed. Chief Lazlo might not seem like an overly strict leader, but he knows how to quell an insurgence. It seems that with Lazlo out of the picture, he took the time to gather anyone else who didn’t like Lazlo’s lead.”

“How could they not like Lazlo? He’s been nothing but kind, even with everything we brought him.”

“I think that’s the problem. Some mammals don’t like a kind leader, they think it’s a weakness. That’s why most of the raider gangs are vile and ruthless. King probably thinks the same thing.”

“What can we do?”

“Hide. Stay safe, and try to establish communication with the Chief.” Since Logan was flying, he had been quiet up until now.

“Shouldn’t we be doing something to help?”

“No. This isn’t your fight. I’ve already sent a distress signal out to recall all available Guardians who are sill loyal to the Chief. We will then be making plans to assault Precinct One, get the Chief back, and then take back our base.”

“‘Livi, we need to be worrying about Nate. I know it feels unnatural to not help, but you go and get yourself killed and then Nate wakes up, what will he think? After how he reacted when you were kidnapped, I think losing you would push him further over the edge than we've ever seen.”

Holly simply pulled me close and sandwiched herself between Mark and I. I needed to concentrate on Nate, but not so much that it drives me crazy. It’s not that I didn’t want to help the Guardians, but I simply wanted that need to help to distract me from the pain I'm already feeling. I rested my head on Holly’s shoulder and closed my eyes. Everywhere I looked something bad was happening and I was still feeling helpless.

***

We arrived shortly before the medical transport did. Those twenty minutes waiting to see the oversized aircraft felt like an eternity. Every second that I didn’t know where Nate is was agony. Thoughts of them getting shot down, having to take a detour, or they deciding that King had the better idea and turning around, were flying through my head at an alarming rate. Despite being shown to a small room where the three of us could relax, I felt frozen, unable to move. When radio silence broke and I heard that the team was arriving, I nearly knocked our escort over trying to run back to where we had landed. 

All of the Guardians, including Zack and Jasmine, were posted in and around the landing area as teams from all over the wasteland were arriving. When the medical transport finally landed, I rushed over to them, and felt an enormous weight lift off of me when I saw them wheeling Nate out on a makeshift bed with monitoring devices attached all over. He was still unconscious, but he was safe. 

“You were supposed to have arrived before the primary forces, what happened out there?” Logan, who was currently in charge, was questioning one of the Defenders assigned to the transport as the medical team moved Nate into the facility. 

“We ran into a small bit of trouble. Some raiders tried to take pot shots at us with missile launchers, but two of the three Tac’s with us stayed behind to distract them. We lost radio contact with them shortly after.”

“Damn it. Agent Rhine. Send a team out and look for Tact-Lifter transponders TL-412 and TL-451. We got two lost birds.”

“ _Roger Stalker Logan._ ”

Logan looked at us. “You three should go see if the medical team needs help.”

“Y-yes.” I still felt worried, but knowing that Nate was safe made it much less stressing. 

“Stalker Rothschild, Stalker Grant, I'm assigning you two to keep a watch on those four. I have no idea what will happen right now, but since they're still considered civilians, Guardian code states that in emergencies, all civilians must be assigned at least one Guardian for the duration of the emergency.”

“Yes Sir!” Zack saluted Logan.

“Yes… yes sir!” I could tell that Jasmine was still trying to get a feel for being a Guardian.

I had a feeling that Logan wasn’t simply assigning them to protect us out of proper Guardian procedures, but rather because he knew that they were our friends and that in times like this, it's always best for friends to stick together. Plus, I could tell that Jasmine was a bit nervous. I didn’t blame her either. She finally makes new friends within the Guardians, and then this happens. I just hope that the timing doesn’t make her think it’s her fault.

We headed deeper into the facility, and just as they said it was definitely a hospital at one time. The outer areas were dusty, dilapidated, and at times, looked unlivable. The further we got into the building, the cleaner it started to look and the more kept it seemed. We then came face to face with a door sealed with locks very similar to the ones at the Guardian’s base. 

“This is Guardian tech, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Zack pulled a small device out and waved it in front of the lock. A few seconds later the door opened. “This place was discovered shortly after we established our base of operations. It was during the Chief’s younger years. I wasn’t there of course, but I heard the stories. Apparently there were a few places that the Chief found that he thought were secure enough for a standalone base, but didn't want to divide the Guardians by spreading them out into multiple bases. Every time a place like this was found, he sent in a team to secure it and prep it for emergencies. This is the largest one, and since it was a medical facility, it'll serve as a place for Nate to properly recover.”

“You know where the other ones are?”

“Not really. I didn’t even know about this one until a few hours ago. Only a few, like Stalker Logan, are kept in the loop on their whereabouts. Thankfully, I think all of them are with us.”

There were three more locks before we reached where Nate had been brought. Unlike the room he was in before, this place felt almost like a prison. It was a large, almost circular room with doors leading to smaller ones all throughout the outer wall. There was nothing even remotely comforting. Bleached white tiles, a bleached white ceiling, and in most of the rooms, simple metal beds. One of the technicians had moved a bed out and placed Nate in one of the rooms. 

“O-Olivia, could we t-talk?” Jasmine leaned her head over my own and whispered.

Doc and his team were looking over Nate, but there wasn't much room for any of us at the moment. “Sure. Hey guys, we'll be right back.”

Jasmine and I ducked into one of the rooms and I shut the door behind us. It wasn’t tall enough for her to stand, but the bed was big enough to support her, so after sitting she seemed much more comfortable. I sat down on the floor and looked up at her. 

“T-theres room on the bed, that floor d-doesn’t look too comfortable.”

“Honestly, I don’t want to feel comfortable right now. Every time I finally do, something bad happens. Sorry, I didn’t mean to trouble you with my own stuff. What did you want to talk about?”

“It’s… it’s all my f-fault.”

I knew this would happen. How did I know? Because in her place I would be thinking the same exact thing.

“None of this is your fault.”

“I… I know it is.”

“How? How can you _know_ this is all your fault?”

“I was… it was late at n-night. I don’t…” she put her hooves on her neck. “I don’t like others to see my burns. I hate them, and I don’t want others to hate them either, that is, to hate me. I t-tend to take a shower late at night, when no one else is around. I had finished up and was just about to leave when I overheard D-Defender King talking outside the showers.”

“King?” I already didn’t like where this was going, and I barely even knew the mammal.

“Y-yes. He was talking to… someone, and I was just planning on sneaking out the other doors when I heard him say… my name. He said it with such, hatred and disgust. I should have just left, but I was afraid he would see me, and that he would…”

“Hurt you?”

“Y-yes. I knew he didn’t like me. There were so few of them that did. I froze. He started talking about me, and Drake, and all of you guys, how Chief Lazlo kept bringing in ‘strays’, and that soon the Guardians would be made up of nothing more than raiders and ‘wasteland scum’. He said things had to change.”

“What did he say then?”

“I don’t know. I was feeling scared, so I snuck away. I wanted to tell someone else, but I wasn’t sure who would have believed me, and then we were sent out to get those parts.”

Despite the fact that I wanted to tell her that it was not her fault, part of me wondered if she was simply the spark that ignited the already oversaturated fuel. I couldn’t tell her that. Even if she remotely thought it was her fault, it might start to tear away at her as it has already done to me. 

“No, don’t blame yourself. From the sounds of it, things were already a bit tense. Lazlo going missing was the spark, and when he returns, he'll be the one to extinguish this before it gets out of paw.”

“A-are you sure?”

“I'm positive. He may be one of the nicer mammals I know, but he’s also the toughest old geezer I have ever seen. I promise you, once he's back, this will all blow over, although I would hate to be King when it does.”

“T-thank you. I didn’t know who to talk to.”

“What about Zack? You two seem close enough to share things like this.”

“I-I… I don’t want to scare him away.”

“If he really does care for you, then something like that wouldn’t even come close to pushing him away. I think Nate was the same way, afraid that if I found out how broken he was, that I wouldn’t be interested in him anymore. To be honest, it was the completely opposite effect. The more broken I found him to be, the closer I found myself getting to him. And now, with everything going on, _I_ am the one feeling broken. Sometimes I feel that I may never be fixed, sometimes I…” I felt tears coming and looked up to see concern in Jasmines eyes. “Sorry. You go telling me your woes, and I drown them out with mine.”

She put her hoof on my back. “No, I understand. In some morbid way, it makes me feel better. To know how sunken one can be, yet still be loved, means that even I, someone who used to be part of one of the most hated and feared raiders to exist, can find someone who can care about me. I-I… I didn’t mean that to…”

“No, it’s okay.” I chuckled a little. “Funny how so many broken mammals seemed to have gravitated together. We all need to fix our own problems, but maybe it's a friendship like this that helps to keep the pieces bound together.”

“So… you don’t regret saving me?”

“Why would I? You've done nothing to prove yourself otherwise. With all the crap we've been through, you've seemed like the most innocent of us all. I can’t even imagine how the world you used to belong to could even create something so innocent.”

“It… was hard. I kept to myself as much as I could. I… no, it’s too silly.”

“No, I want to hear it. I want to know how you could be who you are after everything you have been through. Maybe it might just help me.”

“J-just… don’t laugh.”

“I promise.”

“When I was younger, before we were sold into… s-slavery, it was just me and my mother, trying to survive. I didn’t know if my father left or died, she would never talk about him. We were living in squalor, unsure if we would be able to eat the next day. My mother went out every day to do whatever she could for caps or food. She never brought me with her, and as I got older, part of me was glad she didn’t. To keep me preoccupied, she kept bringing me books she found. I really wasn’t much of a reader, spending most of my time trapped in my own imagination, but there was always one type of story I always looked forward to reading.” 

She paused, as if still uncertain if she wanted to tell me. 

“And that would be?”

“Fairy tales.” 

“Well that isn’t too odd, I've read a few myself.”

“It was a certain kind, actually. The kind with a helpless princess being saved by a dashing prince. I… I always wanted that, to be swept off my feet and saved from this world. It was just a flight of fancy when I was a child, but after I was forced to join the Red-Necks, it was the only thing that kept me sane. I would put my body and brain on autopilot and loose myself in my imagination, just hoping and waiting for the day that I'm rescued from that place.”

“Well you were rescued. Just don’t be going around calling me Prince Charming or anything.”

“No, you're more like the evil step-mother.” She had a smile to her face, but then suddenly it turned to a near horrific look. “I-I-I… I didn’t mean that!”

I smiled at her. “I take no offense to that. I can be a bit… evil at times. Probably why everyone calls me a ‘crazy bunny’. I'm sure to my enemies I'm called much, much worse. I’m glad you told me that. I promise to keep it between you and me, but let me share a little secret with you. I may have rescued you, but I think you already found your Prince Charming. He’s tall, striped, and right outside this room. He’s already got the chivalry down pat.”

“I-I…”

“He likes you, and I can tell you like him. If it’s one thing I learned from all of this is that having someone to love, and having them love you back makes everything so much better no matter how far you're dragged into the darkness. There isn’t a moment that I don’t think of Nate, even when he’s healthy, and it’s that love that's kept me going when others would have given up.”

“B-but what if he doesn’t feel the same way about me?”

“I may not be the best person to talk about relationships to, but I can tell he does. The way he looks at you, the way he treats you. I think he would give his life to save you, and not as a Guardian, as a mammal. Plus… if he doesn’t, I'm sure if you wear that cute dress around him, he'll be begging you to have him.” 

Jasmine’s face went a very deep shade of red. “I-I do like that dress…”

“You look very cute in it. So, you feel any better now?”

“Yes. I do actually.”

“I’m glad. Now let’s go check on the others. After you… _Princess_ Jasmine.”

I think I caught her off guard because she tripped over her own feet trying to leave the door. As I suspected, Zack _was_ right outside the door. I don’t know if he overheard any of that, but he didn’t show it if he did. Then again, he was also too busy trying to catch Jasmine before she fell.

“You okay Jay-Jay?”

“Y-yes. Sorry, I’m clumsy.”

“No need to apologize my Princess.”

Yeah, he had overheard us. His sudden use of the word caused Jasmine to continue her downward decent to the floor. 

“Way to go, Mr. Eavesdropper.”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do it, it’s just that I was concerned. She’s seemed uneasy ever since we had to leave Guardian HQ. I wanted to make sure she was alright.”

“How much did you hear?” 

“Just the last few minutes, I promise!”

“He’s right ‘livi. He wanted to check up on her and was only there a short time.” Holly punched him on the arm. “Doesn’t mean it was alright to snoop.”

“Yeah.” I punched his other arm.

“Ouch! I didn’t know rabbits could hit so hard.”

“You should see ‘livi kick.”

“I promise, I won’t do it again!”

“I-it’s okay that he heard.” Jasmine had gotten to a seated position, but didn’t seem in a hurry to stand. “You just heard my part… right?”

“I swear it! I didn’t want to, and I knew I shouldn’t have, but I just want to know more about you, and wasn’t sure if you were willing to tell me.”

“I-I…”

Jasmine was interrupted when I suddenly jumped up from kneeling down at her side. I heard something. Something familiar. I think it was…

“NATE!” 

I ran over to his bed as he was slowly trying to push himself up. He was awake! 

“B-binky? W-what… w-where…”

“Shh, take it easy, we're all here and we're safe.”

“I-I had d-dreams. Nightmares. Y-you were there. You were always there.”

I grabbed a hold of him and hugged him. Hugged him tighter than I think I ever had. He was awake. He was alive.

“I-I… my arm…” I let him go and took a step back as he looked over to the bandaged stump. “Wh-wheres my arm?”

“You lost it. Protecting… me.”

“I remember… you were in trouble. My heart, it was hurting. I felt pain and then… nothing.”

“My foot was stuck. You used B.A.T.S. and jumped in front of a very large gun. You saved me Nate.”

“I… I had to.”

I grabbed him again and kissed him. I felt his body start to soften as he returned it. “I missed you.”

“I remember… I heard you crying… I heard others crying… I heard singing…”

“You heard all of that?”

“Yes.”

“I was afraid, we all were. I didn’t want to lose you.”

“She stuck by you like glue Nate.” Mark came up and gave his brother a hug, followed by Holly.

“You had us all worried.” Holly looked as if she was about to cry, but was holding it back. 

I wasn’t. 

“I-I was so afraid. I kept thinking I lost you, that you were gone, never to come back. I did things, said things that I shouldn’t have, almost hurt people, all because I was angry at myself. I just wanted you back. That’s all that I cared about, that’s all I could think about. That’s all…”

Nate grabbed me this time and wiped away my tears before pulling me close. “Things were dark where I was. I kept seeing… bad things. I-it haunted me, terrorized me. I didn’t want to live, but then I kept seeing you. Every time I thought the darkness was finally done with me, you broke through and gave me something to cling on. A voice, a tear, you were there drawing me back. I-I… I think I'm alive, because of you.”

“P-please don’t ever leave me again.” I clung to him, as if that simple act would make my words a reality.

“I won’t. I promise.” He clung to me as well.

***

After Doc had checked him over and given him the go ahead to leave the room, the first thing we all did was get some food. Bo and his family had been able to bring some of the gardens bounty with them, but it wasn’t enough to last more than a day or two. That didn’t stop all of us from having a well deserved meal. 

There were at least fifty Guardians who had left to join us here, and according to Logan, at least a dozen more unaccounted for. Bo was able to stretch the food in order to allow each of us to have a bit of it before we had to go back to those disgusting military rations. While we were eating, we filled Nate in on everything that happened up until this point.

“So, no one's heard from Mister Lazlo?”

“No. Logan has some Agents out trying to reestablish communication with him, but no luck.” 

Mark had responded between bites of his food. Bo had a single fillet of tuna left, and prepared that for me and Nate to share. Some of the Guardians still gave me odd looks every time I bit down on a piece of meat, but I stopped caring. It tasted good, and I've lived on carrots and other vegetables for such a long time, it was oddly satisfying to be able to eat something else for a change. I think Nate enjoyed being able to share it with me as well. 

Nate was sitting in a way that he had to use his only arm to reach across himself to pick at the food. I could tell that his Pip-Boar arm was his dominant one, because he always seemed a bit awkward doing it. Every time he failed to do something with his arm, I could see him glance down at the stump that was now hidden under his shirt. 

“We'll get that fixed.”

“You said a robotic arm?”

“Yeah. Tuskgen is working on it now, but Doc says you have to wait until all the meds are out of your system from the coma, otherwise the ones they need to give you might have a negative effect.”

“How long?”

“Tomorrow morning at the earliest. Things will be back to normal sweetie, and soon.”

“Kinda hard to tell what normal is anymore.”

“I know what you mean. Everything that’s happened, it just doesn’t feel like it should be happening, even though it is. We just got to look at the future with a positive light. We both have been dragged through so much darkness already, I think the light is the only thing we can hope for.”

I felt Nate’s tail wrap around me. I missed that. I missed the feeling of it slithering around me, how its unkempt fluff felt when it hit my own tail. I scooted the chair closer to him. Feeling satisfied enough, I pushed the plate back in front of him and just rested my head on his shoulder. I admit, it felt weird doing it and not having an arm to help support it, but it was still nice to do it after all this time. 

“It’s nice to see ‘livi in such a good mood. I’ll tell you what, she wasn't a very nice bunny to be around when you got hurt Nate. She got most of the Guardians cowering in their suits whenever she passed them.”

“I wasn't _that_ bad. Was I?” Then I remembered how I snapped Tuskgen and the others. “Yes, I was, wasn’t I?”

“You were under more stress than I think any one mammal could handle. Yes, you did go a bit too far at times, but no one blames you, and you always apologized. Like I said before ‘livi, we understood what you were going through.”

“Doesn’t make me feel any better how I acted.”

“I’m just glad I met someone who could care about me enough to go insane.” Nate kissed me between the ears. 

“I wasn’t insane! Just a bit… crazy…”

“Well your _my_ crazy rab…” Nate suddenly reeled over in pain, gripping his chest. 

“Nate? Nate! What’s wrong?!”

***

“Seems now that the meds are starting to wear off, whatever negative effect the X-241 has had on Nate’s heart in the past has escalated. I wasn’t sure if it would be an issue, but it’s clear it is.”

“Wait, you knew about this Doc? Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“Didn’t want to worry anyone if I was wrong. I gave him a chemical cocktail I created that will negate the effects, only problem is, short of a heart transplant and blood transfusion, neither of which will be very easy to do even if we had a proper donor, he'll need to have regular injections of this chemical in order to keep his heart stable.”

“How regular?”

“About every six or so hours, less if he is exerting himself.”

I felt my anger start to rise. He was back and I _still_ may lose him? No, this isn’t acceptable! 

A paw on my shoulder stopped me from lashing out. “Binky, it’s okay.”

“No it’s not! I don’t want to lose you again!”

“Before you fly off the handle Miss Springs, maybe you should let me finish. You see, while I didn’t want to worry you over this, I did make sure to plan for this very event. The chemical needed is nothing that needs a very high dosage. It’s a very effective serum. Two CC’s for normal activities, up to five for strenuous. Because of this, Tuskgen and I have found a way to include a high capacity injector in the arm design. I'll make sure to let her know it'll be needed. It, combined with a heart monitor, will automatically inject Nate when needed with whatever dosage is needed at the time. It also is a simple recipe, using ingredients that you can find at most medical facilities, and potentially traders. I'll be sure to upload the details to your Pip-Boar Nate.”

“Pip-Boar?”

“Yes, part of the design will integrate your Pip-Boar into it. I hope that's acceptable.”

“It is. Thank you.”

“You should thank Tuskgen. She put the most effort into it, I'm simply here to make sure it integrates with your biology and to add a few other suggestions. We should be ready for you at o-eight-hundred hours. Here's a syringe with enough dosages to last you until then so you don’t have to keep running back here every few hours. Please, make sure you keep your physical exertion to a minimum until then.”

I had my Nate back, but at a cost. I'm willing to put up with anything in order to have him here with me, and if this is what it will take to make sure he stays that way, then I will take it with an open paw. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, and I could tell that he wished the same, but it’s what we were given and we should take it.

“No exertion? That means no hanky-panky you two.”

“Holly!”

“Just saying, I know if I nearly lost my Marki, that would be the first thing on my mind.”

“Not helping.”

To be honest, the thought did cross my mind, but I had to wait a little longer for it, and I didn’t care. I had Nate and that’s all that matters. 

We were shown to a makeshift quarters area, that was thankfully in private rooms. Nate went in first and sat on the bed, and I closed the door behind me. The bed wasn’t the most comfortable looking, but it was better than the floor. It at least had a few pillows and a blanket to cover the mattress. 

There was something that I wanted to do that I had missed so very much. I slowly stripped naked, and was surprised that he wasn’t acting all bashful like he used to. 

“Last time you saw me naked, you couldn’t help but look away.”

“That was then. I missed you. All of you.”

“Take your shirt off.”

“But Doc said…”

“That’s not what I want. Well, it is, but not now. You know what I want right now.”

He started to unbutton his shirt, but hesitated after pulling his arm out.

“It’s okay sweetie.” 

I slowly pulled the shirt off of him and carefully moved him onto the bed. I laid next to him, placing my head on his bare chest and listened to his heart. It wasn’t the same rhythmic pattern that I was familiar with, it seemed… off. His chest raised and lowered slowly as he breathed, and even that felt different. The one thing that didn’t was his smell, and his warmth. That was the same. I closed my eyes, taking in this new rhythm.

“I love you Nate.”

“I love you too Olivia.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Celeste]**

“Hello everyone, I guess you’re a little surprised to hear me on the radio again… Well there’s a pretty good reason for that. Turns out that last little adventure Stripes dragged Max off on ended with both of them being picked up by retreating Guardian forces and transported to our currently undisclosed location.”

_Sounds of canid whimpering._

**[Celeste]**

“Ooh Maxie, I know sweetie I know. It’s alright, I’m right here. Sorry folks. Max is still in a lot of pain after what that bastard did to him. I can assure you that he’s recovering pretty well though and thanks in part of that is due to not having to deal with Stripes being in the same room with him… Though it _does_ seem we have another roommate here with us and he looks just about as hellish as my poor Maxie here. So! How’re you holding up stumpy?”

**[Nate]**

“Eeeh… I think I’ve been better…? I mean, I knew relationships could cost an arm and a leg but I never knew how literal that could be! Still though, I’m alive. My bunny is still alive, my family is still here. My friends too. I… I couldn’t be happier than I am right now. Even with the current circumstances.”

**[Celeste]**

“…Wow… Last time I heard you, you were stuttering up a storm and nervous as a newborn pup! Somethin’ change with the loss of a limb there?”

**[Nate]**

“I’d… mmm… Fightin’ through the worst nightmares in your head can kinda straighten you out if you’re strong enough and well, I guess I proved I’m stronger than what I was afraid of. I… I remember, all I wanted to do was get back to Olivia’s side. I wanted to be with my mate. It was driving everything else out of my mind, my fears, my worries. My traumas were all laid out before me and I plowed right through them. They didn’t matter anymore. They _don’t_ matter anymore. They don’t make me who I am. I determine that course now and I’m never going to let my fears control me again. And I might as well try and get used to it… By the way, where’s that nosy zebra who’s normally dragging your boyfriend around… ?”

**[Celeste]**

“Oh Stripes… ? Weeelll, after a broken muzzle and fractured jaw they apparently had to wire his mouth shut and put him into isolation. Compared to Max here, he got off lucky. Max ended up with a fractured shoulder and a punctured lung from being shot. S’why he’s in so much pain right now even with the painkillers they have him on. My poor puppy is just kinda stuck in his cot till the doc says it’ll be safe enough for him to move again.”

**[Nate]**

“Marian… I’m so sorry. I… I hope he recovers quickly and the pain goes away… Rrgh… Speaking of pain… Time for my last injection.”

**[Celeste]**

“Marian… I keep hearing you foxes speak of her. I think she’s really taking note of you all now. Making out like little bandits in the luck department lately! Not that I’m complaining any. Makes me want to convert just to ask her to keep an eye on my fox.”

**[Nate]**

“Heh… I… I don’t think you’d need to convert for that. Marian was a kind and loving soul no matter what species you were. She’s our patron saint and she’ll keep her eyes on anyone she deems worth it. Like you and Max there, you both are good mammals, kind and friendly and not afraid to crack a few jokes. Even if your fox has a reputation for being grumpy.”

**[Celeste]**

“I think I’ve been able to chip away at that a bit, at least whenever Stripes isn’t around. That fool always brings out the worst side in Max and he generally hates being like that. I mean, the zebra isn’t all bad but… He never thinks about what he does. Just goes out and does it and drags Max along because ‘reasons’. Sooo I’ve sort of taken it upon myself to help Max keep a mostly level head.”

**[Nate]**

“Well I think he has a wonderful lady watching out for him then… Mmm, sorry I think I’m starting to feel a bit tired again. The stress from everything has been kinda weighing on me. Enjoyed the chat though. Thank you for that.”

**[Celeste]**

“And thank _you_ for listening. Get some rest pup, I think your mate wants to see you bright eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning and I don’t think she’d appreciate me keeping you up any longer. That goes for the rest of you out there too! Sleep tight kits and keep an ear to your radios! I don’t think Stripes’ll be talking much but we’ll try to keep the news coming your way! Ta for now!”


	65. Broken Yet Better

It’s been nearly four days since Nate went under to get his new arm attached. Despite the fact that we were in a hospital, surrounded by medical personnel and equipment, some of it which a team sent to scavenge the lower wings of the place had brought back still in pristine condition, I was still beside myself the entire time. 

Every time someone new rushed into the operating room, my heart stopped. Each time I was told that it would be a few extra hours due to complications, I felt like I was losing him all over again. Despite being told it will be okay, part of me knew it wouldn’t be, that something bad would happen to him, leaving me alone.

But I wasn’t alone. Mark and Holly, Onion and Jasmine, they all stood by me, comforting me, holding me close, giving me a shoulder to cry on. No matter where I went, they stuck with me. Even the times I actually got some sleep, which wasn't much, I was never alone, and I was glad to have that. I didn’t want to be alone. 

During that time, Holly had kept herself busy trying to teach me to not be so reliant on B.A.T.S. when it came to combat. There was a place within the hospital that I was told was once the psychiatric ward, and after clearing out many of the beds and other furniture, it turned out to be a pretty good place to fire off a few rounds. Guess it was fitting where we were, because a few times I kinda lost it, firing madly into the targets Holly had set up. Apparently I still had some issues to work out. 

I had tried to assist with the salvage team who was digging deeper into the facility looking for supplies and other useful items, but kept stopping every few minutes to check in on Onion to make sure Nate was doing okay. Mark suggested that I just stay back. I wanted to be helpful, but until Nate was awake again, I was afraid. 

Nate’s surgery only took two days to complete, but Doc said he needed a lot of bed rest, and still needed to be monitored to make sure his body didn’t try to reject the implants. He was very groggy and a bit out of it I think because he kept giggling at the smallest things, and doing very un-Nate like things, such as trying to poke me all over my body, playing with my ears like they were some kind of children’s toy, and once he even grabbed my tail, commenting how fluffy it was. I think any other time this would have been a bit annoying, but I was so happy to have him back again, that I didn’t care what he did to me.

Except fall on me, which he did. Apparently the medication was affecting his motor functions, so when he tried to get out of bed, he lost control of his legs and fell right on top of me. Of course, like some sixth sense, Holly just so happened to walk right in while he was on top of me and just had to poke fun at the situation. 

I didn’t care. I had Nate back.

***

The next day was when Nate was finally able to actually leave his room, and when the medications wore off, he was back to his normal self. Well, almost. He was different. I could tell, and so could Mark and Holly. He seemed stronger. Not in a physical sense, although that new arm of his did allow him to lift things he could normally not, but his overall emotions and mental state just seemed stronger. 

Things that normally made him nervous, such as me undressing in front of him, or Holly teasing us about sneaking off just so we could have some well needed alone time, didn’t make him seem bashful or make him stutter. Instead, he just shrugged it off, and he actually managed to pull the rug out from under Holly.

“So Nate, it seems that you and ‘livi have a bit of competition.”

“What do you mean?” Nate sounded confused, and I wasn’t sure where Holly was going with this.

“Well, you know how I keep joking about how quickly you two hit it off? I think Jasmine has you beat. Wouldn’t be surprised if one day we run into an overly bashful giraffe, if you know what I mean.”

“Well Holly, maybe WE just like to take it a little slower. Though… not as slow as you and Mark. I mean, what? Five _years_ before you two were even holding paws?” Nate gave a little smirk towards Holly and Mark who were both sitting there, mouths wide open. 

I admit, I wasn't expecting him to be so… forward like that. 

“What have you done with my little brother?”

“I’m still here, I just feel… better.”

“Well, maybe ‘livi should get a robo-limb, to square away that head of hers.”

“I will _not_ be losing any body parts thank you very much.” I turned to Nate and slowly dragged my paw down the length of the metallic arm. “Though it does give you a bit of a menacing look, you might even start to stand out as the bigger bad-ass. How’s it feeling anyways?”

“Strangely normal. If I don’t look at it, I can hardly tell it’s not my original arm. Doc says that I'm out of danger of my body rejecting it, but Tuskgen wants to keep an eye on it, to make sure nothing goes wrong, but so far, so good.”

“I’m glad. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to adapt to it or something.”

“I’m not sure if I like it, but I wouldn’t want to feel like I was useless, especially with it being my Pip-Boar arm gone. I may not use it as much as you, but I’ve come to rely on it at times.”

“I have to ask. Why ‘sacrifice’?”

He sighed and closed his eyes. “Just like you, I want to protect those I care about, but unlike you, I often felt I just… wasn't worth being protected. To save my brother, to save Holly. To save you. I would give my own life in return to make sure those closest to me lived.”

“But you're not worthless. When you were hurt, when I didn’t know whether you’d even wake up, I felt as if I lost my only driving force in life. If anything ever happened to you… ”

I didn’t even know I had started to cry until Nate leaned in and wiped my tears away. “These new feelings, they're strange, and foreign to me. It’s going to take some time to get used to them, to figure out what they mean, but one thing is certain, you have shown me my true worth.” He kissed me. 

I had forgotten all about Mark and Holly being there until I heard Holly clearing her throat, exceptionally loud I might add.

“Yeah, maybe you two should just get a room.”

“Maybe we should. What you think Nate?”

“I did notice my scent is fading a bit on you. Don’t want someone coming and taking my bunny from me now do I?”

“Well then, I think we should go fix that.”

I knew that our little exchange was simply trying to make Holly and Mark feel a bit uncomfortable, but despite the fact it was working, I actually did want to be that close with him again. The last time we shared the same bed was a few nights ago, and even then it didn’t feel like the right time, but I think now it was. 

I really didn’t know how other females felt about it, but it wasn’t really the sex that I enjoyed. Not saying that I didn’t enjoy it, but rather, it’s the intimacy, the feeling that we're not two mammals, but one in both body and mind. It was that feeling of unity that I enjoyed the most. It helped me feel real, it helped me feel alive. 

It was also nice to have Nate in charge, and boy was he in charge that night.

***

Between the re-marking and the intimate night, along with passing out at some point, we remained in our room for the entire night, and I think a bit into the morning as well. No one had come to check up on us, or try to wake us, and I'm glad they didn’t. The two of us just laid there, held in each other's arms. I had been awake for a bit, but Nate was still fast asleep, his tail wrapped around me tightly. I think even on the subconscious level, he didn’t want to let me go again, and I felt the same way.

I was also getting hungry. I had eaten a bit when Nate finally woke up, but my appetite vanished again when he underwent surgery and for most of the time afterwards. Now that things were finally getting back to normal, my worries have diminished and my appetite was returning, acknowledged by the fact that my stomach was now growling louder than a lion.

It didn’t help that I was now trapped under Nate’s new arm. It wasn’t overly heavy, but it was cumbersome, especially since he had to shut it down after he nearly knocked me out during our night of passion. I really hope he still didn’t feel bad about it, I told him it was fine. 

“Nate, are you awake?”

It never worked before, so why did I think it would work now? After waiting a few seconds to see if he was going to show any signs of waking, I had to resort to… other methods. A few flicks on his ears and then nose caused Nate to suddenly shift, his eyes slowly opening. 

“Good morning sleepyhead. Sleep well?”

“Yeah.” He was still very groggy.

“I’m glad, we all needed it, real sleep that is. Now, mind getting your paper-weight off of me? Kinda stuck here.”

“Paper-weight?” It took him a good minute to figure out what I was saying, and when he did, his eyes shot wide open. “Oh! I’m sorry. Here.” I heard a faint noise as his arm ‘came-to-life’ and he finally moved it off of me. 

“Thanks. I’m ravenous, you hungry?”

“I could eat.” He looked at my face before shrinking back, but still not as much has he had used to. “Sorry, again.”

“It’s okay Nate, it was an accident. It will heal. Now, let's get dressed and find us some food. Wonder if Bo has anything left over? I'm not looking forward to going back to those… Rations. I'm not even sure it should be classified as food.”

We got dressed and started towards the mess hall. A quick stop at the restroom to clean up a bit, and then we arrived. It was empty and I checked the time on my Pip-Boar. It was a little after six in the morning. I was kind of shocked, expecting it to be sometime in the afternoon. Then again, I had no idea what time we even turned in last night. 

Since no one was in the kitchen at this time, we scavenged what food we could, but unfortunately it wasn’t much. There were a few pouches of carrot mash, along with some canned fish paste. Guess it will have to do. Nate grabbed a few things himself, and we went to sit down. 

“Not sure if you'll like that Binky.”

“What? This?” I held up the fish paste. “Why not?”

“Not the same as fresh, just saying.”

“Eh, I'll risk it.”

I don’t know why, but I had really developed a taste for fish. Maybe it was my foxy DNA taking over, or maybe it was just because I really haven’t had much variety in my meals most my life, but I really liked it. Unfortunately, Nate was right. Fresh _is_ better. This stuff didn’t taste like fish, I wasn’t even sure it had any _meat_ in it. It tasted like I was licking the bottom of someone's feet after they were walking through raw sewage. I spit it out and tossed the can against the wall.

“Told you. I don’t even like that stuff.”

“You could have warned me I was about to eat canned death!” 

“Thought I did?”

“Bah.”

The carrot mash wasn’t much better, but at least it didn’t make my taste buds want to commit suicide. I went back and grabbed a few more, hoping it would get that awful taste out of my mouth. We sat there, not saying much but not letting our gazes move away from each other. Sometimes the right company is all the conversation needed. 

“‘Livi! Nate! I can’t believe you two are actually up before the rest of us.”

“Morning Holly. Yeah, not really sure when we even fell asleep to be honest.”

“Well I'm sure you two had plenty to… ” She stopped and started to stare, he mouth hung open. She noticed. “NATE! What did you do to this poor girl? ‘Livi, your eye, it’s… ”

“It was an accident, I swear!” Nate seemed a bit defensive about it.

“We were… well I won’t go into details, but let's just say Nate found out the hard way that it's not as easy to control the arm when he’s a bit… focused on something.”

“It looks nasty, does it hurt?”

“Bit sore, but it'll heal. Don’t worry about it. Grab some food and sit. I’d be a bit wary about the canned fish though… ”

“Don’t tell me you actually _ate_ that? Nate, didn’t you warn her about it?” I guess Mark was familiar with that stuff as well.

“I did, but she wouldn’t listen.”

We sat there, just talking the whole time we ate. Our conversations weren’t focused on anything singular, we just talked, about everything. Some of it was mindless chatter, and a few times it involved current affairs, but we all were just happy to be in each other’s company. 

I heard a small noise and looked up to see Jasmine and Zack entering the mess hall. “Jasmine! Come, sit with us.”

They both grabbed some food and joined us at the table. Jasmine had an odd, almost embarrassed look on her face as she sat down next to Holly. Zack sat adjacent to Jasmine and started to eat some green paste from a pouch. Food like that just didn’t seem natural. 

“I’m sorry if I've seemed a bit distant the past few days Jasmine. Just had a lot on my mind.”

“It’s okay, I understand.”

“You okay? You seem a bit… I don’t know, bashful almost?”

“I-It’s… nothing… ”

“She’s just too embarrassed to let on that she and Zack had their own ‘wild’ night.” Holly smirked as she said it, in her own teasing way.

Jasmine nearly tipped her chair backwards, but Zack jumped up and steadied her chair, preventing her from falling. “Now that’s not a very nice thing to say Holly.”

“Don’t give me that, Mark and I _heard_ you two. You're only one room down from us after all.”

“You're taking it out of context!” Zack was being overly defensive about Holly’s teasing. “Jay-Jay was complaining about a sore back, and being that hooves make for a good massaging medium, I was helping her to release the built up tension in her muscles.”

“Oh, Marki has given me massages, but never _that_ good. Jazzie isn’t the quietest mammal when it comes to moans and groans. Have you heard her snore?”

“Holly! You knock that off. So what if they got a little action, after everything she’s been through, I think she deserves that much.” 

I wasn’t trying to add to the teasing, but I think I accidentally made things worse when I heard a loud noise and saw Jasmine passed out on the floor. I’ve never met a mammal who could faint at the drop of a hat light that. I gave Holly a look that caused her to instantly shut up and pretend to eat. 

“Jay-Jay! You okay?” Zack pulled out a small item and placed it in front of her nose. I heard a small popping noise as Jasmine suddenly shot up, breathing a bit heavily. 

“Holly, you apologize to her now.” I made sure to give her a look that said I meant it.

“Sorry Jazzie. I just tend to go a little overboard sometimes it seems.”

“Overboard? You have now made a giraffe faint. Twice.” Mark punched Holly on the shoulder.

“I didn’t mean it!”

“What is going on here people?!” 

Stalker Logan was standing at the door, and from his position, I'm sure things looked a bit questionable. Zack finished helping Jasmine up and then saluted Logan, with her following suit once she realized that what Zack was doing. 

“Sorry Logan, things got a little out of control thanks to a certain bunny.” I glanced at Holly, and saw her return a crooked smile.

“Enough!” Ever since Logan had taken charge, he's seemed much more serious than he had been. I'm sure with the Chief missing that that fact was still his greatest concern and focus. “A team has just returned with some gear we salvaged from a nearby military outpost. Since most of the Guardians are currently busy with other missions, I ask that you help sort through it all. We need to take stock of everything.”

“We'll do our best to help.” I tried to mimic the salute that Zack gave, but must not have performed it right since Logan gave me a raised eyebrow as if asking me what I just did.

“Yes. Well, you have fifteen minutes to finish whatever it is you're doing and meet us at in the west wing, corridor B.”

Logan left without another word. I saw Jasmine relax a bit, and surprisingly, I heard Zack sigh.

“Stalker Logan has been a bit tense these past few days. I think the pressure of trying to organize the Guardians is getting to him.” Zack showed real concern in his words.

“I can imagine. Having dozens of soldiers suddenly needing leadership, it must be wearing him down.” 

“Jazzie, I’m sorry. I promise I'll try not to tease you if I can help it.” 

“I-It’s okay… ”

“No, it’s not. I tend to find myself saying things I shouldn’t.” Holly seemed genuinely sorry for what she said.

“What’s done is done, let’s get to where Logan needs us before he tries to court marshal us.” 

We cleaned up the best we could and headed towards where Logan said to meet the newly returned team. This place was set up in a rather direct way. The west wing was actually in the westward direction, and there were signs pointing us towards corridor B. I had been expecting a small connecting hallway between two larger areas, but was surprised to see that corridor B was a massively large hallway. There were a few rooms connecting to them with a Defender in front of each room.

“This is our makeshift armory. It’s located within the most protected area of the hospital.” Logan was already there, directing mammals to put crates and duffel bags in certain areas. “Holly, I want you to inspect all the weapons that the team brought, make sure they're in working order, and if they aren't, scrap what parts you can from 'em and throw the rest into a pile. Tuskgen will be assisting you with that.”

“Ooh, yes please!” The mention of weapons made Holly’s eyes grow large.

“Mark, you and Doc will be sorting through any of the supplies. Medicine, food, and other things will need to be checked to make sure they're still good, and sorted out for transport to their respective areas.”

“Yes sir.” Mark seemed much better at the whole salute thing than I was.

“Nate, Olivia, we managed to find a crate of unused Mark I Pip-Boars. I need you two to make sure they're functional and able to be adapted with our tech.”

Nate’s eyes went wide, just as Holly’s did. 

“Mark I?” I had never heard a Pip-Boar called anything else but that.

“The original ones. Ours are Mark III, the most advanced ones put into production. The Mark I didn’t even have a touch-screen, rather dials and nobs that controlled all its aspects. It had limited functionality as well.”

Nate and I moved over to the crates Logan pointed to while he continued to give orders to the rest. I opened it and pulled out the Pip-Boar. The screen was much smaller than mine, yet it looked as if it was the right size for a rabbit. I sent a message to Onion letting him know that I'll be removing my Pip-Boar for a moment. Once he acknowledged it, I popped the clasp and removed it. I took the Mark I and placed it on my wrist. It was a tad loose, but otherwise it fit. Then I remembered something. Turning over my Pip-Boar I looked for the serial number. 

“Nate, does anything look odd about this? Tuskgen was telling me something about my Pip-Boar not being designed for a rabbit.”

“Huh? Let me take a look.” He took it from my paws and looked closely at it. His eyes brightened a bit as he looked towards me, a bit of confusion in his eyes. “100502365-FX? That can’t be right.”

“What does that mean?”

“Every Pip-Boar is designed for a specific species, even these earlier ones. Look at the one you're wearing.”

I took the old model off and looked for its serial number. It was in the same place, but was much shorter. “22158-RB. So?”

“RB, that means it's designed for a rabbit.”

“Wait, so does that mean… ”

“Yours was originally designed for a fox.”

First I find out I had fox DNA in me, and now I find out I was wearing a Pip-Boar designed for a fox? I never once cared about my ancestry, but every time I find out something new like this, I felt more and more inclined to know more. Was it just a sheer coincidence that my device was meant for a fox, or was someone trying to tell me something?

“Yeah, I can see it now. Someone had altered the casing to allow it to fit a smaller arm. I don’t know why I never noticed it before.” 

“Ugh. It’s starting to feel like I was born into the wrong species. Maybe I was actually meant to be a fox.”

“I don’t care _what_ you are Binky, that doesn’t change _who_ you are.”

“Yeah, but… ”

I was interrupted by an explosion and a scream. I jumped up and slapped my Pip-Boar on my arm as I scanned the area. Then I saw it. A fading green glow along with smoke, and Holly lying on the ground. Nate and I rushed over, but Mark and Doc were there first. 

“Holly! What happened?!” Mark was the first to say anything.

“I… ” Holly started to cough as she tried to sit up. “I was trying to dismantle a plasma rifle but failed to notice the crack in the power core’s housing. It just blew up in my face.”

“No cuts or internal bleeding. Minor radiation poisoning. Your body is in shock. You'll be fine.” Doc seemed very calm about it. 

“Well I sure as hell don’t _feel_ fine.”

“You're lucky none of the shrapnel from the gun it you. Here are some meds for the radiation, but you'll need to let your body flush it out naturally, otherwise you might have lingering effects from the medication.”

“Great.”

“You need to be careful fluff, I almost had a heart attack!” Mark grabbed Holly and started to hug her.

“Not my fault that thing was a piece of junk.”

“Mark, you take Holly and go with Doc to get cleaned up. Tuskgen will continue to sort the weapons.” Logan seemed un phased by what happened.

“Gee, thanks for the concern Logan.”

“If you're well enough for sarcasm, then maybe I should put you back to work?”

“Oh, I think I feel a headache coming on.”

“Crybaby. Yeah, we're moving.” Mark grabbed Holly and helped her up. She didn’t seem too stable so he let her lean on his shoulder as they went towards to where Doc had his area set up. 

Nate and I went back to the Pip-Boars, knowing that she would be safe with Mark and Doc. Logan was right about one thing, if she was still able to be sarcastic, then she was fine. Just probably a little shaken up.

“Not the first time that happened.”

“What you mean Nate?”

“She may call me a singe eared doof when I make some mistakes, but she’s had worse happen to her, although it usually is due to faulty gear. Once she had a shock grenade go off near her. She was fine but all her fur was poofed out and standing on end for hours. Mark kept threatening to use her as a duster.”

I chuckled a bit, trying to picture that. “Glad she’s okay.”

We spent the next hour going through the Pip-Boars. Most of them didn’t work, either due to cracked screens, or missing parts. Seems that the older models weren't nearly as resilient as the newer ones. There were thirty of them, but we managed to only find six that were in working order. 

Nate suggested to Logan that we keep the other ones as parts, that maybe he’d be able to use them for other projects. Logan agreed but said to keep them in Tuskgen’s lab, and out of the way of the other areas. We were just about to start transporting them to her lab when an Agent ran up to Logan.

“Stalker Logan, sir.”

“Report, Agent Cairne.”

“We just received a communication from the Agents at Precinct One. They located Chief Lazlo.”

Logan’s eyes started to show excitement over the news, but just as quickly as it arrived, it faded. “Is the team alive?”

“We don’t know sir. We think so. There's a very faint and intermittent signal coming from the Chief’s radio. It’s not strong enough to contact him, but we did trace it to a door within the subbasement of the Precinct. It’s unguarded as well.”

“And?”

“We can’t get in. The door is electronically and physically sealed. Agent Tass was able to bypass the first few layers of encryption, but she ran into an issue. She can’t bypass the last layer, and what’s worse is it’s attached to a failsafe device. She says that if they get it wrong even once, internal termite charges will cause the metal to fuse and permanently seal the door.”

“Tell her to stand by. I'll be sending a team of Defenders to make sure they can work uninterrupted. Nate, Olivia. This sounds like your specialty. Come with me.”

We followed Logan and the Agent towards where he had set up the main command center. There were computers scattered, each of them stationed by Agents. A tiger was also on the radio, sending communications between the different Guardian teams. 

Agent Cairne pushed aside an armadillo and started to type on the terminal. “We have a live link with the team. Patching you through now.”

“This is Stalker Logan, report Agent Tass.”

“ _As you can see Sir, we have a bit of an issue trying to hack this. Every time we think we're close, we get a warning and have to shut it down before we get locked out for good. We have our best technicians with us, but it isn’t doing squat to help. Sir._ ”

“Any ideas you two?”

“Hmm, not very good at trying to hack something I can’t even connect to.” I got an idea. “Agent Tass. Is there any way to send some kind of link to the computer to where I'm at?”

“ _Well, technically it's possible, but we would need to…_ ”

“Do it Agent.” I could tell that Logan was giving an order, not simply asking her.

“ _Yes Sir._ ” After a few minutes, one of the monitors switched from a map of where the team was, to a terminal screen. “ _You receiving it?_ ”

“Yes, thank you. Nate, help me look this over.”

We sat there trying to figure it out. It was still harder doing this remotely, having to direct Agent Tass to perform certain functions. This was a visual link, not direct access so she had to do all the work as we watched. Every time Nate or I asked her to try something, a warning message flashed on the screen informing about an imminent system lock down. Without actually being there, I didn’t think it was possible to hack it.

“How long would it take to get there Logan?”

“A few hours.”

“Hmm.” I sat there pondering. Sure, being there might help, but minus finding some back door, this was a very tricky problem to solve. I was used to having multiple attempts, but now every time I told her to do something, I risked locking us all out, and with the safety of Lazlo in our paws, that wasn't a risk I was willing to take. Then I noticed something.

“Agent Tass, see that small indentation to your left?”

She moved her finger towards it. “ _This?_ ”

“Yeah, push the button.”

“ _Excuse me? Sir, I don’t think…_ ”

Logan gave me a long hard look. “Do what she says.”

“ _Yes Sir._ ”

The screen filled with words. Most of it wasn’t important, so I skimmed through it. It was a Zootopia Police Department access menu. There was an error at the bottom that said: _Badge Identification Needed_. Badge Identification? What did that… 

“Agent Tass, press the button again, but when the main screen comes on, quickly access the system BIOS.”

Logan confirmed the order and I saw the same splash screen again, but this, rather than being replaced by the same legal mumbo jumbo, letters and numbers scrolled across the screen until it came to a stop at some archaic terminal screen. 

“ _I don’t know how this helps, there are no back doors here, we already tried it._ ”

“Hush. Access the personnel menu.”

She obeyed as the screen filled with information. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but part of me had a hunch, and I’ve come to learn that my hunches, at least when it comes to stuff like this, are usually correct. The screen showed all the employees to the ZPD by Precinct. I asked her to filter out to show only Precinct One officers. 

Every officer was lead by a number that began with P1, followed by a letter and three numbers. This was very familiar to me. Then I saw what I was looking for. I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. 

“Agent, access personnel file for badge number P1-A113.”

She obeyed and on the screen popped up the image of a fox in a uniform. He didn’t look like Mark or Nate, he looked much older, yet not old enough to look unattractive. His name was Nicholas Piberius Wilde. It showed age, height, weight, everything that I really didn’t care about. Still, there was something familiar about him. 

I scrolled through the information and found out that all members of Precinct One were reissued new badges that had a small chip in them to allow them access to a special Burrow being build underneath the precinct. Fucking Burrows. No, wait. Apparently it _wasn’t_ contracted by Burrow-Tec, but rather a special partnership between a Chief Bogo and SwineCo. That made me feel a bit better, but was still a bit anxious about visiting anything remotely like a Burrow. Still, Lazlo needed our help.

I still wasn’t sure why that name seemed so familiar. I never heard of a Nicholas Wilde before. From his files he was a rather accomplished officer. Both he and his partner, one Judy Hopps, were one of the best teams that Precinct One had. Between the two of them, they solved more cases then nearly the entire force combined. That was a really remarkable feat. I tried to dig further and saw some more documents, but his name was abbreviated to N.W. 

Wait… Nicholas Wilde… N.W. No, it can’t just be a coincidence. Then it hit me. The badge. “I know who can help us!”

“Who?” 

“Logan, can you send a Tac-Lifter to pick someone up?”

“Yes, but who?”

“A friend of mine. A mister North West.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

_(Hey there folks! Max here and I just wanted to add before we get into today’s show a little bit of our editing process and some of the silly fun we have. So below is Stripes in character leaving a note to my less than friendly self on what to do with the doc. I of course COMPLETELY ignore this note and go on about it anyway. Buuut after some careful thought I figured it’d be funny to keep the note in, completely unedited. SO without further ado, enjoy our madness!)_

_Okay Maxy boy, since I am unable to properly speak due to my current condition, yet the motor skills in my hooves still seem in tact, I am going to give you some questions that I want you to ask our interviewee, and after hearing the playback of that one After Show where you kept rudely cutting off the radio, I have chosen to give you this letter right after we go live, so please, stick to the script._

_So, first things first. You gotta open up by saying ‘What’s up Doc?’, I mean, sure he ain’t a rabbit, but you can’t pass that up. Then I think should be to ask him why everyone calls him Doc. I mean, why not Doctor Hedgeworth, or Doctor Jedediah, or just Doctor? Doc seems rather informal for a mammal who tends to show just as much emotion as Stalker Logan. On that, please inquire as to why he is always so emotionless. He doesn’t have to tell us his life’s story, I doubt very much we’d have time for that, but at least some generalizations._

_Next thing is, how did he get his place as the Guardian’s lead doctor? Was he trained as a medical mammal before hand, or did most of that training come post? Did he get placed into his role out of pure skill and necessity, or did he have to claw his way up the ladder, so to speak, to get to where he is now?_

_Feel free to ask any of your own questions here and there Max, I am just giving you some generalized questions to ask. Ask him why there are so very few medical mammals within the Guardians. I mean, if they often have to get assistance from Mark who isn’t even one of them, that goes to say they are very understaffed._

_Now, make sure you ask these next few questions, but also make sure to sound sympathetic. I don’t want another show cut short due to miscommunication. Okay, so ask him what was his most proud moment in the Guardians, and what was his worst? If he shows negative emotions, try to get him to answer to the best of his ability, but please don’t get us kicked out of here. I can barely feel my leg as it is. If the mood is okay, ask him what was the most gruesome thing he has seen in his line of work._

_Time for the questions that everyone gets ask. What is his opinion on Olivia and company, especially since he has personally tended Olivia’s wounds more times than I have hooves. This is where I want you to really dig deep, but not too deep. Remember that I can’t feel my leg. Now my arm is getting tingly. Why am I writing this? Why did I write that?_

_Now I want you to cool him down a bit with a few more light questions. How far does his medical abilities travel? In other words, if he was out in the field with a group of Guardians and he comes across injured raiders, would he expend his supplies to help them, when they more than likely will go back to doing evil, or will he just ignore them and let the wasteland consume them?_

_Okay, now that wasn’t a light one, but it just popped into my head. Promise him these next ones will be. How does he like it with the Guardians? Does he feel that they are doing a good job? What about the current civil war going on? Has he treated any pretty giraffes other than Jasmine? Does he know if they are single? How would he best describe his relationship with the other Guardians? Any friends or much-more-than-friends?_

_Finally, unless you have more questions of your own, end with this, if he could turn his life around and be anything else, another rank in the Guardians, or even leave to start his own life somewhere, would he take it, or does he feel content where he is now? I think the pain meds are kicking in because everything is getting a bit foggy. Wake me when it’s over, and bring me some extra strength coffee, none of that instant crap the Guardians drink._

 

**[Max]**

“Right… So… I’ve got a letter here from Stripes. I’ve read it over and decided to utterly disregard it. Seriously Stripes, you think I don’t know how to do my job? I’m here to talk to mammals, not butt into their daily lives. Which is why we _request_ an interview Stripes. Not show up out of the blue and hope for the best. Anyhow ladies and Gentlemammals. I was lucky enough to find the doctor who patched me up, and did an amazing job with it might I add, and was able to ask him if he’d be ever so kind as to sit down with me and have a friendly chat at his convenience. Please sir, feel free to introduce yourself.”

**[Doc]**

“I thought I was done with you, is there something else troubling you? I’m a bit busy tending to your friend here.”

**[Max]**

“I apologize Doctor, but you seem a bit haggard at the moment, when was the last time you took a break?”

**[Doc]**

_Doc Sighs_ “Yes, well Stalker Logan has asked, well _ordered_ me to take a break today. I guess I can entertain you for a moment. But make it quick.”

**[Max]**

“Right then, onto our first question. What drove you into the medical field? I’m certain there’s a bit of a story there and of course you don’t have to share any details you’d be uncomfortable with. I respect your rights to privacy as I respect anyone’s. So if at any time you feel uncomfortable please let me know and we’ll just move on.

**[Doc]**

“It’s rather simple really. My parents were traders. Not the most successful ones mind you, but they did enough to keep their heads above water, so to speak. While my parents never told me I was a burden to them, I could feel it. I tried to do my best to help out as I grew up, helping my father prep his wares for sale, aiding my mother in mending what ever ragged clothing we found to make it worth selling. 

“One day we ran across some traders who had been attacked by raiders. Now, we thought they were dead and my parents were going to scavenge their goods. Now, don’t take that the wrong way. They were good mammals, but you need to do what you can to survive. So I was helping my father sort through everything when we realized that one of the traders was alive, but very injured. 

“One of the things I did to make myself useful to my parents was go over any medical books we happened to find. After my father’s own brush with raiders, I wanted to make sure I could keep them healthy, figuring that I would be able to contribute to our little family in some way. I had never really put any of my knowledge into use until then, but when I went to perform triage on that trader, I felt my paws move so deftly, the knowledge of what I needed to do flowed so clearly, I felt like I was being possessed by some pre-war medical savant. Now before you say anything, I don’t believe in that supernatural mumbo-jumbo, I’m just stating how it felt at the time.

“Helping that trader felt so… natural, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Truth be told, it wasn’t the fact that the trader got to live another day, it was the action, the process of it that I enjoyed. Please don’t take that out of context, I work to save lives, I just enjoy the actual act of it. They can thank me, they can pay me, but at the end of the day it comes down to life and death. If they live, I know I did everything I could. If they died, I would mourn them in my own way, but I will also seek to better myself to prevent that situation from happening again.”

**[Max]**

“Now sir, I know you’ve been one of the longest serving members of the Guardians after Chief Lazlo and I just want to ask, what is it that keeps you going here? I know this has to be a difficult and often times painstaking job. What keeps you so motivated to help your brothers and sisters in arms?”

**[Doc]**

“As I said before, I want to make sure that I can do everything I can to make sure another mammal lives. However, I also owe Chief Lazlo my gratitude. 

“This isn’t common knowledge among the Guardians. Not that I don’t want to share this, it’s just that no one ever asks. Yes, I have been the primary medical officer for the Guardians for a very long time. Chief Lazlo was actually the one who brought me on. You see, my parents joined a small trader community up in the Medowlands called The Galleria. It was in the ruins of a large shopping mall that had been rebuilt into a trade hub. Not many mammals realize this, but many of the fresh food that finds its way into the Wasteland comes from The Galleria. No one knows how they manage it, they keep it a tight secret. Probably why they have such a large military force present there. 

“To most mammals, this would be paradise, and to my parents it was, especially since they have a very strict application to become a resident. My parents and I were accepted to it, and I lent my services as a doctor, much more experienced by that time, to The Galleria. However, since no one was dumb enough to attack that place, there were very few issues and little to do for a doctor. It got boring fast. So like any young mammal with delusions of grandeur, I left. My parents were sad to see me leave, but I think deep down they knew I wasn’t happy there.

“I traveled the Wasteland trying to find a home for myself, but there is a stigma it seems about youth and experience, especially when it comes to medicine. It was very hard to find my place, so I resorted to be a traveling doctor, following trade routes and offering my services. Then I ran into Chief Lazlo and a small scouting party. They had just had a run in with a group of Grey Quills, back when they were actually a threat, and most of them, including the Chief, was injured. I will be honest, seeing such levels of damage actually thrilled me a bit because I finally had a challenge. Their own field medic had been killed in the battle, so I lent my paw to help and they didn’t refuse. I had expended my entire supply, along with most of their own emergency supplies, but I managed to save all of them. The Chief, who had only been in his position for less than a year, was so grateful, he offered me a place in the Guardians. Ever since then I felt at home, and even during major conflicts when I am up to my neck in work, I never regretted it. Every day there is a new challenge and as long as I am challenged, as long as I am making a difference, I will continue to do my job and teach others who show the same passion that I do.” 

**[Max]**

“Well I’m very glad to hear that sir, and I’m quite proud to say I support your endeavors. Is there anything you’d like to say to those listening in while we have the time? I know there are a lot of traders who tune into our station and if there’s anything you’re ever looking for I’m sure they can find it.”

**[Doc]**

“Keep trying. It’s at those times when all seems lost that you find yourself the strongest. You can’t imagine how many fledgling medical staff I have who quit the moment a patient dies. Yes, it is hard to see all of your work not do a thing, but it is impossible to save everyone. I know that may sound cruel, but its the truth. I never enjoy seeing a mammal die, but I always do everything I can to prevent that, even if it seems like it is simply a waste of time and resources. You never know what you can do until you try.”

 

**[Max]**

“A very noble thought and a wonderful statement to make to those hoping to enter into your field sir. So it seems that a number of the mammals that have passed through your ward recently have been repeat customers, and not all of them belong to the Guardians. I got to spend some time with one of them just the other day and I’m pleased to see how well he’s recovered just after losing an arm like he did. I… I hope you don’t see many cases like that though. It just… Seems like such a terrible waste.”

**[Doc]**

“I see you’re talking about Miss Springs and her friends. Yes, losing a body part, even if it is something as simple as an ear or a finger, is bad and can have devastating mental and physical implications on them. So many Guardians have lost a body part and in turn lost their will to fight, to work, or even to live. I hope that’s not the case with Mister Valiant, but I have a feeling that he’s much stronger than even he thinks he is. 

“Miss Springs, on the other paw, is an interesting mammal. I have treated her so many times that most of my colleagues think she is a time bomb waiting to go off and that it’s a waste of Guardian time and supplies to continuously save her from the brink of death. I don’t agree with them. It’s not just because I have taken an oath to do everything within my power to save all mammals, no matter who they are, but she also interests me a bit. I have never seen a mammal take so many beatings, get pushed within inches of her life, and yet find the strength to rebound back stronger than she was before. Do I think she is suicidal at times? Yes, without a doubt, but it is her resilience that I admire. I don’t think there is a single Guardian here that would able or even willing to go through what she has and still want to continue where they left off.”

**[Max]**

“Now, I’ve noticed that you have a rather… Small staff compared to some settlements in the wasteland and this is absolutely no criticism, they’ve been wonderful to us and I couldn’t be more thankful for the time and treatment you’ve provided, but… How hard has it been to recruit for you? I know it can’t be easy to find other mammals with medical training and I want to help any way I can so please. If there’s anything I can do… ”

**[Doc]**

“It’s partially my fault I’m afraid. You see, I am very… picky when it comes to who I add to my staff. I don’t care how good you are at your job, if you cannot see things to the end, you have no place here. There is no such thing as impossibility when it comes to saving a life. Improbable? Yes, I deal in improbabilities on a daily basis, but never impossible. When I find someone with skill, I take them on and train them to an extent. When I think they are ready, I give them the ultimate test. Have you heard of Memory Lane?”

**[Max]**

“I-I… Yes. I think that’s all I wanna say about that… Just… Yeah.”

**[Doc]**

“Well you see, a while back the Guardians salvaged a similar device to the one that they use over at Memory Lane and Tuskgen was able to re-purpose it for me. 

“A long time ago, a few years after I joined the Guardians, one of the Defenders came across a Red-Neck who we think was using some experimental flamer fuel. It burned so hot and so fast that it actually melted and fused the Defender’s armor to his body. Shards of metal were embedded in most of his vital organs, and to most he would have been unable to be saved. I was not one of them. We rushed him back to the base and I started to work on him. I will spare you the details, but suffice it to say, I performed the impossible. He lived. He had lost both legs and an arm, but he was happy to be alive. He was even able to return to duty a few years later after we re-purposed an old Exo-Armor to allow him to move and feel like a complete mammal again. 

“That was the hardest thing I have ever done, and to most other doctors, it was an impossible task, but I did it so I knew it wasn’t. That was my test. I used the machine to have the would be doctor to relive the entire thing up until it was a success. My test was simple. After seeing that I asked if it was possible for him to have survived after that. If they say it is impossible, they fail, no matter how skilled they may have proven to be. If they show even the smallest flicker of possibility, they pass and I let them join the Guardian medical team. Now, I do not have final say over the matter, but Chief Lazlo knows me so well that the failures typically get assigned to combat medic and are trained in combat skills. I admit, when they say it’s impossible and I show them that he lived and was happy, it pleases me to see their reactions of disbelief. Like I said, nothing is ever truly impossible.”

**[Max]**

“Thank you again for coming on Doctor. It was a pleasure to meet you and I’m thankful for your time. I know it couldn’t have been easy to step away right now. And again, I’ll do everything I can to help you and the rest of the Guardians. So folks, there you have it. A little bit of wisdom from a very humble mammal. Now I know Stripes wrote a bunch of questions down, but that’s just it folks. You can’t just pry into their lives. Every mammal deserves a measure of privacy and I respect that above all else. As always, if there’s a mammal you wanna hear about, or there’s something you wanna know about the wasteland. Don’t hesitate to write in and let us know! We’ll do our best to be your voice and we’ll do it right or not at all. This is Max Redbridge signing off for now.”


	66. A Trip Down Memory Lane

It was a few hours before a Tac-Lifter could bring North from Hope. They had to be careful that King’s Guardians didn’t track them back here. When he finally arrived, I could tell that he was very confused as to why he was plucked out of town in the middle of the day.

“Carrots? What's going on? I was busy tending my shop when out of the blue, a bunch of these Guardian brutes demanded that I come with them. I tried to tell them they had the wrong ghoul, but then the mayor said it was at your behest.”

“I'm sorry for this, but I assure you, it's important. You have that badge on you?”

“Badge? Is that what this is about?”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” He pulled it out of a pocket and held it up. “What do you need this thing for?”

“I think it's the key to saving the Guardians.” I took it from him and looked it over. It didn’t look special, but I gave it to Onion to scan. “Does the name Nicholas Piberius Wilde ring any bells?”

He looked as if he was lost in thought before he finally answered. “I… no, no it doesn’t. Why?”

“Because _that_ is who this badge belonged to.”

“Miss? I can confirm that there is indeed a small radio frequency identification chip within the badge.”

“Wait, I'm carrying around a tracker?” North seemed uneasy.

“Not a tracker. A key. Logan, we have the key. When can we move out?” 

“I'm afraid it isn’t that simple. Just got word from Agent Tess that the badge is only _part_ of the key. A special password is needed, and just like the rest of the system, we only have one shot.”

“Damn it! North, are you _sure_ you don’t remember anything about this? The badge, Precinct One, Officer Wilde?”

“No. I already told you I can’t remember anything from my past.”

“What about this, Judy Hopps?” Nate walked over to me holding a piece of paper. On it was a gray rabbit in a police uniform. He held it up for North to see.

If he hesitated at the name of Nicholas Wilde, it looks like he was about to have a seizure looking at the picture of this Officer Hopps. 

“I-I… I don’t know. I feel like I _should_ know, but I just don’t know.” He seemed sad and disappointed.

“I wish there was some way to unlock your memories. I have a feeling it’s going to be very important. If Chief Lazlo doesn’t come back, and King’s forces grow, it might cause troubles.”

“Maybe I can help?” 

Tuskgen walked up to us, as if trying to push herself through a thick fog. When it came to tech she was very assertive, but not so much when it came to other mammals. Kinda reminds me of Nate in a way.

“How?”

“Well, there is this place. It’s called Memory Lane. It’s a pre-war facility, but unlike most, it has been kept in operation this entire time. It’s actually rather popular with ghouls like Mister West here who want to know about their past.”

“Is it safe?”

“I've never been there, but I've also never heard of anyone complain about it other than remembering why they forgot in the first place.”

“North, we need this information and I really do believe you're this Officer Wilde. Will you please help us?”

“What if there was a reason I forgot?” I could tell he was concerned about remembering his past.

“I promise you, as soon as I get the information I need, I'll leave you alone. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I… okay. I’ll do it for you carrots.”

“Thank you. Now Tuskgen, where is this place?”

***

Memory Lane was located uncomfortably close to the same place I was lured into a false belief that my mother was alive, and where I was… taken. Apparently this entire area was dedicated to relaxation and entertainment facilities, half of which were either brand new or experimental. I did my best to ignore the relaxation facility, and I could tell the others wanted to as well. Mark, Holly, and especially Nate were keeping very close to me, and they too were keeping their eyes away from that building. 

Once we got into the Memory Lane building, it was a bit better. All the windows were blacked out so that no one can see in, or out. It also made it very dark until a set of lights turned on, creating a path towards a small desk. Behind it was a young looking raccoon, who was wearing a very frilly pink dress. 

“Welcome to Memory Lane, please take a seat and the doctor will be with you shortly.” She may have had a very bright and colorful outfit on, but she sounded like she didn’t want to be there.

I tried to tell her it was an emergency, but she simply pointed to the seats off to the side. We all took a seat and it was Nate who broke the silence.

“So, exactly why did we take a Tac here and not my APC?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t bring that up.” Holly sounded uneasy.

“What happened to it Holly?”

“Well, in a rush to escape the Guardian base, we kinda had to… abandon. It.”

“WHAT?!”

The raccoon looked up and gave us a deathly stare before going back to whatever she was doing.

“It’s okay Nate.”

“No. No, no, no, no, it’s NOT okay! You know how long I've been working on that thing! My precious child is in the clutches of that lunatic! Please tell me you at least made sure to lock it!”

“Don’t worry Nate, we made sure to sabotage it so they can’t use it. Once we free Lazlo and take back the base, she'll be waiting for you.”

“Oh, good. So she'll be okay. Thank you.”

“Nate, should I be getting jealous or something?” I poked him in the arm. 

“Oh, no. No! It’s just that…”

“I’m only kidding. I know how you feel. If something ever happened to Onion I’d be the same way. Speaking of which.” I turned on my Pip-Boar’s communicator. “Onion, you read me?”

While the building was large enough for Jasmine, Zack thought it be best for the two of them to park the Tac-Lifter a bit away as to not be spotted and were keeping an eye on the building just in case anyone followed. I asked Onion to stay with them so that we could stay in touch without risking King intercepting their Guardian frequency.

“ _I am here Miss. We are rather uncomfortably far from where you are, but Miss Rothschild and Mister Grant say they have a good field of view._ ”

“Good. I doubt anything will go wrong, but it’s best to have some backup. I’ll keep in touch.”

It was nice that Logan had made sure to assign Jasmine and Zack together. I had no idea what type of policies the Guardians had, but I was afraid that the two of them fraternizing would have been against at least one of them. Neither he or Lazlo seemed to mind the couple, and I really do think it’s best that she’s with someone who cares about her, especially if any Reclaimers tried to show up.

“Ah, good day to everyone.”

I looked around but couldn’t see where the voice was coming from. Then a small brown bat with graying streaks in a white lab coat fluttered down in front of me.

“What brings you to Memory Lane?”

“Oh, well Doctor…”

“Fink. Doctor Julius Fink.”

“Well Doctor Fink, I think my friend here has some trapped memories that we really need to know about.”

“Sorry, I don’t involve myself in things like that. I only service those mammals who need my help, not those who need their help.”

“Doctor, it’s important.”

“I don’t care if the whole world is in jeopardy, I have my reasons.”

He fluttered away, leaving me getting very angry. “Damn it! Why the fuck can’t someone just help when I ask?!” The raccoon gave me that look again. “I wasn’t fucking talking to you!”

“‘Livi, calm down.”

“How can I calm down when Lazlo could be on his last legs, when King is fucking doing who knows what! I have Legionaries still out there for me, Reclaimers still after Jasmine, and no one can find that fucking boar! Between that and almost losing Nate, for once I just want something to go right!”

Doctor Fink suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “You're Olivia Springs, aren't you?”

“What the fuck do you care?”

“Task? Get the pod ready.”

“Yes Doctor Fink.” The raccoon got up and left through two large doors. 

“Come with me.”

The bat led us through the same doors and into a very dark room, darker than this one was. A single light turned on and highlighted a large teardrop shaped container. The raccoon, Task I think he called her, was busy typing into a small computer panel attached to the pod. 

“Why the change of heart?”

“Not too long ago a group of Guardians shut down Wild Times. My sister had been taken by them and sold to who knows what vile mammal a few years ago. I haven’t seen her since, but I have hated that place. I wanted to do something, but I am small, and I am not a survivor or a fighter. I have no place out in that world. I think of her every day and wonder if she is still alive somewhere.”

“But why help?”

“Because it was you, or rather your capture that lead to Wild Times getting shut down. I don’t know why no one ever stepped in to do it before, but when I heard it was all because of some rabbit, I told myself that I would thank her. I don’t know what they did to you, and I don’t want to know, but thank you.”

“You're welcome, although that doesn’t help your sister, does it?”

He sighed. “No, it doesn’t, but it does mean that no one will have to worry about that place ever again.”

“There are still slavers out there.”

“Yes, but they are scattered, and I have a feeling if more mammals like yourself step up in the world, maybe they will cease to exist entirely. I know about your deeds. I wanted to see if you even survived that place, and in doing so, I learned of all the good you have done.”

“I try, but it’s harder than you think.”

“I have seen things, rather, seen it through other mammals to know how hard it really is, and most eventually succumb to the difficulties, but you haven’t, at least not yet. There is only so much a single mammal can handle.” 

“That’s what my friends are for.”

“Yes, friends. Another rarity in this world. Forgive my sentimentality. You have a reason coming here, don’t you?”

“My friend here has information I need. Chief Lazlo, the leader of the Guardians, the one who also was in charge of shutting down Wild Times, is in trouble and we think my friend has the information we need to save him.”

“That just makes this twice as important, doesn’t it? Yes, I can help you. Task? Open the pod.”

The top of the pod slowly opened as a portion of the lower half folded out small steps. Inside there was a chair and a bunch of small screens and flashing lights. Task came over and led North to the pod. He gave me a look of uncertainty, but straightened up when he saw me, and took a seat in the pod.

“It won’t hurt, will it?” North was still a bit hesitant.

“No, well physically it won’t. I can’t say the same for any repressed memories.”

“How does this work Doctor?” I wanted to make sure North was safe. I didn’t want to put the life of one mammal ahead of the life of another, no matter how important Lazlo was.

“Rather simple really. A small gas causes the user to sleep while small nano filaments harmlessly find their way into the memory regions of the brain. Now, this is a two mammal experience. The user’s mental facilities are too weak to unlock their own memories, so another has to guide them.”

“How do I do that?”

“‘Livi, why you?”

“I'm the one who asked North to do this, so I need to take responsibility for whatever may happen.”

“Sit here.”

Task pulled up a small chair with a large computer attached to it. I sat as she placed a small device on my head. I heard the noises of a computer warming up, and started to feel warmth where the device physically touched me. 

“What will happen is you will be put into a controlled coma. Don’t be afraid. It will not hurt you in any way, and as soon as the machine is turned off, you will wake remembering everything that happened. I have a monitor here for your friends to watch.”

“I still don't understand.”

“Well, Olivia Springs, you will be going _into_ his memories.”

“Wait, what? How is that even possible?”

“Well, a mammals brain is very similar to a computer, in the fact that electrical currents help to bring data back and forth. Who ever created this technology simply found a way to hijack those currents and share them with another, allowing for the ‘hijacker’ to create a representation of themselves in the memories of the user. I will explain more when you are inside.”

“She _will_ be safe, right?” I could tell that Nate was getting a bit worried himself.

“Yes. I have never had any negative physical or mental repercussions from use of the machine. I can’t, however, guarantee that what she experiences won’t emotionally affect her.”

“You have no idea what I have been through Doctor, I think I can handle whatever is in North’s brain.”

“If you insist. Task, initiate system. Olivia, you will start to feel sleepy, don’t fight it, just let it come. If the rest of you will follow me, I will show you the monitoring area.”

I started to feel tired, but I didn’t fight it. I closed my eyes and felt myself drifting away. My head felt weird, as if it was trying to swim away from my own mind. It didn’t hurt, but it didn’t feel normal. Suddenly there were flashes of light that would have blinded me if my eyes weren’t already closed. They got brighter and faster until all I could see was light.

“Open your eyes Olivia.”

“Who is that?”

“It’s Doctor Fink. I can talk directly to you, but you are in full control of your actions. Open your eyes.”

I slowly opened them, the blinding light hurting.

“Open them fast, you can’t hesitate.”

Three. Two. One. Open. The blindness faded as soon as my eyes started to focus. Everything was hazy, but it wasn’t my eyes. The world seemed… off. Like I was watching it through an old monitor. I looked at my arms, and legs. It looked like me, and it felt like me. Everything else felt… wrong.

“You are probably feeling as if you don’t belong. It’s natural. Your mind is now connected with his. Now, listen to me _very_ carefully. While I told you this thing is safe, there are still rules. Rules that if you do not follow, you can risk damaging his or your mind. I didn’t tell you before simply because it’s hard to understand. Now, take a look around, what do you see?”

In front of me was a street. On that street were houses of all shapes, sizes, and colors. They seemed to go on for miles down either direction. Behind me was simply empty. No buildings, no streets, nothing but grass. 

“Houses. A ton of them.”

“Yes. Welcome to Memory Lane. Every house is a representation of a memory. Inside you will be able to relive the memory associated with it as if you were a fly on the wall. You don’t have to worry about messing up anything, because to the memory, you don’t exist. Now, for the rules. Behind you should be a field of nothingness. Whatever you do, NEVER go there. That is the void of the brain where new memories take residence. If you get lost out there, your mind will fuse with his, and you will become nothing more than a memory to him. I have seen it happen before, it isn’t pretty.”

“So avoid the empty field. Easy enough.”

“The next rule. Only go in and out the front door, no matter what. Trying to go down the alleys between the houses, or trying to enter through back or side doors will only corrupt that memory. Once you are inside, you will start to experience the memory, and you can leave at any time. There will always be a small door that you, and only you can see. That is your only exit. Now for the last one. You cannot be inside a memory when you are disconnected. There is a failsafe that if your physical body is disconnected, your mind will remain within that memory until you leave it. You can only return to your own body outside a memory.”

“What if I don’t?”

“Corrupted memory and you die.”

“Oh. You will warn me before disconnecting right?”

“Yes, of course. And this place has redundant backup generators, so a power failure isn’t anything to worry about either.”

“Good, you had me worried.”

“Just making sure you have no surprises. Now, before I let you off to explore, I need to tell you about the doors. There are two types of memories. Active, and Inactive. The active ones, as you might guess, are the ones the user can call up at any time. For a ghoul these are usually post ghoulification memories. I can track these and mark them with a large X to indicate that they are active. Since you are looking for an inactive one, this can help avoid unnecessary trips. The inactive ones are different. They are locked and I can’t track them until you unlock them.”

“So what, do I have to find a key or something?”

“Sort of. While the memory is not active to the user, there are always traces of it leaking out. You need to find that trace, and that will serve as the key. It is always an object, something that has meaning to the memory. Now, every time you unlock a memory, you are not just unlocking it for you to see, but the user will now remember it when he wakes. That is why I told you that there might be emotional reactions. There are some memories best left forgotten, but you may wind up unlocking them.”

I didn’t like that. What if something traumatic happened in the past and that's why North forgot? I don’t want him to have to experience that pain all over again. Part of me wanted to abort this, to find some other way, but if North didn’t want his memories to come back, he wouldn’t have agreed, would he?

“Are you ready, or do you want to quit? There’s no shame in calling it quits.”

“Yes there is. I'm ready.”

“Okay, so just to prepare you for what to expect, I have marked a recent memory for you. Find it and open the door. Then, you can search the inactive ones.”

I could see in the distance that a door started to shimmer. That must be the one he was talking about. I walked up to it and put my paw on the handle. It felt real in my paw, as if I really was about to open a door. I took a deep breath and turned the handle and walked in. 

I had been expecting the inside of a house, but instead I walked into the trader area of Hope. I looked behind me and saw that the door was still there, it’s edges glowing. This, was odd. It looked like I was in Hope, It _felt_ like I was in Hope. I started to move until I heard a very familiar voice.

“North’s Western Emporium is now open! Come get your knick-knacks, your odds and ends, find things you never knew you couldn’t live without!” 

It was North. He was standing on a ladder and shouting as loud as his raspy voice could allow him. I had hoped to see a line of customers at his booth, but it was empty. Mammals kept walking past him, not giving him the time of day. He kept rattling off different merchandise that he had, but no one even stopped to look.

I walked up to him, and was nearly trampled by an elephant. When he just walked right through me made me remember that I wasn’t even here. I started to feel bad. He promised to go straight, but he was probably making less caps than he did as a hustler. Then someone walked up to him. 

“Another bad day?”

“Yeah Letty. I keep casting but no one is biting.”

It was Letty Oswald. The ocelot that made Nate go berserk. I had forgotten all about her. She was dressed in a bright purple dress that seemed to shimmer as the light hit it. She also seemed sad.

“Tell me about it. Only sold two drinks. The way Jeremy talked about Nyte Lyfe, I figured there would be mammals bursting down the door to buy drinks. Sure, I can draw a crowd when I sing, but when it comes to making drinks? I think I’ve spilled more booze than I’ve sold.”

“Wish I could help you with that, but I was never really a drinker myself.”

“Yeah, I know. But there's always _one_ thing that cheers me up.” 

I saw her eyes start to sparkle nearly as much as her dress. I followed her sight and it ended upon Mayor Swift who was talking to a few traders. Letty’s eyes looked as if they were stalking the mayor.

“Why don’t you just tell her?”

“After what happened with Olivia? No way, don’t want to risk another embarrassment on my part. Plus what if she rejects me, and worse, kicks me out? It’s bad enough I'm already behind on my payment to Jeremy. I can’t go back to living on my own.”

“You’ll never find anyone at this rate kitty.”

“Stop calling me kitty. I'm a grown woman.” 

“You sure don’t act like it. Gonna go hit up the other traders, see if I can find something worth selling. See you around.”

Letty and North parted ways. I felt bad. North couldn’t sell anything, and Letty was having troubles with both the bar and her personal life. I really am unsure if Mayor Swift is the best girl for her to be after, but from what she told me, the mayor does fit the bill. I’ll have to find a way to help both of them when I'm done.

I turned and found the door. Once outside, I was back on the street. 

“That was a bit of a trip Doctor.”

“That’s why I always try to make sure someone starts out easy. You are on your own. We will be monitoring your progress, just let me know when you are ready to leave.”

“Sure thing.”

There were so many houses that it was hard to know where to go. I picked a direction and started to walk. The first few houses had the X on it, so I knew it would be pointless to check on that. Two more houses down and I stopped in front of an unmarked door. I tried the handle but it was locked. Doctor Fink said there would be some object nearby, but what did he mean by that?

I started to look around, remembering not to go down the alley between the houses. I kept looking around until I heard something. It sounded like a flag blowing in the wind, but there was no wind out here. I traced the sound until I saw something red stuck onto the awning of the house. It kept moving, but there was no wind to make it. I finally was able to reach it and pulled it down. It was a red neckerchief. It had a dark line embroidered around the edge, with a diamond shape on the back. The Doctor said an object related to the memory would be the key, but this was just fabric, how could it… 

Suddenly it started to glow, but faintly. I dropped it, not knowing what was going on. The non-existent wind blew it closer to the house as it’s glow increased. I carefully picked it up again, and brought it to the door. The closer I got, the more it glowed. When I finally reached the door, it floated up, as if some magic paw was lifting it, until it flashed and a red key dropped to ground. I picked it up. It felt warm, alive. It wanted me to use it. So I did. 

The key fit perfectly and I heard the door unlock. I put my paw on the handle and opened it. Inside I was transported… outside? It was nighttime and I was standing in front of another building. The large glass windows in the door were lit, with the numbers Twenty-Three Eighty-Nine above it. To the left of the door was a sign that read: _Zootopia Junior Rangers Troop 914_. I heard noise inside, and since this was the only building with a light, I decided to enter. 

At first it sounded like the joyous laughing of children. I followed it down into the building's basement. The light at the bottom suddenly turned off. I heard rustling noises and what sounded like a faint scream followed by crying. I knew this was a memory but I had to find out what was going on, I had to try to help. When I got down there, I saw a group of mammals, all prey, surrounding a… fox. The kit looked to only be eight, or nine years old, but he had a muzzle on his face. Who the hell muzzles a child?

Suddenly the fox jumped up and ran, right through me, and up the stairs, crying. I chased after him and back outside. He finally stopped as he scraped at the muzzle trying to get it off. When he finally did he threw it and started to cry. I wanted to comfort him, I really did, but my words went unheard, and my comforting paw went right through him. Was this… North?

It didn’t have what I needed, so I turned around and left, but the feeling of what I saw didn’t leave. This must be what the Doctor said about the emotional aftereffects. I had to be strong, to make sure that I could keep going. I had to find the answer. I opened the door. 

The next few doors were disappointments. One was of a much older fox, one that looked a lot like the picture that I got off of the ZPD personal files. However, instead of a police uniform, it was a green button up shirt and brown khakis, with a blue tie. I think this is the outfit that North was wearing right now. Two hundred years without a good cleaning, no matter it looks like crap. 

The fox was simply selling frozen pawpsicles to a bunch of rodents in black suits. Didn’t seem very special to me so I left. The next place showed a much younger fox, which told me that these houses were not in any chronological order. That made it very hard, and frustrating, to find what I needed. This one showed a teenage North slinking around what looked like an outdoor movie theater. It was late at night and there was a movie being projected onto a very large screen. There were tons of cars parked, all facing the screen and there was North sneaking between the cars. 

Since by now I knew that I couldn’t interact with the memories, I took a shortcut, right through the cars. When I finally caught up to him, I saw that he was picking up dropped candy, and popcorn, and any other once edible trash on the ground. What the heck was he doing? Was he poor and trying to scrounge to survive? 

I followed him as he did this for another twenty minutes before he finally left, unseen except by me. Outside the theater there was a van, with its side door open. Standing in the door was a tiny fennec fox who was handing out buckets of stuff to a crowd, taking a few dollars for each bucket. I followed North behind the van and saw exactly what he was doing. He was taking scrap food and reselling it to passerby on the sidewalk! That was disgusting. I really hope the reason he repressed it was because he was ashamed of it. If not, I'll have to make sure I take a nice hard look at his wares in Hope.

I finally found a door that looked promising. It opened up into a small apartment. Small was an understatement too. Inside were two mammals, both dressed in police uniforms. First was North, and the other was the same gray rabbit from the files. That must have been his partner. 

“So Nick, are you sure you want to go through with this?” They must have just gotten in, because she was taking off her jacket.

“Yeah. Though I wish you would have told them first.”

“I’m sorry, it keeps coming up but then I just… freeze. They know I have a boyfriend, and they know I work with him, but they don’t know that you’re…”

“A fox?”

“Yeah. You're not mad, are you?”

“If I said yes you’d just get all mopey again. Why are you so nervous about telling them? Don’t they work with a fox?”

“Yeah, and you're a lot like Gideon too. Both of you were a pain in my tail.”

“Har-har Carrots. I'm the more handsome of the two though. Right?”

“Well I know some females who are attracted to a mammal with a bit of chub to them.”

“Guess I'll be joining Clawhauser at the Big Donut more often then. Though I may want to get a bigger uniform.”

“Very funny Mr. Wilde.”

“You're the one who said it. But seriously. Don’t you think it'll be a bigger shock me showing up without them knowing, than if you just told them ahead of time? If they don’t like it, then we can postpone it.”

“I already promised I would help them at this year's festival. That’s the whole reason I sent in for vacation time. I just really want you to be there with me.”

“Then tell them.”

“Yeah. You're right.” She pulled out a small device, a cell-phone, something that I've only read about in my books. 

“Wait, you're doing it right _now_?”

“If I don’t, I’ll just freeze again. Hi, mom? Dad there? Actually I wanted to talk to you both. It’s about… my boyfriend.”

This is definitely not what I needed, and while this is only a memory, I felt like I was intruding on something way too personal. I snuck out, feeling like the one unwanted guest. Then it hit me as I left the memory. It was a rabbit, and a fox. Together. It was just like Nate and I, just like Holly and Mark. Could North be… no, it'd be too big a coincidence. Then again, coincidence seems to be my middle name.

Three more doors and they were all a bust. One of them I left nearly as fast as I entered. It seems that Nick and Judy were just as… passionate as Nate and I. That's one door best left for him, not me. It felt like I was never going to find the right door. I kept getting close though. More and more of them were of him in a police uniform. There was one where he was receiving his badge, another where he and Judy were chasing down an elephant causing panic over in some park, and another of him being yelled at by a buffalo that kinda looked like a younger Lazlo. 

Finally, I think I found what I wanted. The door lead me to the office of the same buffalo, but this time he was much older. I could see his fur starting to gray, but just like Lazlo, he still held himself strongly. Nick and Judy were sitting in front of his desk.

“As you two know, we're in the middle of one of the biggest crises that we have ever seen. Mammals are afraid of each other, parts of Zootopia are facing riots and aggression, and the mayor is on my ass to try to keep the peace. That's why I'm forming a special unit. The Steel Guardians.”

“Steel Guardians sir?”

“Yes. We've commissioned suits of armor called Exo-Armor from SwineCo. They've also been generous to aid in the construction of an underground bunker designed to store these. That bunker will be located directly below Precinct One.”

“Why are you telling us this sir?”

“Because, you Officer Hopps, and your partner, are two of the best mammals we have ever had. I'm personally offering you a place in the ranks of the Steel Guardians.”

“Thank you sir, but I'll have to respectfully decline your offer.”

“But you want to protect this city, right? What better way to do it than being its shield.”

“With all due respect sir, I want to be a shield for the citizens, but not like that. I've seen some of those designs, and they scare me. I think they would also scare the average citizen too, seeing walking tin cans roaming the city. We need to instill peace within their minds, not cause them to wonder when the next attack will be, if it even ever comes. We still don’t know _who_ is responsible. That's why I decline your offer. Sir.”

“What about you Officer Wilde?”

“I would like nothing more than to have some fancy weapon straight out of a sci-fi movie, but I'm with carr… Officer Hopps. I think seeing these uniforms will be so much more settling than those. I’ve already seen the reactions to the mayor bringing in the military to parts of the city, and it has not been well received.”

“Here.” The buffalo slid two small boxes towards the fox and the rabbit.

“What are these?”

“Your new badges.”

“But we already have badges Sir.”

“These are special. I had a feeling you would turn down my offer Officer Hopps, but I had these made despite my suspicions. They look exactly like your old ones, but have a special chip inside, encoded to the bunker’s access. You two have permission to come and go as needed. Once it's fully built, I expect you to at least take a look. Otherwise, this will be the last time you hear from me about it.”

“Thank you sir.” 

“One last thing. To prevent unauthorized access, you will also need to provide a pass-code.” He slid them a small device with a keypad. “Scan your badge and enter whatever code you want.”

Judy did it first, but I didn’t care about hers. When it was his turn however, I watched very closely. 0-N-L-Y-1-C-A-R-R-0-T. 

“It’s something you'll remember, right Wilde?”

“Trust me, I'll never forget it.”

I finally had what I needed. Between that badge and that code, I'll be able to get us into that bunker and rescue Lazlo and his men, then we can take back their headquarters and finally be back to where I should be, finding out who ever was after me. I knew that should be priority, but I can’t help but to help others. 

“You got what you needed?” The voice of Doctor Fink echoed around me.

“Yeah, I'm ready… wait, hold on.” I spotted something bright on the lawn in front of the next house.

“What is it Olivia?”

“Not sure, I think it’s…” I walked over to it and picked it up. It was a carrot. A plastic carrot. It looked just like the… it started to glow. “One more house. Then I'll be ready.”

“But you found what you needed, right?”

“Yeah, but something is telling me I need something else. Just, hang on a moment.”

Just like the other objects, the carrot started to glow brighter as I got closer to the door, and just like the other ones, it turned into a key once I got close enough. I don’t know why I was doing this when I already had what I came here for, but something deep inside me told me I had to. 

Inside the door was something very familiar. It was a giant door, a _Burrow_ door, and on it was the number: Seventy-Six. It was _my_ Burrow, and there, sitting on the ground in front of it was Nick, dressed in his green and brown outfit, but the tie was torn, just like North’s.

“Please answer carrots! Please!” 

He had a phone in his paw, but eventually got aggravated and tossed it against the door. He was crying.

“Damn it carrots! Why did you have to do this alone? If you had just waited one more hour…”

He put his back to the door and just slid down. 

“One more hour. I… do you even know?” I saw him pull out the same carrot shaped recorder from a pocket, the same one that I found, centuries later. “Carrots, it’s me, Nick. I told you to wait, your test results came back, it worked carrots, you’re… pregnant. Your gonna be a mommy, hell, I’m gonna be a dad. I never imagined myself as father material. I wonder what they'll look like? Will they have your gray fur or my reddish? I always loved your eyes, I hope they have that at least.” 

He threw the carrot onto the ground. 

“Gah! I can’t open up like that. Damn it carrots! Why did you have to go and get yourself locked in there. Thirty years. You said these things would be closed thirty years. Can I wait? No, I _can_ wait. I _will_ wait. But just in case…

He picked it up again, and I heard the noise of it rewinding. 

“I tried to make it in time Carrots, I really did.”

He was doing the recording that I found. This was the moment he said his goodbyes to his love, not realizing that she would never hear it. I felt myself tear up at the thought. What if something like that happened to me? What if Nate lost me and never knew that he would never see me again? What if I lost him? 

“Olivia, you need to get out of there, now!”

The ground started to shake. I looked at Nick, but from his reaction, or lack thereof, it wasn’t happening in the memory. “What's going on?”

“The brain, it’s spiking! You need to get out of there now! I’m pulling the plug. Hurry!”

I turned and ran. The door was nearby, and I got to it within seconds. I turned to open it but a flash of light caught my attention. In the distance, I saw the familiar image of a nuclear explosion. The light was getting brighter as dust and debris started to flood the area. This, this was the moment. The moment Nick lost his girl, the moment he lost himself. This is when Nick Wilde, became North West. 

I left the memory and got ready to leave, but then I heard slamming noises. They were coming from all over. I looked towards the houses. Every single house as far as I could see, all of their doors were flying open. Both active and inactive, ones I had visited and ones I never got to. All of them were opening, and violently. 

“Pull me out, now!”

***

I opened my eyes. I felt as if my lung had emptied as I gasped for air. 

“I thought you said it was safe Doctor!” Holly was mad.

“It is! I have never seen anything like this happen before and I’ve seen hundreds of mammals do this!”

“What the hell happened?” I finally caught my breath enough to speak.

“I don’t know. It seems that something triggered _every_ memory to open, all at once. The stress that would do to a mammal's brain… Task! Get him out of there now!”

Task ran over to the machine and fanatically hit the keyboard. Seeing her look like this made me worry. A lot. A hissing noise occurred as the pod slowly opened. Out fell North, looking barely alive. We all ran over to him and helped him up. 

“He’s alive. Task! Bring me the med kit.”

“W-what…” 

“Don’t speak, you just got a massive memory overload.”

“I-I… I remember. Everything.”

“Good, your cognitive functions are still there. How are you feeling otherwise?”

“I remember. EVERYTHING.”

“You said that already.”

“No, you don’t understand! I spent decades trying to forget these things, and now you bring them back to me, for what? Some fucking password to help a mammal I don’t even know! I wanted to forget, but now I remember!”

“North… Nick!” I wasn’t even sure what to call him now. 

“Leave me alone. You got what you wanted. Happy?”

“Please, I didn’t mean to.”

“Yeah, but you did. I hope it was fucking worth it.”

Nick jumped up and ran out of the building. I went to chase after him but felt a paw on my shoulder hold me back. It was Holly.

“Leave him. We saw what you saw. He’s just as broken as us, but I have a feeling that right now, him being alone is just as good as us being there for you.”

“B-but I didn’t… if I had known I wouldn’t…”

“You said it yourself ‘livi, saving Lazlo is critical to many things. We need to choose between someone we can help, and someone who might not even want to be helped.”

“Y-your right…”

I hated when she was right. Nick didn’t want help, North didn’t want help, but Lazlo did. I needed to help him, but afterwards, I'll find that ghoul and I'll do anything I can to make it up to him. I wonder if there even is something that can.

“Umm, not to add more to this than there already is, but if Judy and Nick had a kid, and Nick is North, and the pregnant Judy was trapped in the same Burrow you're from Olivia. Do you think that…”

“What are you talking about Mark?”

“I think… he’s your ancestor.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! So that was a pretty interesting chapter, was it not? I really do hope that this answers the burning questions that everyone has had. Yes, it will most certainly bring up other ones, and some of them will be answered later on, but sadly, not all of them probably will, at least not in the actual chapters. There is always the After Shows and comments. 

“I want to start off by saying that Max and I are fine. We were discharged from the Guardians temporary base…”

**[Max]**

“You mean you got thrown out and had to drag me out of there.”

**[Stripes]**

“Discharged sounds so much more pleasant, but suffice it to say, we have recovered nicely, although this cast is really itching. How long do I have to have this stupid thing on again? Now, I wasn’t planning on doing this specific After Show today, feeling it was way too soon, but Max thought that it would be a good time, so here is Mister North West… or should I say, Nick Wilde? I’m not sure how I should address you now, is there a preference?”

**[Max]**

“Whoa! Don’t you throw me under the bus on this one. I want nothin’ to do with that memory place! NOTHIN’! you got me?”

**[Stripes]**

“Whoa there Max, no need to get your fur all riled up. Do I want to know? Yes, I kinda do, but not today. I think we will have our hooves and paws full today.”

**[Nick]**

“You? What are you… I’m really not in the mood for this, zebra.”

**[Stripes]**

“I know you had a rough time recently with all of your past suddenly flooding back all at once, but I’ve heard that talking about your problems is often very therapeutic.”

**[Nick]**

“Therapy? You know how long I spent trying to forget my past? I spent decades trying to erase the memories of the love I lost, the city I lost, the life I lost. When I finally forgot, I felt happy again.”

**[Stripes]**

“Did you really? I don’t believe for a second that memories like that can ever be truly forgotten, no matter how much time passes. You must have had glimpses, or even feelings of your past even after forgetting.”

**[Nick]**

“I… you’re not going to leave me alone, are you?”

**[Stripes]**

“It is my duty as a reporter to uncover everything I can, no matter what lengths I have go through to do so, so no, I will not. Not this time.”

**[Max]**

“You aren’t a reporter Stripes… You’ve never BEEN a reporter. I swear… I swear! You just… ARGH!”

**[Nick]**

“Fine. Grab a seat, I don’t think I wanna stand for this. So, what do you want to know?”

**[Stripes]**

“First things first. Why did you want to forget everything? You cared for Judy so very much, why try to forget that feeling?”

**[Nick]**

“It’s… complicated. You ever lose someone you love?”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, but it wasn’t a death, and looking back I don’t believe they ever really cared for me the same way I did for her…”

**[Nick]**

“Yeah, well I did lose mine and she _did_ care for me as much, if not more than I did for her. You know what the worst part was? She never died, at least I don’t think she did at first. She was trapped behind a door I couldn’t open, and for all I knew, she thought I was dead and I might as well have been. You think she would have wanted me back after turning into… this?”

**[Stripes]**

“If she really loved you that much, then I don’t think outward appearances would have changed that. I can say this however, she lived a long life. She even had a kid, but I’m sure you knew that. We all heard that recording.”

**[Nick]**

“How did you…”

**[Stripes]**

“I know more than you can possibly imagine, but if I told you how, you would never believe it. Believe this however, while she did not live the best life in the Burrow, she lived a safe life. She gave birth to a rabbit, but a rabbit that had your genes within him. She raised him to in turn have kits of his own, and so on. You’re blood even lives on to this day, but I’m sure you have felt that, haven’t you?”

**[Nick]**

“I… did she… did Judy ever… forget?”

**[Stripes]**

“No, she didn’t Till the day she died, she remembered. Unfortunately, your legacy was lost through the generations, otherwise, things might have turned out differently.”

**[Nick]**

“I… I…”

**[Stripes]**

“Take your time. I know ghouls can’t cry, at least not physically, and this is a lot for you to take in. I’m not heartless, despite what Max says. When you are ready to continue, let me know.”

**[Nick]**

“I… I think I am… go on.”

**[Stripes]**

“Now that you remember, how will this affect your present life?”

**[Nick]**

“I have a business to run in Hope. I can’t just give up everything due to memories. Before I met Judy I was lost, even if I didn’t believe it, I was never truly happy. Ever since I was a kit, I wanted to make a difference in the world but with everyone’s view on foxes, it was nearly impossible so I resorted to do what everyone expected of me. After meeting Judy it changed. I had meaning, I had the ability to actually make a difference in other mammals lives. I was happy. Happier then I ever was. When I lost her, even after losing my memory, I was never that happy again, because I never had a real purpose. In Hope, I have that purpose again. Sure, not everyone likes ghouls, and foxes are still looked down upon, even there, but I am starting to create a pretty lucrative business there, and I even have help. I will need a few days to take all of what happened in, but in the end, I think I will stick around in that town.”

**[Stripes]**

“I’m glad to hear it. Goods and services will always be needed, no matter how desperate the times are.”

**[Nick]**

“And I am not even trying to scam anyone anymore! Wait, this isn’t live, is it?”

**[Stripes]**

“It is actually. Don’t worry, the mayor kinda has it out for me, so maybe that means none of them are listening… you might wanna think about some kind of sale or customer incentive however, just in case.”

**[Nick]**

“Um… I was just kidding about that whole scam thing. It’s the stress…”

**[Stripes]**

“Yeah… so I wanna ask. You are a fox, and a ghoul, yet people in Hope aren’t trying to drive you out like some other foxes we both know. Why is that?”

**[Nick]**

“Well, I may be a fox but most of my species’ features are kinda, well, rotted away, so maybe people don’t see a fox? Plus, the mayor has been really kind towards me, even if it is just due to our mutual friend Olivia Springs. She has also gotten through to many of Hope’s residents and not all of them seem to be as opposed to foxes, or even giraffes after one helped to save the town from those Red-Neck bastards. Although at least five families have moved out, but they were some of the most speciest mammals there, so no loss.”

**[Stripes]**

“It’s always hard to see a town lose citizens, but if they are against expansion and equality, then good riddance. So, you and Miss Oswald have been getting close. Anything going on?”

**[Nick]**

“Who? Letty? No! Yeah, she’s a cute girl but I’m centuries older than her. I’m not even sure anyone would want a ghoul for a boyfriend, and she’s kinda… involved already. With the mayor, but don’t tell anyone that.”

**[Stripes]**

“We’re live, remember? Plus, from what I’ve heard, they’re not exactly secretive about it.”

**[Nick]**

“Well, crap.”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, let’s see, Max, you have any questions for our guest?”

**[Max]**

“Why… Why would you EVER agree to goin’ into somethin’ so god damn stupid as that memory hell? I… I GET Olivia Needed your help. I get that and I’d do what I could to help her too. But… Those places they’re… Why?”

**[Nick]**

“I… I owed her. I had was a real jerk to her from the moment I met her. Ever since my life got ‘renewed’ as a ghoul, I really did not care what others thought of me as long as I was able to make a few caps. After Olivia, I… things seemed different. Meeting her, getting a hold of those coins, especially the one with Judy and myself printed on them…”

**[Stripes]**

“Wait, you mean the Treasures of Zootopia? Those were _your_ images on them?”

**[Nick]**

“Yup. It was supposed to be some sort of publicity thing. The mayor, the pre-war Zootopia mayor, not Mayor Swift that is, wanted to sell them as the coins of Zootopia’s heroes and use the profits to help fund the war effort. A few sets were made, but they never made it to mass production before everything… ended. Anyways, I think they triggered something in me, something that I knew I had forgotten, but had no idea what or why. Ever since then I felt… different. Yes, I felt that I owed her something, but I think a part of me wanted to know more about those feelings. I just wasn’t prepared for what they actually were.”

**[Stripes]**

“If you could do it all over again, Memory Lane that is, with what you know now, would you have still gone through with it?”

**[Nick]**

“No. Well, maybe. I really don’t know. Those feelings they… they hurt, a pain worse than anything I have ever felt, at least since that day that I… If you asked me that after it had been done? I would have said hell no. Now that it is all starting to settle? I…”

**[Stripes]**

“You don’t have to continue. I can see you are still trying to recover. I do have one last question for you however, and please, take your time answering it. While I don’t want to keep bringing up what happened with you, I’m sure that many of our listeners have either gone through similar losses as yours, or know mammals who have. Any words of advice to them?”

**[Nick]**

“Never forget. I’ve learned that now. Yes, it may be hard to live with such a loss, and many might even give up, but don’t. Don’t forget, and don’t give up. Life may not get better, I know that I am still no where near as happy as I was when Judy was alive, and I doubt that I will ever be, but life goes on. While it still hurts, forgetting I think hurt even more and I admit you will never truly forget, no matter how hard you try. If I could go back and start over, I would have remembered her, remembered us, and never forgotten. Pain should never last, but memories, they should be treasured forever.”

**[Stripes]**

“Thank you for the parting words Mister Wilde. Well, that’s all the time we have today folks. If you have any questions regarding events that happened this chapter, please don’t hesitate to ask. Until next time, take care everyone!”


	67. Who Guards the Guardians?

“So, are you saying that North… Nick… gah! I don’t even know what to call him! That he could be my ancestor?”

“Yeah, I mean Doc has already said that one of the couples to go through the interspecies reproduction alteration was a fox and a rabbit. Nick and this Judy were lovers, as we found out a bit too vividly, and you have fox DNA. It’s too much to be a simple coincidence.”

Gah. Mark was right. It felt too much like a coincidence. The way he acted around me, the way he couldn’t seem to part with coins that portrayed a fox and rabbit. Maybe he knew? Or at least that part of him knew? I wanted to run after him, to tell him I'm sorry for doing what I did. To sit with him and help work it out. 

I can’t. I really want to, but I can’t. Chief Lazlo needed me. I finally have the ability to not only save him, but potentially the entire wasteland from whatever King’s plans were, and I had a feeling they weren't good intentions. I had the badge, and I had the code. Once this was done, I'll find Nick and tell him. I’m sorry.

“Let’s go.”

“You okay ‘livi?”

“No, but we have a job to do. I’ll have to deal with it later.”

“And we'll be there by your side Binky.” Nate’s tail wrapped around me as he hugged me, with his good arm.

“I know you will sweetie. Let’s go before I change my mind.” 

We gathered our stuff and headed back to meet up with Jasmine and Zack who were waiting on us. I sent a message to Onion to let him know we were on our way. Thankfully, there hadn't been any activity this entire time. It seems that the Memory Den was the only actively run location here, and it filled such a small niche in terms of demand that not many mammals passed through this area. 

It didn’t help that I could tell a large fight had broken out here, and I didn’t even have to ask the details. I knew. It seemed that Nate had noticed as well.

“I’m not proud of it.” His voice almost showed a hint of shame, and I think it was directed at himself. 

“Holly and Mark said that you, well, went berserk.” 

“Something in me snapped. When they took you, all I could see was red.”

“I know all too well what you mean. Look, I'm not going to say that it was a stupid thing to do when I damn well know I would have done the same. I’m simply gonna ask you to do what I have been trying so very hard to do myself. Think. We both need to learn to think before acting. Otherwise, in trying to hurt our enemies, we may end up hurting our friends.”

“And we'll be there to help you too, all the way.” Holly moved next to me.

“It takes a family, and that's what we are.” Mark moved next to his brother.

We all stopped to hug each other, but during it my ear started to twitch. I thought I heard something for a moment, but then it disappeared. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it didn’t sound like any noise I’ve heard a mammal make before, it almost sounded like…

“Look out!” 

I pushed Nate and Mark back as I grabbed Holly, jumping backwards. A large spider landed right where we had been standing. It was one of the spiders from the nest! Somehow it had survived. I saw burn marks on its carapace, and jagged slices along it’s back. One of the legs was missing as well.

It reared it’s body up, about to attack, but before I could grab my gun, I heard a loud noise just seconds before the spider exploded, showering us with its blood and guts. My mouth had been open, ready to shout to the others, and it was now filled with spider mush. It was so very nasty.

“What the fuck was that?!” I scanned the horizon to see the shooter, both to identity whoever it was, and to make sure that we weren't in danger from another round.

“A high caliber explosive round from the looks of it.” Holly was trying to wipe off the slimy entrails. “Ugh, it’s in my fur. It’s in my clothes!”

“It’s in my _mouth_ , blech. I don’t see anyone, you think it was Jasmine?”

“Had to be. If they were trying to kill us, then why stop?”

“Let’s get back to the Tac-Lifter post haste. Keep your eyes and ears open.”

We slowly worked our way back to where Jasmine and Zack were waiting, keeping low and using any cover we could find to make sure who ever had killed the spider, wasn’t trying to take aim at any of us. I'm sure it was Jasmine, but it was best to be safe. There were way too many mammals that wanted me dead.

When we finally got close enough, I saw the faint sign of Jasmine, laying prone with her gun extended. Zack was sitting at the controls of the aircraft, a scope aimed towards where we came from. As soon as he saw us, he dropped it and jumped out.

“You guys alright?”

“Yeah, thanks to Jasmine.”

“What do you mean?” She sounded confused as Zack was helping her back up. Those long legs didn’t seem to make it easy for her.

“For killing that spider.”

“It wasn’t _me_. We heard a gunshot and took position. I could see the aftermath of what ever happened, but Zack couldn’t identify where the shot came from.”

“So if it wasn’t you, then who?”

“I waited for another shot to see where it came from, but none came. Whoever it was must have left or hid after the spider was dead.”

“Not very comforting.” That was the second time a mysterious gunshot saved us. 

“Perhaps we have a guardian angel in our midst?” Leave it to Mark to make this sound religious.

“Or whoever it was is a terrible shot and only had one bullet?”

“You don’t have to be so cynical Olivia.” 

“It’s what I do Mark, it’s what I do. Anyways, since there's no obvious danger, let's get back to the hospital. I'm sure Logan will be excited to hear we have the code.”

“Stalker Logan doesn’t _do_ excited.” Zack said that very seriously.

“Yeah, just like I don’t do sane.” I was joking of course, but everyone gave me a worried look. “Don’t worry, I don’t have anything crazy planned yet.” But the day wasn't over.

Once the Tac-Lifter was in the air, everyone kept their eyes open on the ground. Somewhere out there was the mysterious assailant that has not once, but twice saved us from danger. The only thing I wanted to know was if they were our friend, or if they simply didn’t want us, or me, to die. The Legionaries wanted me alive, I knew that, but if it was them, then why haven’t they shown themselves? 

Unfortunately that will have to wait. We have bigger fish to fry.

***

We arrived back at the temporary base, and while it was still daytime, it was getting very close to dusk. Zack had radioed ahead to let Logan know we were on our way back, so he was there awaiting our arrival. There were Tac-Lifters lined up in a formation, along with at least two dozen various Guardians, all ready to move out at Logan’s command. 

“Looks like you're ready for war.” 

“It may just as well come to that. We don't know what danger Chief Lazlo is in, nor have we heard back from our patrols scouting the base. We must be prepared to not only fend off whatever threat lies within Precinct One, but also the chance that King and his traitors may already be on their way to capture or kill Chief Lazlo. He knows his return is a threat to him, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's already trying to prevent that.”

“I got the code, and the badge. Ready to head out when you are.”

“That won’t be necessary Miss Springs. Despite the Chief offering you and your friends membership within the Guardian ranks, you are not, and this is a Guardian mission.”

“No.” I stomped my foot down as I said it. I saw a few of the Guardians move uneasily. Logan stood unwavering.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, no. I will not be sitting this one out. I may not be a Guardian, but Lazlo is a friend, and I don’t leave friends in danger. I might have lost a friend trying to get this damn code, and I sure as hell am not going to risk losing another.” I walked over to the aircraft that we had just arrived in, jumped inside and sat down. “I'll do this on my own if I have to.”

Holly looked at Logan with a smirk. “She will too, and I doubt you want that crazy bunny trying to fly one of your Tac-Lifters.” 

Holly, Mark, and Nate all joined me in the craft. I could tell that Onion was a bit hesitant at what I was trying to do, but then gave up and joined us as well. 

“Jasmine, you with me?”

“Um…” Her eyes darted between Logan and me. Logan’s expression was still hard.

“C’mon Jay Jay, I'm responsible for this bird, and I'm not about to let one of them crash it.” Zack moved towards the Tac-Lifter, and then Jasmine followed suit. I heard her say ‘sorry’ very quietly, most likely directed at Logan.

We waited, and I could tell that this entire thing was causing an ever growing uneasiness among the Guardians. Eventually I heard a very audible sigh from Logan. 

“Okay Guardians, load up. We move out in ten.”

“I can’t believe you did that.” Zack’s voice was of both amazement and disbelief. “Any other mammal would have gotten thrown into the brig for that.”

“Can’t help that they're all scared of me.”

“It isn’t that Olivia. Sure, some are, but Logan isn’t afraid of anything, or anyone.”

“Then why buckle like that?”

“Respect.”

“Huh?”

“He respects you I think. You single-pawedly saved him once, and the fact that you are willing to risk your own life to do it again makes him believe you really do care.”

“Wouldn’t any of the others do it too? I mean, if they didn’t care for Lazlo, they would be with King, not here.”

“True, they all respect the Chief, but to be honest, I don’t think a single one of them other than Stalker Logan would be willing to attempt a rescue by themselves unless they were forced to.”

“Well, no one is forcing me.”

“Exactly. That’s why he respects you.”

I watched as Logan was shouting orders to the Guardians as they ran around performing what tasks were needed before we could leave. At one point he looked towards me, still with the same hardened look on his face, but rather than saying anything, he simply nodded at me before resuming his tasks.

Respect. That is one word that I never thought anyone would have associated me with. Fear, hatred, hope, thankfulness, and even love. Those are emotions that I have seen from many mammal. To be respected? That was new. I never once thought that so many different mammals would show me such a rainbow of emotions. I simply wanted to help, and never expect anything in return. 

“Oh! Don’t leave yet, I forgot something!” 

Holly jumped up and darted out of the Tac-Lifter. Before I could ask what was wrong, she was well out of my shouting range. Not that she would have been able to hear with the echoing of Logan’s voice. That was one loud wolf. 

She was only gone for a few minutes, but by the time she returned, everyone was in position to leave. She was carrying a small bag. She jumped in and squeezed herself between Mark and I and tossed the bag onto my lap. It landed with a very heavy feeling, and nearly caused me to expel my lungs.

“What is this?”

“A gift. Open it.” She sounded very excited, pronounced with the way she was jumping in her seat. Mark had to place his arm around her to get her to calm down.

I opened the bag and inside was a darkened metal object. I slowly pulled it out. It was a gun stock. I looked at Holly, but she simply gestured me to continue. There was one more item in the bag and I slowly pulled it out. One look at it and I knew exactly what it was.

“Is this a…”

“Plasma rifle!” She shouted it out as if she was holding it back for a long time. “I was able to modify it to fit a rabbit. Stock is removable for transport and quick close range attacks. I actually have…” She pulled her own backpack out and grabbed something from it. “…this. It’s a focusing array. You can swap out the current barrel for this if needed. I didn’t have room in that bag for it.”

“Focusing array?”

“Yeah. The current attachment is actually a multi-faceted splitter array. It allows the plasma gun to fire multiple short range projectiles, like a shot gun. The focusing array, along with the stock attachment, turns it into basically a mid-range sniper rifle. Not as accurate as a real one, but does the trick. It’s easy to swap, here let me show you.”

She took the gun from me and showed me a small lever and a button. Pushing them at the same time made a click noise and the barrel dropped off. She took the focusing array and snapped it on. Then she attached the stock and showed me that it disconnected in the same way. 

“Thank you Holly.”

“Don’t thank me ‘livi, it was Nate’s idea. Think he still feels bad for ruining your last one.”

“Yeah. Plus those things eat through armor like no tomorrow. Figured it'd be handy just in case we do run into King’s men.”

I gave Nate a kiss. “Thank you sweetie.”

“Hey Zack, you think anyone would mind if ‘livi takes a few pot shots from up here? Just to get used to it.”

“Well, this is designed for air to ground arms fire. Let me just radio it in so the other’s don’t think we’re under attack.”

“Okay ‘livi, just aim and fire.”

“I know how to pull a trigger. I’m not _that_ incompetent.”

I switched with Nate since he was closest to the open door and leaned out. I felt his arm grabbing me, probably afraid I would fall out. I didn’t aim at anything in particular, rather made sure no one was within targeting sight. I pulled the trigger and a bright green bolt shot through the air. The gun had a small kick, but the stock helped absorb it. I moved to swap the barrels out when Holly stopped me.

“I wouldn’t try the splitter in here. Accuracy is shit with it, and those plasma bolts have a mind of their own. Last thing we need is to shoot down our own ride.”

“Thanks for the warning Holly. Range seems nice, but it’s hard to really target anything.”

“Oh, yeah I didn’t remember to find a scope. Sorry.”

Scope? Wait a second. I handed the gun to Nate to hold as I grabbed my bag. I had been using this as a scouting tool, and never actually thought about actually using it as what it was meant for. There was an attachment point for a scope along the top and I tried to slide it in, but it was too large and wouldn’t lock down.

“Here.” 

Nate grabbed the scope and handed me back the gun. He took out his own tools and made some adjustments on the scope before handing it back to me. 

I tried to place it back on and it snapped into place. 

“Thank you. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because you're acting like Holly and too busy drooling over a new toy?”

I punched his shoulder, forgetting that I was on the side of his metal arm. 

“Ow!”

Nate grabbed my paw and kissed it. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just not used to that arm.”

“You and me both.”

“Oh looky. Nate is trying to heal ‘livi’s boo-boo with kisses. If that works, you might be out of a job Marki.”

“Well if all it took to heal a broken limb and internal bleeding was a kiss, then I would happy to be out of a job.”

“As long as they weren’t _your_ kisses. They belong to me.” I could tell Holly was mocking jealousy.

“Aww, did that hurt your feelings? Let me make it better.”

I made kissing noises as I leaned towards Holly. What I didn’t expect was Mark taking that exact moment to reach for something in a way that my lips happened to make contact with his. We both shot back, trying to act as if nothing happened. 

Holly noticed of course, as she grabbed Mark close to her. “My fox. My. Fox.”

“Eh, Nate’s a better kisser anyways.”

“Buh… you take that back!” I think Holly was only _half_ pretending to be mad.

We continued to joke around like that, Holly and I embarrassing the hell out of Mark and Nate by comparing each other’s boyfriends. We tried to get Jasmine in on this, but it looked like she was already getting embarrassed by our talking, let alone trying to talk about her and Zack. Holly might be a vicious teaser, but at least she knew when to draw the line.

It felt nice to joke around like this. Sure, there was still the matter of needing to find North and apologize, and we have this unknown problem to deal with with rescuing Lazlo, but at times like this, a little frivolity isn’t necessarily a bad thing. To be honest, it wasn’t the actual joking that made me feel better, it was the fact that I was actually in a mood to do so. 

The entire time that Nate was unconscious, I felt my own happiness leaving me, being replaced by an eternal darkness of anger and sadness. Being like that, especially how I keep finding myself back there, is so draining that sometimes I wondered if I would forget what happiness felt like. Being here, with my friends and family, despite heading into the unknown, this reminded me again what happiness really was. 

I wasn't about to let anything take it away from me ever again.

***

Logan had ordered all the Tac-Lifters to land about half a mile away from the Precinct. It was starting to get dark, so I figured he’d want us to move out under the cover of darkness. Hope wasn’t too far from here, but there were still enough buildings and debris to prevent any direct line of sight, plus I think we were facing away from Hope's entrance, but I wasn’t sure. While the thought of checking in on them, and seeing if North was there, crossed my mind, I knew that it wasn’t the best time to do it. Maybe on the way back.

“Okay people, let’s get situated.” Logan’s arrival made everyone quiet and alert. “We'll be dividing up into teams. Since Miss Springs has the access code and key, she'll be in Alpha Team. This will consist of the Valiants, Miss Kerrigan, Stalkers Grant, Rothschild, Wilder, and Strauss. Defenders Hornly, Buskby, and Tuskgen will be joining them as well.”

I whispered to Zack. “Tuskgen? I didn’t know she knew how to fight.”

“No, it’s her brother, Alphonse Tuskgen. They're not on speaking terms right now, so I would avoid bringing her name up.”

“Oh, duly noted.” Then it hit me. “Um, I don’t actually know her full name.”

“Edna. She doesn’t really care for it, that’s why we all call her Tuskgen. Her brother calls her ‘Ed’ just to annoy her. Unless you want her to start throwing tools and other heavy machinery at you, I’d avoid calling her that as well.”

“Got it.”

Logan finished assigning the other teams and sent them to where they needed to be. My team, Alpha team, was going in first. Two more teams were on standby if we needed assistance, while the others were keeping an eye on the perimeter to prevent anyone from dropping in on us unexpectedly.

The way to the Precinct was pretty straight forward, but we took the long way to avoid any detection, or traps, of which we found a few. Someone had set up a minefield around the main entrance. Both Jasmine’s helmet and the Defenders’ were able to detect them before we were close enough to cause any detonations.

Logan informed us that the Agents had already cleared a path in their attempt to assess the situation and we followed behind the Defenders as they led us through that path. It brought us uncomfortably close to a few mines, but never close enough to make them start beeping. Zack assured me that a Defender’s Exo-Armor was also built to withstand a direct mine explosion, so that's why they were acting as a shield, just in case. That made me feel better, but only slightly.

Once we were clear of the minefield, all that was left was to traverse the tunnel leading to the entrance. I was told it would be straight forward, but suddenly one of the Defenders told us to stop. 

“Sensors show the defense turrets are active.”

“The Agents assured me they were disabled.” Logan was sounding more irritated than anything. 

“Seems someone reactivated them.”

“Okay people, we need to try to find another way.”

“Not necessarily.” I put down the plasma rifle and dug out and assembled my remote gun. I went to find some ammo, but then remembered that I haven't had the time to craft any more. Fuck. 

“Here.” 

Nate handed me four remote bullets. “I was able to make them while I was healing. Plus Tuskgen suggested that I do something mindless to make sure the paw was responding correctly.”

“Thank you sweetie.” I gave him a kiss, and a small grunt came from Logan that I interpreted as: ‘this is not the time’.

I loaded a bullet and asked the Defender where the turrets were. He said there were two and pointed them out. My eyes adjusted enough to see the unmistakable concave fixture that it seems nearly every turret had. To me it seemed like a large sign just saying: ‘Hey! Dangerous gun over here!’. I took aim and fired. 

Since I could only connect to one bullet at a time, started the process of disarming the first one, although I took it one step further. Rather than completely disable them, I synced up my friend-or-foe system to theirs, uploading the proper tags. Lazlo once told me that all Guardians had a tag that identified them. Unfortunately, while I was making sure it worked, I realized one small flaw. While a Pip-Boar can act as a tag, neither Mark nor Holly had one. During the test, they both came up red. Then I had an idea. 

I was able to only need one bullet to hack into both turrets since their targeting system was linked, so that left me with three. I took two of them and worked my magic. While I could only hack through one at a time, I was able to link one to my Pip-Boar and one to Nate’s. I grabbed his arm. 

“Um, Nate, where’s your Pip-Boar?”

“Oh, here.” A panel popped open revealing the screen. 

“That is so cool.”

Without hesitating, I started to punch in data to his and linked it to the other bullet. While I wasn’t sure if he knew what I was doing, he didn’t seem to mind me suddenly confiscating his device. Once I was finished I tossed one bullet to Mark and the other to Holly.

“Keep those and don’t lose them. When we enter and exit past those turrets, keep close to Nate and I.”

“What did you do?” I think Holly was on to me.

“Well, rather than deactivate the turrets, I switched their Identify-friend-or-foe data. Now, they'll see all of us as friends, and anyone else as foes. Unfortunately, you two are the only ones who don’t have tags that registered with it, so these will basically mimic our own as long as you are close enough to us.”

“Okay, so lose these and the guns will shoot us. You could have just said that ‘livi.”

I looked at Logan and he simply nodded in approval. With these turrets out of the way, we were able to sneak into the outer area of the facility. Logan told us that the locked door was deeper in the Precinct, just below the basement level. There were no signs of aggressors along the way, but we did see the bodies of dead raiders scattered throughout the rooms.

“These the ones who tried to take this place?”

“Most likely. Until recently no one's been able to gain access to the vault beneath.”

“But how did they do it this time?”

“That’s what Lazlo went to find out. His plan was to clear any raiders out and take this place back. The vault contains enough pre-war equipment to arm ten times our forces for decades to come.”

“That’s a lot of guns.”

“Not just guns, but prototype Exo-Armor, food, medicine, even blueprints for technology lost centuries ago. Tuskgen thinks that there might even be a prototype R.A.D. in there.” For the first time, it sounded like Logan was cracking through his hardened visage.

“RAD? Like Rad! Cola?”

“No, Restorative Agriculture Device. Only one prototype was made, and it was never tested. From what we know, it was designed to siphon radiation from water to make it safe to drink, and from soil to allow for plants to grow once again. The radiation was in turn filtered into a potential fertilizer.”

“That sounds amazing. If it could do this, then why is this world still crap?”

“It was never put into production. In order to fully test it, a large amount of radiation was needed to pollute both water and air, and no government would allow for this, for fear it wouldn't work and the contamination would spread. The project was going to be scrapped, but the prototype was kept, supposedly by the founder of the Guardians, Chief Bogo himself.”

“If that’s true, then there's no shortage of radiation to test it on.”

“And if it proves successful, Engineer Tuskgen says she should be able to reverse engineer it and put it into mass production, but we need to get it first.”

I heard a disapproving noise from behind me. Most likely Defender Tuskgen. I don’t know why, but part of me wants to have a little talk with her to find out what's going on between them, but the other part of me is reminding me that it’s really none of my business. For once I wish the voices in my head would come to agreement.

“You look lost ‘livi.”

“I’m fine, just having an argument with the voices in my head again.”

“Should we be worried?”

“Naw. It’s about a frivolous matter. Once they smell blood, _then_ you better start worrying.”

“Not very helpful. Keep an eye on your girl Nate.”

“An eye, a tail, whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

“Just not your arm. I don’t want another black eye to match this one.”

“Sorry.” He sounded like a sad child the way he said it.

“I’m only kidding. Seriously though, that hurt.”

I gave him a kiss before he could comment. 

“If we're done fraternizing, we have a job to do.” Logan cleared his voice before speaking.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist Logan, we’re moving.”

I heard a collective gasp, but there was no reaction from Logan. Makes me wonder if there was just a slight bit of fear mixed in that respect of his for me. I don’t know why but I was feeling very good today. Sure, I was probably about to walk into some kind of trap, and risk life and limb to save Lazlo, possibly even add a few more scars to my collection, but I was feeling better than I had been in a while. Let’s just hope that nothing happens to change that. 

Knowing my luck, it'll be right behind this door. 

The door in question that we had just reached was the same door that I had to go memory diving in order to open. We had expected to rendezvous with Agent Tass and her team, but what we saw caused us to all stop. I had to open my mouth, didn’t I? There was no team, but we did find Agent Tass. She was right here. And over there. 

“What happened?” Holly’s voice was filled with disbelief. 

Mark leaned over her body, the upper half at least. I could tell he was in medical mode, despite the fact that she was long gone. “Centralized explosion. Most likely a grenade launcher or explosive round.” He waved his paw over her eyes, closing them.

“Stalker Grant and Strauss. Gather Agent Tass and prepare her body for transport. Once we return, we'll give her the send-off she deserves.” His voice lowered in tone. “She was a good mammal. Didn’t deserve this.”

I didn’t know her, but I was starting to feel my anger build. I had to keep it under control, at least until I could find something, or someone, who deserves it. 

“Who did this?” That was all I could muster for the time being.

“The raider corpses outside were old, but this was recent, within the past few hours.” I envied Mark at times. Being surrounded by death and still able to keep his composure like this. I'm sure he’s hurting deep down, but it takes real strength to not show it when others are counting on you.

“I’ll have Bravo Team sweep the area, make sure whoever did this isn’t still around. We still have a job to do.”

Yeah, a job. I know Logan wasn’t heartless, but sometimes it's hard to not see him any other way. I think Lazlo was right in making him second in command, but I wonder if some of the others resent the fact that he never shows any real emotions. To be strict and forceful is one thing, but a leader needs to show a bit of compassion, or else they just seem cold. I’ll have to bring that up with Lazlo when this is all over.

A shove from Holly reminded me that I needed to focus on getting this door open. I moved in front of it, trying to ignore the blood splatter. Finding the small indentation, I pushed the button to make sure that the system was still working. Flashing lights and a message asking to enter identification told me it was working. I took the badge out of my pocket and gently pressed it into the indentation. It fit perfectly.

“ _Officer Nicholas P. Wilde, Identity Confirmed. Please Enter Pass-Code._ ”

A small window appeared and a keyboard slid out. I typed it out slow, making sure I didn't mess it up. We only had one chance. 

0-N-L-Y-1-C-A-R-R-0-T

“ _User Identified. Pass-Code Accepted. Welcome Officer Wilde._ ”

The door started to make a humming noise, similar to when a Burrow door started to open. This door was large enough for even Jasmine to walk through, but it still wasn’t as massive as one of them. Once it slid open, my nose was welcomed by a stench so bad that I almost threw up. 

The others could smell it as well. It was the smell of death. Inside lights started to flicker on. They were dim, but bright enough to let us see everything inside, and what we saw looked straight from a nightmare. Bodies were everywhere. Some lay where they died, others looked as if they were tossed like dolls against the walls. And all of them wore the same jumpsuits. 

They were all Guardians.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Today’s episode will be a partial continuation of the last chapter. Not Mr. Wilde as we can finally call him. He’s still trying to recover after his ordeal. No, this is about Memory Lane, the place that finally revealed everything to you all about his hidden past. Now, I was planning on actually going there, maybe try it out for myself, and even get a certain silver fox to jump in with me, but Max has shown a bit of… hesitation towards it. So much that Celeste has threatened… ahem… bodily harm on a certain equine if he is dragged there against his will, so I will be simply giving you a history lesson today. Maybe one day we can stop by there with someone a bit more willing to try it out. 

“Now, Memory Lane is an interesting place. The technology behind it was pre-war, and like many of the technological wonders of the world it was borne from war. Mammals know that soldiers fight, and soldiers die. It’s a sad matter of fact, but even those who live end up suffering for months, years, or even the rest of their lives. Technology came far in helping mammals recover after the war. Cybernetic prosthesis helped them walk, run, and act normal again after loosing limbs, but mentally, there was very little to help. I’m talking about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is, simply put, a mental health problem that affects people differently, but one of the largest after effects from a war. PTSD was already a problem in the past, and even the ZPD has faced issues with it among their officers, but this war? It’s impact was far greater than anyone could ever imagine. 

“Wars typically have two sides, the aggressors and the defenders. Yes, this is a gross under-statement, but it is a simple one. However, that was not the case this time. Yes, there are some today that know who the real enemy was, and yes, you will discover this yourself later on, but that is a can of worms to be opened another day. What you do know, however, is that the real enemy was lurking in the shadows. Some thought it was predator against prey, others thought it was species against species, and even others thought it was country against country, religion against religion. No one knew the real enemy, but everyone thought they knew, and nearly everyone was wrong.

“That is the problem with the new cases of PTSD that were popping up. It’s one thing to see someone die in combat, or to kill someone with your own paws, but to not even know if they were the enemy? To not know if you are the good guy or the bad guy in this war? That took its toll on mammals harder than doctors and psychiatrists could have ever imagined. Typical treatments weren’t nearly as effective. Sure, new drugs were being created, existing ones enhanced, and non-drug treatments were being used, but it wasn’t helping nearly as much with this already incurable disease. 

“That’s when Happy Times Inc, or rather a sister company called Dreams Unlimited, that had branched off to start their own research, decided to step in. We all know about that incident at the relaxation facility prior to that chapter that shall not be named, but Happy Times Inc had their paws in the medical field as well, helping to create drugs that would relax anyone suffering from PTSD. The problem with drugs is that they are temporary, they just get mammals minds off of what is really bothering them.

“When Dreams Unlimited decided to help, they took another approach. They had already been working on a way to record dreams, something that I often wish I could get my hooves on, when they proposed this. What if rather than recording a dream, they could have someone interact with it, to allow the dreamer a better look into their own memories? That is exactly what they set out to do, and as you all saw, is what they succeeded in doing. 

“It was such a success, that they ended up kicking out their own sister company as the official government contractor for post wartime healing. And it worked better than the creators ever thought. By having not only psychiatrists able to directly analyze memories, even repressed ones, it allowed friends and family to see and experience what they are going through. It also helped to prove that mammals effected by PTSD were genuinely ill, and not faking it as some mammals thought. While it was not a one-hundred percent success rate, most mammals who underwent it felt better after some time.

“Of course with every success comes a failure, or in this case, a side effect of success. Before the war escalated into the destruction of civilization as they knew it, Dreams Unlimited had Dream Stations installed all over the country. Such a huge increase in accessibility started to cause problems, especially among those who were not undergoing PTSD treatments. 

“Many mammals started visiting these places under false pretenses in order to relive better days, or to see what went wrong during bad ones. Many facilities saw an influx in mammals who had been dumped by their significant other and they tried to relive their mistakes in order to learn from them. Let’s just say reliving a mistake does not make you a master at fixing it. It got so bad that prescriptions were needed to use the facilities, although that did not stop ‘ghost’ locations from opening. These locations were basically black market memory dens that use pilfered tech. Some of them were run by ex-Dreams Unlimited employees who managed to steal or re-purpose the tech making it just as safe as a legit facility, but others tried to copy the tech, and that came with problems such as causing brain damage, inducing unwakeable comas, and even forms of psychosis. 

“The worst part of it was when it started to fall into the wrong paws. Mammals would use it to force truths out of others. Prey who thought predators were responsible would capture and force them to reveal secrets they didn’t know. Other countries would do the same, trying to find military secrets. Yes, this was still fairly small scale since most of the knock-off facilities were nowhere near as advanced as the official ones, but given time, even these sub-par technologies would improve. This never happened of course since the world ended and the need for such technologies fell into the history books. 

“Until about a decade or so afterwards when an intact facility, the one that is now managed by Doctor Fink and his assistant Task, was discovered and re-purposed into Memory Lane. The problem was, some of the files had been corrupted. It is unknown what type of environment was utilized within the dream world, but the scene of a row of houses? That was instilled by the mammal who discovered the facility while he was trying to fix the hashed data. I think it works personally, makes it feel more… friendly. At least until doors start flying off the hinges like it started to when Nick’s memories awoke all at once. Something like that is not supposed to happen, but then again, most patients never have nearly two centuries of repressed memories to suddenly remember. 

“Well, that’s it for today folks. Remember, Memory Lane is always open and you don’t even need a prescription. Doctor Fink does, however, hold his work in high esteem so only lets those who can benefit from the facility use it. He seems a bit… picky about that, but it never hurts to ask! So, until next time folks, take care!”


	68. Precinct One

“It looks like a massacre.”

Mark was right. This wasn’t the sight of a battle. There were no raider corpses, at least none that were identifiable. Every single mammal, from the smallest weasel to the largest elephant were piled up, their armors stripped leaving only their jumpsuits, and sometimes not even that. 

“What happened to their gear?” Zack moved closer, probably trying to get a better look.

“What happened to _them_?”

I could care less about their gear right now. These mammals were either riddled with bullet wounds, burned, or both. Some of them even had missing limbs. The one thing that they all shared was a look of fear. Mark went over to one of them, still in his medic mode. 

“These burns… they’re plasma burns.”

“How can you tell?” That was getting me a bit nervous.

“A plasma burn always has a splotchy pattern to it. Normal burns, like from a flamer, tend to ignite the immediate area, while plasma burns can ‘splash’ to other areas.”

“You don’t think its…” Before I could finish, I heard a muffled voice. 

“C-co…” The rest was indistinguishable. 

“Mark, over here! We have a survivor!”

I used my hearing to pick out the muffled voice. It was coming from one of the piles of bodies. I felt myself getting ill, looking at and smelling the death around me, but if there was someone who I could help, if someone had survived this bloodbath, I had to help. I finally found the source of the noise. It was a large boar half trapped beneath a dead rhino.

“Stalker Loche!” Logan ran over to him. 

“S-st-alker… L-ogan…”

“Valiant! Get your medical kit over here now!”

“Yes Sir!” 

Mark ran over to the boar and started to treat him, but from the look on his face, I doubt the boar would live, but despite that, I knew Mark would do anything he could to prevent that.

“He’s not going to make it Logan.” 

“Damn it! Stalker Loche, what the hell happened?”

“I-it w-was a…” he coughed, blood shooting out of his mouth. 

Mark injected him with something. “He’s not going to make it, but this will ease his pain and make him more coherent. How you feeling Loche?”

“”L-like crap.” He coughed a few more times, but he was sounding better, but we all knew that was only temporary. “It was a t-trap… the raiders… were decoys. I-t was the C-corrupted…”

“Corrupted Guardians? What the hell are they doing here? Stalker, is Chief Lazlo alive?” 

“Y-yes Sir…” 

Logan let out a sigh of relief. “Where is he?”

“H-he w-went towards… the… vault… to…” Stalker Loche stopped speaking. 

“He’s… he's dead.”

“Damn it! Okay people, we need to head for the vault. Get one of the teams in here to prepare the bodies for transport. They may be dead, but we can give them the dignity of a proper burial. Alpha Team, move out.”

“But Logan, what if there are other survivors here?” I didn’t want to leave anyone else who might be alive.

“The other team will find them. Valiant isn’t our only medic here. Move out.”

“But Logan…”

“I said MOVE OUT!” Logan not only snapped at me verbally, but bared his teeth, as if trying to threaten me. He then turned and moved towards the only door in the room.

“He’s really worried about the Chief. I'm sure he didn’t mean that.” Zack had put his hoof on my arm.

“So that’s what it’s like.” That’s all I could think of, how I just experienced the same thing that I've put so many others through when I snapped at them. No wonder Tuskgen and some of the others were nervous or even fearful around me. Was I really that scary? I shook the thought out of my head. “Let’s go before he gets himself killed.”

With silence fallen among us, we all started to follow Logan. There were no more corpses, all of them seemingly have been transported to the entrance. The blood on the walls and floor told me that those Guardians didn’t die in that room alone, that many died throughout the place. I really hope that the Corrupted Guardians faced just as many casualties, if not more. Otherwise, we may just have our paws full on this one.

While a typical Burrow had junctions that lead to different areas, this place was very straight forward. A singular hallway that gradually declined further below the surface with the occasional room branching off. It was very similar to the design of the bunker I am, or was, calling home. It’s been a long time since any of us have been there. 

“I’ve got two marks.” Nate’s voice broke through the bitter silence. I had completely neglected to check my Pip-Boar for any activities. 

“I can confirm that Mister Valiant.” Onion’s confirmation caused everyone to stop. I booted up my scanner and verified that there were two red dots directly ahead of us.

“Eyes and ears open. Stalker Rothschild, initiate thermal scan.”

“Y-yes Sir.”

Jasmine put on her helmet and stood there, motionless. I could tell that she still wasn’t used to being a Guardian, the way she verbally responded every time an order was given from Logan. She never hesitated in performing what she was told to, but I wondered if she was simply still reminded of how she was treated when she was still a Red-Neck. I really do hope that she knows the difference between us and them, that if she didn’t obey Logan that it would probably be more of a slap on the wrist or time in the brig, not being tortured. That’s the difference between the Guardians and everyone else, they still follow by moral and ethical standards. Otherwise, I doubt King would have been alive long enough to separate them like this.

“They're about three-hundred feet ahead, directly behind the next set of doors. They're both hippos, I think. Their Exo-Armor is interfering with my detailed scans.”

“Good enough Stalker. Defender’s Tuskgen and Buskby, you two take the front. Stalkers Wilder and Strauss, you two will aid the Defenders at point. Stalker Rothschild, you'll take position with your sniper, but do not fire unless ordered to. Defender Hornly, and Stalker Grant will take up the rear, make sure there are no hidden surprises for us. The Corrupted have been known to utilize personal Stealth-Boars.”

Stealth-Boars? Great.

“Valiants, Kerrigan and Springs, you four will stay back with Stalker Rothschild. Do not engage unless ordered to.”

“But…” 

“Do NOT engage. That is an order!”

Why was I suddenly feeling like we were simply passengers now? I'm surprised he didn’t tell us to go wait outside or something. I know Logan isn’t nervous of me, and that he knows what we are capable of when together, but still he seemed to treat us like we were civilians caught in the middle of a war, which I guess to him we were. 

“Best to do what he says ‘livi.”

“For now.” I wasn’t going to just sit idly by while more mammals were killed.

“Logan is the last mammal you want to mess with right now ‘livi. His biggest concern is getting to Chief Lazlo. You of everyone should know that feeling.”

“I know Holly, but I also know what it’s like to be so focused on one goal that it ends up backfiring and getting others injured, or worse.”

“He’s trained for this type of thing, you haven’t.”

“Have you ever seen him bear his teeth like that Holly?”

“Well… no, I haven’t, not at an ally at least.”

“He’s slipping. I can tell.” 

Holly looked at Logan before moving closer and whispering. “Your right, he’s different right now, but I can’t blame him. Chief Lazlo is like a father to him. Logan would probably kill me if he heard me telling you, but he’s basically been a Guardian his entire life. Lazlo found him when he was just a baby, abandoned. He took him in, and raised him. From the moment Logan could walk, he was trained in the ways of the Guardian. Right now I think he’s more focused on saving a father, than a leader.”

Stalker Logan was in the same situation as me when I thought I lost Nate. His mind is in rescue mode, and that means he will not back down from anything to do it. The only difference between him and me is the fact that he can keep his mind leveled in doing so. Then again I did have zero training before throwing myself to the dangers of this world. I can’t imagine what he has had to face in his life. 

“I don’t want to feel useless, but I'll wait to see what happens. In the meantime, Nate, do you have any parts to make some more remotes? I have a feeling I may need them.”

“One, maybe two.”

“I might be able to make at least two with my stuff. Mind helping me?”

“Sure.”

We worked together trying to use whatever parts we had on us. Nate seemed very serious right now. More so than I think I've ever seen him. Sure he looked at me with the same loving eyes that he usually does, and I felt the occasional tail flicker, but his posture, his voice, it all felt… stronger. Ever since he lost his arm, it seems that he had gained so much more.

Between the two of us, we were able to make four more, along with my last one, I had five remote bullets. I'm sure we had more than five mammals in Exo-Armor between us and Lazlo, but it'll help tremendously in trying to whittle down their numbers. I was getting a very bad feeling about this whole thing.

In the time we had been working, Lazlo had not only positioned everyone where he wanted them, but one of the Stalkers had set up a few mines in the hallway. If I took a guess I’d say that it was either to lure the Corrupted to them, or as a backup if the front line failed. The problem I saw with it was the fact that the two Defenders and Stalkers were between the mines and the door. That would prevent even them from retreating. I went to speak up but Logan gave the order to open the door to the next room.

Both of the Defenders had very bulky looking mini-guns. The both Stalkers were positioned behind the hulking Defenders as the door opened. When the double doors slid open, I could see the two Exo-Armor wearing mammals standing there, but they didn’t look like the same Corrupted Guardians that I had already faced off against, these two were… fuck. 

“STOP!” 

It was too late. The mini-guns started to spin before any of them realized that it wasn’t a Corrupted Guardian, but one of their own. The impact of the initial bullets caused both of the Guardians to collapse, as if someone pushed over two large statues. By the time Logan stepped in to halt their fire, enough ammo was fired that if the two Guardians were still alive, they’d be critically injured.

“Stalkers, get their gear off now! Defenders, protect them at all costs!”

The two Defenders stood there, weapons ready while the Stalkers rushed forward to their downed companions, but something still felt off about this whole thing. If they had survived whatever killed the rest of them, why not retreat? The tags were red, yet the Corrupted armor isn’t as clean as a Guardians, it had skulls and other metal bits attached. And why did they suddenly fall? Were the Defenders using armor piercing bullets? Things were not adding up, it was almost like it was a… FUCKING DAMN IT!

“PULL BACK, IT’S A TR…” 

An explosion emanating from each of the fallen Guardians shook the entire area. The Stalkers were thrown backwards towards us, and from how their bodies contorted, I could tell they were already dead. It caused one of the Defenders to get knocked back, while the other one, I think it was Tuskgen’s brother, held his ground. He unleashed his mini-gun at the smoke filled room. Logan moved towards him, yelling at him to stop when a green bolt cut through the smoke, hitting the Defender in the chest. Two more and the elephant dropped to the ground. 

“Jasmine!” She was the only one who could see through this smoke.

“I-I…”

“Jasmine focus, please we're in trouble!” She was scared, I could tell, but I had to get her to concentrate. I know she wants to help.

“Y-yes… there are t-two… no four shapes targets in the next room… they… there’s too much interference. I can’t make them out.”

She might have had thermal scanners, but she needed a clear shot for her weapon. This smoke wasn't helping any. I had an idea. I highly doubt that there was really any of our Guardians there, and none of us could get a clear shot. Logan had ordered a cease fire and to take cover until the smoke cleared, but with how quickly they took down Defender Tuskgen, I knew we couldn’t wait.

“Holly, Mark, Nate. Cover me. Jasmine, wait for my signal.”

“‘Livi! What are you…”

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

I moved towards the mines. They were similar design to the ones I already knew how to disarm, and thankfully I was correct as I not only disarmed the three mines, but managed to tag one with a remote bullet. I am so glad I decided to program one prior to engaging anyone. Still under the effects I took all three mines and tossed them through the smoke and into the next room, the tagged one last. 

“Jasmine! Shoot the tag!”

“W-what?”

“The TAG! NOW!”

“What are… oh.”

I ducked out of the way as she fired the gun. With the gun’s automated tracking, I knew that if I set up the right tag, it would be able to lock onto it. I knew the moment the bullet made impact when there was a series of explosions within the room. The thing is, I only tossed three mines, that sounded like a lot more than three.

It was quiet. Quiet long enough for the smoke to finally clear. There was no more gunfire from either side so once it was clear, Logan started to order the remaining Defender to take point, but I could tell that Hornly was nervous after seeing four of his teammates get taken down so easily. 

“No.” I had to do something.

“What was that Springs?”

“I said no. You saw how fast those fucking Corrupted took them down. You willing to risk _another_ life so soon?”

“I will do EVERYTHING that it takes to see to Chief Lazlo’s safe return!”

So this must be what it feels like to be facing down a mad-mammal. Sure, I'm not happy that I just watched four allies die, but I also feel partly disconnected from them. If it had been any of my friends, I would probably be in a mad rage, but maybe it’s the adrenalin, or maybe I’ve been through so much lately that I was getting numb to it, but I felt calm enough to think. Unlike Logan.

“I have a Stealth-Boar, let me go and scout the area.”

“Stalkers keep one at all times, _I_ will go.” Logan seemed very adamant now.

“Do you have a Pip-Boar? No, you don’t. That means you have a single use one, one that you'll need to save in case Lazlo needs a quick evac. _I_ will go.”

“I will not allow…”

“You said it yourself, I'm not a Guardian, as such that means I don't have to take orders from you. I want to help Lazlo just as much as you do, but you're acting rashly. I'm going. You can shoot me if you like, but I'm going.” 

I actually saw him raise his weapon towards me, but dropped it just as fast. I saw him attempt to regain composure as he turned to the remaining Guardians and barked out orders. I wouldn’t ask Jasmine or Zack to disobey him, but I wasn’t going to let anyone else die. 

“I’m going with you.”

“No Nate, I should…”

“I am not asking you, I am telling you.”

Definitely stronger. Normally he would be stuttering in worry, afraid to let me go, but now? He's looking into my eyes, not with worry, but with steadfast determination. I'm sure he's worrying about me, but he has gotten much better at hiding it from me, and perhaps, from himself.

“I'm not going to change your mind, am I?”

“No.”

“Figured as much. Wait a second… I thought the one I have was yours?”

“It is, but we salvaged a few from those Mark I Pip-Boars. These things have retained compatibility throughout the model line.”

“Oh, good. Well then, follow me and keep up.”

I activated my Stealth-Boar and he followed suit. I wasted no time in moving, all while avoiding both tripping over, and looking at the bodies on the ground. I might have felt a bit disconnected from them now, but that could change at any moment, and the last thing I needed now was to let my emotions get the better of me. 

We entered the room and instantly I could tell what had happened. A warped missile launcher was at my feet, telling me that the additional explosions were from its ammunition. Were they really that stupid to use missiles in closed quarters like this? I'm so glad they didn’t decide to open with that, otherwise we’d all be dead. 

A very large crater was in the far corner of the room, most likely where the missiles had been kept. I doubt that the mines would have caused that much structural damage. I saw the severed body parts of what once was a wolf scattered in the room. Two mangled Exo-Armors, these ones obviously Corrupted, were against the adjacent wall. I moved over to them but they were dead. There was no sign of the fourth, so either the explosion disintegrated him, or he managed to get away. I had a feeling that disintegration was a bit too lucky for us. 

“Onion, let them know it’s safe to move forward.”

“Delta Team, we have four Guardians down, requesting support.”

“ _Yes Sir Stalker Logan. Be there momentarily._ ”

“Good work Springs. I… ahem. I apologize for my actions.”

“No worries.” I slapped Logan on the back, causing Zack’s jaw to drop. “I know exactly what you're going through. Give us a minute to let our Stealth-Boars to cool down and we'll scout the area ahead.”

“Yes Ma’am.” It felt odd having Logan call me ‘Ma’am’.

“You can just call me Olivia.”

Logan looked as if he was about to say something, but then the other team arrived so he broke off to give them orders. He was still in charge, but I have a feeling he finally realized that I was in charge of myself. Once the Stealth-Boars were ready again, I went to activate but was stopped by Holly.

“‘Livi, come here real quick.”

“What is it Holly?”

“This door, it's sealed by the same protection as the entrance. You mind?”

I took a closer look and just as she said, it had the same indentation for a the badge as the first door. I could see why Holly was interested in it. All the other doors had simple access panels, but this one was much more secure. I accessed it with the badge and the code and the door popped open. 

The room was small, very small. It was so small that only one mammal around Nate’s size could fit comfortably. Inside there were nine large monitors that filled up the wall, with a terminal seated below it. It wasn’t on, but from the flashing lights, it had power. I went in and sat at the computer. 

“What is it ‘livi?”

“I think it’s a monitor room. Let me see if I can get it up and running.” It didn’t take long. It needed a physical connection, but my Pip-Boar ate through its security in no time. “Got it. Go get Logan.”

Just as I thought, it _was_ a security room. Five of the nine monitors lit up showing areas within the bunker, but the other four were black. They were tagged by zone number, so it didn’t help me figure out where it showed, but this was the best view of the place that we had. 

“What did you find Springs?”

“A security monitor station.”

“Do you see Chief Lazlo anywhere?”

“Not right now, but let me…” I messed with the controls, and the screens started to change. There were a bunch of blank screens, telling me that a good chunk of the cameras were either inactive, or destroyed. I saw a few areas with Corrupted Guardians, simply standing around, but no Lazlo. 

“Nothing? Damn it. Agent Kole, Take over for her and keep us informed of any enemy movement.”

“Yes Sir.” 

A small koala swapped places with me. While still no sign of Lazlo, I think that Logan was feeling a bit better, having a visual aid to help guide us. It won’t be perfect with an unknown number of inactive cameras, but it was still better than what we had before, which was absolutely nothing. 

“We ready?” 

“Yes, proceed.”

I activated my Stealth-Boar and Nate did the same, following me into the next area. It was clear so I signaled the others to join us. The layout was thankfully the same throughout. A hallway with adjacent rooms, followed by a larger room connected to the next hallway. Who ever built this had no eye for design, but it suited us. With only one direction to travel, it was easier to avoid a potential ambush. Easier, but not impossible.

Seconds before my invisibility wore off, a single Corrupted exited a connected room. It was an otter, and he had what looked like haphazardly crafted metal armor on. It made it look like he was wearing a knock-off Exo-Armor. Thankfully the idiot wasn’t wearing a helmet. I didn’t need B.A.T.S. being this close. I was standing in front of him, gun pointed at his head as the effects of the Stealth-Boar wore off. 

“Hi.” I pulled the trigger. “Bye.”

“We should check the other rooms.”

“Good idea Nate.”

We carefully inspected the three connecting rooms, but they were either locked or clear. I signaled them to proceed into the room. 

“What happened here?” Holly sounded more inquisitive than worried.

“Just ran into a local is all.”

“ _Stalker Logan Sir_ ”

“Go ahead Agent Kole.”

“ _I think I figured out the camera sequence. You see, each room ends in either a one or a six, while each corridor ends with either a two or a seven, the three adjacent rooms in each…_ ”

“Thank you Agent Kole, is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“ _No Sir. It looks as if a third of the facilities cameras are non-operational, but I see three Corrupted in the next room. Two wearing Exo-Armor, each of them with plasma rifles, and one… it looks like a moose in a Lifter moving large crates Sir._ ”

“Lifter?” I was unfamiliar with what she was talking about.

“Lifters are what the Exo-Armor was based upon. A exoskeleton frame worn by construction workers to allow them to lift objects up to three-hundred pounds with ease. While Exo-Armor is hard to come by and can only be operated by certain species, there are Lifters designed for even a rat, so as long as it fit your species, anyone can use them. They're not common, but still more common than an unoccupied Exo-Armor.” 

“They computer controlled, Logan?”

“The system itself is hydraulic, but it does have a computer system that controls pressure and allows for an emergency override.”

“Good enough for me.” I took out a remote and programmed it, placing it into the gun. 

By the time we got into position and everyone was given their orders, my Stealth-Boar had refreshed. I wouldn’t have time to reprogram two more bullets and fire them before the fighting broke out so I had to plan my actions accordingly. I didn’t know what was in those crates, but the two wielding plasma rifles were an immediate danger. I decided that I would take one of them out, and leave the other two to the Guardians. 

Delta Team consisted of two Defenders, four Stalkers, and Agent Kole who was monitoring us. I told them to wait until I deactivate one of the Exo-Armors before assaulting the other two. I told Nate to wait here, that we’d need his Stealth-Boar as a backup just in case I missed or failed to deactivate the armor. He was hesitant to have me to this alone, but eventually agreed. I wasn’t going exploring, just popping my head into the room and retreating. 

Once the plans were laid out and everyone was in their positions, I activated my stealth-boar and opened the door. With all my planning, I never did think that they could see a door suddenly open, and despite the fact that no one was close enough for them to see, it didn’t stop one of the Corrupted from firing off his plasma rifle right at the door, exactly where I just so happened to be. 

I dodged attack as I aimed to fire the remote. Unfortunately, due to the hectic nature of me firing it, especially without targeting assistance, I missed both of the Armors and hit the Lifter instead. Not wanting to waste this, I hacked into its system to shut it down. Once it stopped moving, the moose started to yell out that he was stuck.

“NOW!”

One of them fired towards my voice, but missed as gunfire from the corridor filled the room. They tried to return fire, but we had caught them by surprise just enough that any retaliation fire caused minimal injuries to my allies. Once it was done, Mark tended to the wounded as I walked up to the moose. From the looks of it, the computer also controlled the mechanism that hooked his hooves and arms to the suit. 

“Who are you?” He talked with a bellowing sound.

“What, you don’t recognize me? Guess I'm not that popular after all. Names Olivia Springs.”

“Never heard of you.”

“Really?” It actually caught me by surprise. From how people react to me, I figured I was just as well known as a pre-war celebrity. Guess not. Then again, since this is only the second time running into these guys, I barely know them as well. “This is what is going to happen. You will tell us where Chief Lazlo is.”

“Hah. Make me.” I shot his arm. “FUCK!”

“Where _is_ he?”

“‘Livi! Is this really the best way to handle this?”

“Probably not, but it’s how _they_ would.” I pressed the gun against his other arm. “You probably wouldn’t have let us live long enough to talk, would you?”

“Fuck you.”

I really wanted to ‘interrogate’ him more, but I felt a paw on my arm. It was Nate’s. He pulled my gun away and looked disappointed. 

“Logan, he’s all yours.”

I heard a metallic scraping noise as four large metal claws popped out of each of Logan's paw gauntlets. Well, that’s new. Nate pulled me over to Holly. I knew why.

“I’m sorry.”

“Your right ‘livi, he probably would have just killed us before asking us anything, but we need to be better mammals than that.”

“I know Holly, I just… I’m still having issues controlling my emotions. I don’t feel angry, or upset, I just feel… impatient. I want to rescue Lazlo and bring him back to safety, and seeing Logan reminds me of myself, and I'm trying really hard not to snap. I think it’s just clouding my judgment a bit.”

“Your kinda scaring me ‘livi.”

“Huh?”

“You're acting a bit too… how should I put it? Calm.”

“Isn’t calm a _good_ thing?”

“Yes, but, and don’t take this the wrong way, it’s not you. I'm not telling you to go all crazy, but you don’t seem very, well compassionate about this as you normally are.”

“I… I think I understand what you mean.” Actually, I had no idea. “Is it possible for someone to ‘use up’ their emotions? Ever since Nate lost his arm, I felt drained. I don’t feel emotionless, but I… I really want to help Lazlo, and I almost feel as if I'm running on auto-pilot and fumes at the same time.”

“I just think that…”

Holly was interrupted by a communication from Agent Kole. 

“ _Stalker Logan! You have incoming on your position!_ ”

“How many Agent?”

“ _At least five… I lost them._ ”

“Then get back onto another camera! How many and how long?”

“ _No Sir, I lost* them. *They just vanished._ ”

“Damn it! Keep me informed Agent. Everyone get in position, we have company.”

The moose, who I now saw was covered in large bloodied slashes, started to laugh. “The boss is coming to break your balls and there's nothing you can do about it!” His laughing was growing louder and soon turned into a cackle. 

The door to the next area opened and we all aimed our weapons but nothing was there. The door to where we came from opened as well, but no one was there. What the hell was going on? It was like they were…

A shot rang out and the moose stopped laughing. I glanced over to see him dead, a bullet in the head. Fuck!

“I’ve always hated that guy.” 

The voice came from the other side of the room as Corrupted Guardians started to turn visible. No wonder they opened fire as soon as I had opened the door, they were used to Stealth-Boars! We were surrounded. At least twenty Corrupted Guardians to our thirteen, and standing where the voice emanated was a an unrecognizable mammal wearing massive plated armor with a large Lifter that was fused to the armor’s body. A domed helmet blocked his face, and seemed to help amplify his voice.

“None of you shall leave alive, so says Ball Breaker the Undefeated, leader of the Corrupted Guardians!”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! And a happy holiday to you all. Yes, today is a holiday but I know that not everyone celebrates it due to religion, culture, locale, or simply not being able to, like myself. Sure, I would love nothing more than to be able to sit down with friends and family to enjoy a nice holiday meal, but between family being so far away, work, and a lack of local friends to do anything with, this lowly zebra will be spending most of the day sleeping. And working. And drinking… ahem. 

“Now, today’s episode will be short. I know all of you have things to do, and many of you might not even read this today due to activities of your own, but I wanted to say thank you. I give my thanks to all of you who not only take the time out of your lives to read this story of mine, but to give me such great and inspirational feedback. If it wasn’t for all of you, I would have probably quit a long time ago. So today I will give you an extra chapter for the week, along with a little history of our own little Thanksgiving in this world. 

“The first Thanksgiving feast happened thousands of years ago when a few predator and prey tribes put aside their differences and worked together for a common goal. A tribe of lions and a tribe of zebras were two of the founding groups. To celebrate, each tribe contributed their own traditional meals. Now, unlike the holiday meals we are familiar with, predator and prey have a certain… dietary issue when it came from sharing food. Sure, this created a few issues among tribes where sharing their meals was considered one of the highest honors among them, but that was one of the many walls that predator and prey needed to overcome to create a lasting bond between them. 

“We all know that that bond was broken many times throughout history. Wars have been fought over it, families have been torn apart because of it, but it was never the end. Ever since that first meal, predator and prey have found ways to coexist with each other peacefully. Even during times of war, there were always groups of mixed species whom fought for equality between them. It is because of their perseverance that the city of Zootopia, and many others like it were created. Even now when the world has come to an end, that bond has not broken. We see it in Olivia Springs and Nathan Valiant. We see it with Mayor Gazelle and Letty Oswald. We see it throughout the wasteland, even among the raiders.

“I doubt the world will ever be the same again, but as long as we have mammals like the Guardians trying to protect us, people like Olivia and Nate trying to do what they can to heal the world, we will all survive, together. Sorry folks, this turned into a bit of a preachy speech, didn’t it? I do apologize, but my words can get carried away sometimes. Join us next time when I interview… um, is this correct? It says an… arm? I think I need to lay off of the cider for a day or two… Good day everyone!”


	69. Corruption of Precinct One

Ball Breaker? What the hell kind of name is that? And what the hell was he wearing? I’ve seen comic book villains with more flair than this guy. Looks like he simply jumped into a junkyard and rolled around until he was satisfied.

“A little forward of yourself to claim you're undefeated.”

“Hah! Little rabbit you talk big, but no one has ever been able to take me on and live, not even the biggest elephant. I’ve killed them all! And you'll be no exception.”

“Well, you've never met me. Name's Olivia Springs, but I'm sure you’ve already heard of me.”

Ball Breaker spat on the ground. “Nope.”

That actually caught me by surprise. He said he was the leader of these guys, but never heard of me? I’ve met more pitiful raiders before that knew me. Guess he didn’t get out much.

“I took out plenty of your ‘Guardians’ already, and let me tell you, it was a walk in the park.”

“Hah! They were weak then. Good riddance. If it’s anything I can't stand it's weakness. You, you speak stronger words than you look.”

“Well then, why don’t you face me one-on-one then?”

“I’ll squash you like the insect you are, but you do have me intrigued. Boys, make sure her friends don’t interfere.”

“What are you doing?” Holly whispered to me, sounding both confused and scared. Nate and Mark gave me the same look. 

“No idea, but trust me.”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop saying that?”

Two of the larger Corrupted pushed them away from me, forming a circle around me and this Ball Breaker fellow. Neither my friends or the enemies were attacking one another and that was good. I needed some time to think of a plan, and trying to take on this guy's ego seemed like just the break I needed. I do admit, I was feeling a bit scared of all this. So many things could go wrong before they go right, and they may never even go right, but I had to try.

I looked over to Nate and despite his newfound strength, I could tell he was scared of what might happen to me. I gave him a wink, but I think that only served to unsettle him even more. I turned to study my opponent. I still was unable to tell what species he was due to all the armor. I didn’t even know how he even saw out of that thing. Maybe he had blind spots I could use? He seemed to be waiting for me to make the first move. Since I didn’t see any good point to hit him, I didn’t want to use B.A.T.S. just yet. This whole fight could be over before it even had a chance to cool down, so I made my move. 

I didn’t care about fighting within the rules, I learned the hard way that there are no rules governing the wasteland, and I knew sure as hell that he wouldn’t follow them even if there were any, so I activated my Stealth-Boar and jumped. 

“Oh, invisibility? Didn’t think someone like you would play so dirty.” 

I moved around him thinking I was unseen. I was wrong. His arm swung out quick as lightning and threw me against the wall. 

“Unfortunately, I play dirty as well. This suit I wear? It isn’t simply a fashion statement, but a suit of Exo-Armor of my own design. Anti armor piercing shielding, camera placements to prevent any dead zones, and most importantly, a head sensor. No amount of trickery will get past me little rabbit.”

Damn it! I figured these guys would be simple scavengers turned raiders, barely sharing a brain cell among them. Didn’t think someone with the name ‘Ball Breaker’ would actually have the smarts to pull that off. I started to stand up, but I could already feel the pain. I will be feeling that in the morning.

“Heh, I got tricks as well.” I tried to sound as intimidating as I could, but with the pain I was in now, it probably came off more like I was drunk or something.

“Oh, you do, do you? Well I love a good show. Bring it on.”

That Lifter attached to his arms was probably amplifying his strength, so I had to be careful. I don’t think I broke any bones yet, but if I keep getting in the way of those arms, that could change in a heartbeat. I still didn’t have a plan. I needed to find out his weaknesses. They _always_ have a weakness.

“Tell me if you have seen this one.” 

I still didn’t want to activate my B.A.T.S. until I knew where to hit. It felt weird actually trying to do this without it, but I couldn’t risk failing and having my friends get killed. As long as I keep him ‘entertained’, my friends were safe. He was still waiting for me to move, so I kicked it up a notch and grabbed my plasma rifle and fired. He didn’t even attempt to dodge as the green bolt hit him across the chest. The entire front turned green but then faded, looking un-damaged.

“A for effort there little rabbit, but you think you're the first to try to take me out with a plasma weapon? Active reflective shielding. My suit is impervious to energy weapons.”

What. The. Fuck. Is this guy for real? Was this guy some science geek turned raider or something? I had to think of something, and fast, but everything that pops into my head, I wondered if he had an answer for that. I looked around me for anything else to use. My guns were pointless, and even if I did enter into B.A.T.S. at this point, who’s to say he doesn’t have some chemical of his own? Then I had an idea. 

“Hey walking trash can, yeah you.” I pointed towards one of the Corrupted. “You think I have any chance against your boss?” He simply shook his head, a huge grin on his face. “If that’s the case, mind if I borrow that? You know, for shits and giggles.” I pointed at a large chain wrapped around his chest. He looked down at it and back to Ball Breaker who simply nodded. 

The chain was big and heavy, not surprising since a very large tiger gave it to me, but it wasn’t so much that I wouldn't be able to do what I planned. It worked once before, so why not this time? You know what they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Without hesitation, I activated B.A.T.S. and leaped into the air, dragging the chain behind me. Rebounding off the nearest wall I maneuvered myself to get behind him when he side stepped, grabbed the chain and used me like a living wrecking ball to slam me into the ground. I think something broke that time.

“Hah! Fucking rabbit. You think you can try to use something as weak as B.A.T.S. against me?” He stepped on my chest, enough to cause what ever broke to hurt even more, but not enough to crush me. 

“Olivia!” Nate shouted loud enough to echo through the room.

“If he moves, shoot him, and his friends.” Ball Breaker turned to face me again. “Got some steam in you I can tell. You remind me of an elephant I knew. We were gonna face off in the Arena one of these days, but some fuck had to go and kill her. A shame. Wanted to see me defeat the only other undefeated out there. Now I really want to find the tough guy who beat her.”

“Who said it was a guy?” I started to smile, and I think it caught him a little by surprise as I felt his foot ever so slightly release pressure from my chest. 

“Because I have never met another woman who could even have a remote chance of taking me on. I’ve killed Red-Necks with my bare paws.”

“Oh really? Well, care to take a guess who killed _Bailey_.”

“How did you know… no. You can’t mean…”

“Bingo.” 

I had been able to keep him talking just long enough to do two things. First, my bag had slipped off during this last impact and landed near me, and I was able to catch him off guard just enough that he wasn’t putting enough pressure on me to prevent me from moving. Secondly, it had been almost sixty seconds.

“You? How the fuck can a little rabbit like you take her on? Well, I'll let you in on a secret, little rabbit, I _know_ I would have beat her. Just like I'm going to _crush_ you.”

“You're stupid, you know that?”

“WHAT? What did you call me!?” Apparently he didn’t like being called stupid.

“I called you stupid, and you know why?”

He just grunted.

“It’s been sixty seconds. Pip-Boar, kill.”

Before he could push down his foot I slid out from under him, ignoring the pain it caused, and reached for my bag. Out from it I pulled my remote gun and fired. I had to move out of the way from him nearly running me over in order to gain access to my Hackatron. He had protection against many things, but from the looks of it, the idiot never protected his suit from a remote hack. There were radio signals bouncing all over and I simply had to hijack one. 

“What the hell are you doing?!” 

The least protected part was the controls on his Lifters. Despite it being attached to his arms, he still had to control them from inside the suit, but now that I had control, I started to use his own arms to cause large dents in his armor. The best weapon against an enemy really is their own.

“Fucking rabbit! Get her!”

“Uh-uh. Onion, overcharge!”

I promised him that I wouldn’t ever have him do it again, but it was needed. I just hope that Nate or Holly had remembered and moved out of the way. I felt my fur stand on end as the air became electrically charged. I looked over to see the bright bolts of electricity arcing through the air, seeking out the large metallic suits everyone wore. Then I remembered the large lightning rod in the room.

“Jasmine! Take cover!”

Her metal jaw, along with her height, would be the perfect conductor for electricity if any stray bolts jumped up high enough, and with elephants here, it was entirely possible. Corrupted started to drop in pain as the electricity finally subsided. I saw Nate gripping the wall with his arm, as the others were grabbing a hold of him. I started to move towards them, to see if they were okay. I didn’t see Jasmine, Zack, or Logan anywhere. Then I was grabbed by the neck. 

“You little fucking bitch. You think a light show like that will work on me?” 

He turned me towards him, all the while I was gasping for air. The electricity must have shorted out my hack because he had full control again. His armor was looking worse for wear, and his helmet was cracked open. I saw a feline looking mammal inside. It looked an awfully lot like Letty, only his face was more fucked up. 

“You will die, and then I will personally kill _all_ your friends you fucking bi…”

He stopped as it sounded like the air was suddenly expelled from his lungs. His grip loosened on me and I fell to the ground, gasping heavily for air. Ball Breaker crashed against the wall, his chest armor had a large hole ripped into it, and standing next to me, metallic arm extended, was Nate.

“N-Nate?” I was still struggling to breathe. 

He stood there for a second longer before snapping out of it and rushing to my side. “I’m here.” He slowly helped me up, the pain of whatever broke inside me becoming worse with every step. 

“How did you…”

“Tuskgen built a small pneumatic system into my arm to amplify my punches. When you told Onion to overcharge, I used my arm to ground myself, and had everyone grab hold of me. It still hurt, but not as much as it did to them.”

“What about Jasmine?”

“As soon as the electricity sparked from Onion, they moved out into the corridor. They were the closest to the door. They should be fine.”

Despite it hurting like fuck, I grabbed Nate and gave him a hug and a kiss. 

“Y-you f-fucking…”

Ball Breaker was still alive. He didn’t sound like he would be for much longer, and I was going to make certain of that, but first I had a question for him. I motioned for Nate to help me move towards him. 

“Where is Lazlo?”

“T-that fucker? H-he’s probably dead…”

I felt Nate’s arm grip my body harder. “You lie.”

“H-ha. I p-punched him m-myself. That old g-geezer couldn’t even m-move after.”

I felt Nate shake as he put me down, but this wasn’t his usual fearful shake. No, it was different, something that actually made me feel uneasy. He moved over to Ball Breaker and used his arm to tear off the helmet, revealing the ocelot’s scarred face. 

“Say that again.”

Nate was sounding serious, and… angry. 

Ball Breaker spat blood onto Nate’s face. “T-that geezer, I took p-pleasure smashing his f-face in.”

Nate punched him with the metal arm, right in the face. “This is for hurting Mister Lazlo.” He punched again. “This is for hurting innocents.” I wanted to grab him, to stop him, but it was starting to hurt to move. “This is for hurting Olivia!” 

Nate kept punching the ocelot’s face over and over before Logan finally returned, grabbing Nate and pulling him back, trying his best to keep Nate from moving. Mark ran over to me and started his triage on me. 

“He’s dead Valiant! Calm down!” 

Upon hearing that, I saw Nate stop struggling enough for Logan to release him. Nate took one look at me and slowly walked over and knelled beside me. “I’m… sorry… I just felt so… I could feel it building, and I…”

I wanted to hug him, but it hurt too much to do so. “Snapped?”

He nodded slowly, acting more ashamed than anything. “I’m… sorry.”

“Don’t be. I…”

“You’re upset at me, aren’t you?”

“No, no. I was going to shoot him in the head myself. It’s not that, I just… I never thought I’d actually see you snap like that. It’s kind of a… mirror almost.” He leaned down and kissed me. Before he could say anything else, I added: “if you say ‘I’m sorry’ one more time, I’ll punch you.” I gave him another kiss.

Mark eventually pushed Nate out of the way in order to start healing my wounds. After setting what bones he could, rather painfully I might add, he gave me some more pain relievers that helped me to start moving again. Logan had ordered two squads to clear out any remaining corrupted as we went in search of Lazlo. 

This entire time I was trying to convince myself that that Ball Breaker fucker was lying, and that Lazlo was just trapped someplace. Despite this being a very simplistic layout, it was very large and the halls kept winding further down into the ground. We stopped and checked every door. Some were locked, but Logan had started to resort to small thermal charges to melt through the locking mechanisms on the ones we couldn’t hack or pick. Every time one was set up, I saw Zack lead Jasmine away some place. I'm guessing he found out the severity of her fears, and I really hope it wasn’t the hard way. 

Nate was worried for Lazlo, and I started to see it in Logan as well. He was moving stiffer, like he was trying to hold a heavy weight on his shoulder. His gait was rushed, but not so much as to leave us all behind. He wanted to rescue Lazlo just as much, if not more, than all of us, but he was still sound enough in his mind to know where is place was right now, and that was making sure we all survived. 

“ _Stalker Logan, come in._ ” A voice from his radio broke the silence. 

“Yes Agent, have you found the Chief?”

“ _Not yet Sir, however we do have a situation._ ”

“Report.”

“ _My team has made it to the armory. It appears that the Corrupted were not able to gain access to it, but it’s locked with the same encryption as the entrance._ ”

“I will have Miss Springs meet you there.”

“ _There’s something else Sir. There was an automated defense system outside the armory, and while we were able to disarm it before it could activate, I have detected strange readings within the power system._ ”

“Anything we need to worry about Agent?”

“ _Not sure Sir._ ”

“Monitor the situation and report back to me if there's cause for worry. Miss Springs will be there shortly.”

“ _Yes Sir._ ”

“Miss Springs, could you…”

“Yeah, yeah I heard. Let’s go sweetie.” I started to hobble in a direction then stopped. “Um, where am I going?”

“Armory. According to the layout, it's located on Level B near section twelve.”

“Wait, Level B?”

“Yes. We're currently on Level A. Six more sections down there will be an elevator that takes you to the lower level where the armory, power core, and other essential systems are located.”

“Why keep all the good stuff way down there? Wasn’t this place supposed to be some kind of military base?”

“Yes and no. This place wasn't meant to be an immediate source of defense, but rather for an emergency event. Prototype weapons that were never deployed after passing tests were stored here, along with experimental Exo-Armor types. It was believed that if a worldwide cataclysmic event did occur, that this place would not only be a secure position for existing members of the Guardians, but also a place where future generations could train and arm themselves in order to return to the surface to continue protecting those who survived.”

“What happened? Why isn’t this place the main base if that’s what it was designed for?”

“Details aren't clear, but from what I know, this place went under lock down prematurely after the first bomb fell. We have no other detailed reports on it.”

“Seems kind of odd that this super fancy base was accidentally sealed with no one in it.”

“I know that the Chief wanted to find out more about it, but not even the main Guardian database had information on it. Not even sure many of the original ZPD even knew about it save for a few.”

Still seemed kind of strange to me, but I think Logan was getting a bit eager to continue searching for Lazlo, so we moved forward. On our way, we only encountered a few Corrupted, but with their leader dead and our much larger force in comparison, they were dealt with little trouble. 

Once we finally made it to where the elevator was, we split up. Holly, Mark and Nate came with me, and while I had hoped Jasmine would as well, Logan insisted that her and Zack go with him. It did make sense, there were two groups where we were going, but only Logan’s team was finishing clearing out the upper level. We parted ways and entered the elevator. 

“We should be focusing on finding Mister Lazlo.” 

“I know, I'm worried about him too Nate, but we can’t be everywhere at once. After I get the door open for the other team, we can try to take a look down here before heading back up. He has to be here someplace.”

“Yeah, I know, I just… I’m afraid that he might be hurt, or dying, or… worse.”

I was already leaning on his arm to keep myself from falling, but I squeezed it just to make sure he knew I was there for him. I've only known Lazlo for a month or so, but he knew him for years. The way he talks to him, and how he calls him ‘Mister’ rather than chief makes me wonder if he looked up to him as a father figure. I couldn’t let him lose that. He’s already lost enough. 

When the door opened, I was greeted by a white rabbit with very dark splotches of fur on her face. Before I could say anything she saluted at me. It felt… weird.

“Miss Springs? Agent Hoppiny. Come with me.”

The rabbit led us down a corridor and to a very large door. It was similar in design to a Burrow door, only it was square and had a very large metallic arm stretched across it. She lead me over to a computer that was connected to the left of the door. 

“Access point is here.” She pointed towards the familiar indent.

I took out the badge, entered the code, and the door started to unseal. The large arm separated at the center, slowly dragging both halves of the door to each side. A series of yellow lights started to flash at the same time. As the doors separated, I noticed something that I didn’t before. I let go of Nate and hobbled over to the ground and rubbed my paw against it. 

“Is this… blood?”

“Blood? Where?” Mark was by my side in an instant.

“Here. It looks… fresh.” I looked up as I heard the doors lock into place. There was a trail. 

I turned to Agent Hoppiny. “Did you notice this before?”

“Yes, but we figured it was from one of the Corrupted.” 

I was about to question her more when I heard a very low groan. I turned and tried to run into the armory, but a sharp pain sent me crashing down. Mark and Nate went to pick me up but I pointed forward.

“In there!”

The groaning got louder, loud enough that I was sure the other’s could finally hear. Soon, the source of the noise came into view. An aging cape buffalo was staggering towards us, bandages wrapped haphazardly around his chest. I saw a trail of blood behind him. 

“Mister Lazlo!” Nate ran towards the Chief.

“Y-you found me…” He was struggling to get the words out.

Mark ran over and grabbed his med kit, one of the Agents joined him with his own. I ignored my pain as I moved over to him. 

“Lazlo, what happened?”

“T-that damn leader… he… he was t-too fast for me.”

I heard Agent Hoppiny contact Logan. 

“How did you get in here?” 

“T-this…” He tried to show me something, but his grasp faltered and it dropped to the ground. I picked it up and saw it was a badge nearly identical to Nick’s. The only real difference was it had the word _Chief_ engraved at the top. “I-I was i-injured, my men… t-they were slaughtered… I-I was to injured t-to help, the armory, it h-had medical kits, but I-I’m not a m-medic…”

“Well I am Chief, I'll get you patched up enough to get you back to the Doc.” Mark was trying to slowly remove the old bandages that I saw now were soaked with blood. Lazlo coughed up even more blood. He was in very bad shape. 

“We need to get him stabilized, Agent, help me to get him…” Loud alarms started going off as red lights replaced the yellow ones.

“What the hell is going on NOW?” 

“Um, Miss Springs? You may want to take a look at this. Stalker Barkley! Get Stalker Logan on the radio and tell him to hurry down here!”

I moved as fast as I could to the terminal that the Agent was beckoning me to. Most of it was coded gibberish that I didn’t understand, but I didn’t have to know Guardian codes to know that the shit just hit the proverbial fan. I filtered through the systems until I found a map of the current power grid. All power came from the single system, and from the looks of it, it had been running on minimal support for the past few centuries, but something, or someone, has triggered it into full output, and safety systems were failing left and right. Nearly everything was in the red.

“Fuck! Where's the main power generator?”

“The Fission Core is this way.”

“Wait, fission? As in NUCLEAR?”

“Yes, the entire system is run from a high yield nuclear fission reactor. It was designed to be self contained and provide at least five hundred years of constant power.”

I looked at the system again. “No. No, no, no. This isn’t good. This is NOT good. Nate! I might need your help!”

Nate looked at me, and I could tell that he didn’t want to leave Lazlo’s side. “He’s… I think he’s…”

“Your brother is here, and I trust anyone’s life in his paws. We need to get down to the core, if what I'm reading is correct, the _nuclear_ core is on the verge of overheating, and I don’t have emergency access from here.”

“Can’t you just…”

“No. I mean, maybe? You're smarter than me Nate, I know that. I also know that between the two of us, I _know_ we can solve this, because if we can’t? Then we will _all_ be losing our lives, along with who knows how many innocents up there. Please.”

“But…” He let out a heavy sigh. “You're right.”

“Mark, Holly, you two stay here with Lazlo and inform Logan of what's going on when they get here. Onion, keep us informed of any changes to Lazlo.”

“Yes Miss.”

I turned to Agent Hoppiny. “Lead the way.”

I really didn’t want to leave Lazlo behind, but there were more lives in danger than just his. I didn’t want to tell Nate this, but despite Mark’s capabilities, I wasn’t sure Lazlo was going to make it. We were too far from a real medical facility, Doc wasn't here, and I'm sure after our recent skirmish, their supplies were dwindling. I could tell that Nate knew this as well, which is why I needed to get his mind on something else. He may have changed, but even a changed mammal can revert back to their old ways, and I couldn’t save all of our lives and try to comfort him at the same time. Plus, I was afraid of what I might actually choose of the two.

The core wasn't very far away, and the alarms got louder as we approached the large double doors that led to the main reactor room. Directly inside was the control center for it. Six terminals were arranged in a semi-circle in front of a large transparent wall. Through it, I saw the core. It was nearly three stories high, with a small walkway leading towards a large spherical chamber three-fourths the way down. A triple door hallway was the only thing connecting this room with the core. 

“The main controls should be right over here!” 

The Agent lead me over to the terminals. Three of them were flashing an emergency warnings, one had lines of corrupted data filtering past, while the other two were asking for override access. I took one of the computers and tried to gain entry, but direct methods were proving useless. There were no areas for the access badge to fit, and without a user name, the only password I had was useless. There had to be something else we can do. 

I heard a noise and looked over to see Nate with the top of the computer housing in his metallic paw. Before I could ask what he was doing, he tossed it aside and pushed a button on the side of his arm, a cable, just like my Pip-Boar’s interface cable, popped out, he grabbed it, and then spliced it into the system. 

“Well that’s one way to do it.” 

Nate looked at me and gave me slight smirk. "I’m in, and… it’s not good.”

I moved over to the terminal he was at. “What do you mean?”

“Overrides have been… overridden.”

“How is that even possible?”

“I'm picking up traces of foreign code, I think it was sabotaged.”

“Fuck! Was it the Corrupted?”

“I can’t tell, and we don’t have the time to figure it out. According to this, if we don’t manually shut down the core, we have less than twenty minutes before it goes critical.”

“Then let’s shut it down manually.”

“We… can’t.”

“What do you mean we ‘can’t’?” I was getting angry, and trying my best to not take it out on Nate. If it was anyone else, I would probably have snapped already.

“According to this, the manual controls are attached to the actual core. There are three sealed doors between us and the chamber.”

“Then let’s get them opened Nate!”

“The core is flooded.”

“Flooded? What do you mean ‘flooded’?”

“There's a radiation leak, the rad count is so high… any mammal who enters will die within minutes.”

“FUCK! We can’t just sit here as half the wasteland vaporizes!”

Nate looked at me, his face a cross between sternness and protective. “The doors take too long to run the process, who ever goes in will be dead before the doors have a chance to cycle through again. Whoever does it, _will_ die.”

Fucking damn it! I can’t ask anyone to sacrifice themselves. If I tried to do it, I think they would sooner knock me out with a tranq before I could get to the door. Nate couldn’t because I would do the same to him. I’ve already learned from my mistakes, and I can’t ask another mammal to basically commit suicide. Fuck!

“Onion, come in!”

“ _Miss?_ ”

“Mark, Holly, how’s Lazlo?”

“ _Not good. He’s hanging in there, but just barely. We're having issues moving him without rupturing another vital._ ”

Not what I wanted to hear. “We have a problem. The core is about to go nuclear, and the only way to stop it is to enter a room filled with so much radiation that you'll be dead before you can even exit again.”

“ _What? You sure there's no other way?_ ”

I looked at Nate and he shook his head, worry and dread starting to replace his sternness.

“No. I can’t ask someone to sacrifice themselves, but unless we can shut this off, we have less than fifteen minutes left to live.”

This was not a situation I ever imagined myself in. Everything had a solution, no matter what the problem, there was _always_ a way out of it. I kept trying to look for a way. Hacking the override, fail. Injecting my own malicious software, fail. I was this close to just pulling out a gun and blasting everything but that would have most likely sealed our fate. I finally ran into a problem I couldn’t solve, and it was about to cost the lives of countless mammals. 

“Miss?”

Onion’s voice startled me. I looked at my Pip-Boar, but then I had realized it didn’t come from my communicator, but rather behind me. I turned and saw Onion floating at the door. 

“Onion? What are you doing here?” Then a morbid thought crossed my mind. “Lazlo, is he?”

“He’s still alive.”

“Then what are you…” 

He spoke in a tone that if he was a living mammal, it would have been full of confidence and pride. “Miss. I have served you faithfully for years. Yes, it was due to my programming, but I was always happy to do it, even when you wanted to do something that defied my logic circuits. I know that you have always considered me more than just a robot, that I have been a friend, and a family to you all those times in the Burrow, and even more so when we entered this barbaric and dreadful world.”

“Onion, what are you…”

“Please Miss, let me finish, we don’t have much time. Like I said, you have considered me a friend and part of your family, your only family, but that has changed. I can see that. You have friends who can be by your side more than I ever could, and a family that would make your mother proud to call. I have been a loyal servant to you, but in recent times, I feel as if I am no longer able to fulfill those duties. These days, I do no more to protect you than an umbrella in acid rain. I feel more like a robot than I have in a while.”

“No Onion, you’re not…”

“Yes, I am, and I am not mad, but rather happy that I have still been able to be of service to you, despite everything that has happened. Anyone else would have more than likely tossed me into the junk heap rather than keep me around. That is why I want to leave you not as a simple tool, but to show you that I am still your friend.”

“Leave me? Onion, what is going on?”

“Mister Valiant? Please initiate the decontamination entry.”

It finally hit me what Onion was trying to do. “NO! You will not do this!” 

“I am not flesh or blood. I can withstand the radiation in order to shut down the core.”

I felt a paw on my shoulder. “He’s right. Anyone else would just get themselves killed, maybe even before they could shut it down.”

“But…” Nate was right. I didn’t want him to be right. Onion was a robot, but to me he was another mammal. I’ve worried myself sick when he’s gotten injured, even though I could easily fix him up with scrap. Onion was not only my friend, but my first one. I could never make friends, so I _made_ one, and now I feel like I'm about to lose him.

“Like I said Miss, I am not of flesh or blood, so once the chamber is vented, I will still be here.”

“No, he won’t.”

I looked over to Nate as my heart sank. “Why?”

“I looked it over and over, and there is no way around it.”

“Around WHAT?” Nate gulped as I realized I just yelled at him. “Please, what are you not telling me?”

“The radiation has reached critical levels, so much that its ionizing properties will cause any unhardened electronics to short out, and with Onion’s design, along with the time it will take to vent the room to allow us to safely retrieve him, the damage will be irreparable.”

“Then he’s not going. We'll find another way! I can’t lose him!”

“There is no other way!” Nate was starting to get agitated. “We have _minutes_ before we're all killed!” 

“I don’t care! I won’t let…” 

I felt a pain echo through my body as I lost all control of my muscles. He electrocuted me. Onion used his stun baton, on me. 

“I am sorry Miss, but Mister Valiant is right, this is the only way.”

“N-no!” I tried to move towards Onion, but my body was unresponsive. 

Nate gave me a look that looked very apologetic as he pushed a button on the terminal. I heard a buzzing noise as the outer door started to open. Onion floated inside and then it sealed. While he didn’t have eyes, I knew he was looking at me with the same look that Nate was, a look that simply said, ‘I’m sorry’.

I started to feel a little bit of movement returning to me and I started to drag myself towards the door. I knew it was futile, and I also knew it was really the right thing to do, but I didn’t want it to be. I wanted to buy us more time, to figure out a way to do this without sacrificing any lives, robot or mammal. 

“‘Livi! Nate, what’s going on?!”

“Onion is… saving us.”

“What happened to her? And what do you mean he’s ‘saving us’?”

“She tried to stop him and he… he shocked her…” Nate sounded unsure of his own words.

“ _I am ready Mister Valiant, please open the inner doors_ ”

“N… N-o…”

There was a moment where nothing happened, but then the door opened and Onion floated in. I couldn’t see Onion, but then I felt paws grab me and lift me up. Holly helped me towards the large glass window. I could see Onion floating towards the spherical chamber. He faltered a few times as I saw sparks flare out from his chassis. I tried to speak, but my emotions finally got the better of me as I started to cry. The tears were making it hard to see, but soon the flashing lights faded as the room darkened. 

“Power levels receding. Sixty, forty, twenty, emergency power holding at fifteen percent.” Agent Hoppiny spoke slowly as she reported the core's condition.

I looked around as I started to get my motor controls back. Nate was standing next to the window, typing madly into the Pip-Boar in his arm. His face looked worried, anguished, yet… hopeful?

“Come on, come on!” 

“N-Nate?” I was having trouble breathing. 

I wanted to ask why he was acting like that when I was losing a friend, but a loud noise brought my attention back as large sparks flew from Onion’s body followed by black plumes of smoke. Then, his entire body stopped hovering and fell to the platform below him.

“Onion!”

First Blanche, now Onion. I do my best to try to help others, but what am I given in return? Pain. Pain and heartache. I find people who care about me, but it only leads to more pain. I know I can’t blame Nate, that I shouldn’t. Onion chose to do this, to save me, to save all of us, but I couldn’t let myself face the truth. Onion wasn’t a robot, he was my friend, and now he’s gone. 

“Olivia?”

I turned towards him. I couldn’t tell how my face was, but it must have been bad because Nate took two steps forward before taking one back. “What?” I didn’t want to sound like I did, like I was blaming him for killing Onion, but I felt the control of my emotions slipping away.

“I-I’m sorry.” 

“He’s… dead…”

Nate took a few steps closer to me and held out his robotic arm. “His body is gone, but I managed to… well… say hello.”

Hello? What was he…

A voice came from Nate’s arm, or rather his Pip-Boar. It wasn’t his voice, nor did it sound like a recording. My eyes went wide as I felt my emotions suddenly pull a u-turn.

“Hello Miss.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Today’s episode will be… odd, even for me. So, we all saw what happened to Onion, Olivia’s trusty sidekick. Yes some of this will be addressed in the next chapter, but things take such a huge turn then, that I will need to dedicate a show to it, so today we have Onion to talk with! I also would like to thank Nate for letting me do this interview, but, um, are all these guards necessary?”

**[Nate]**

“I don’t think any of them trust you.”

**[Max]**

“Get use to it Stripes, you’re apparently persona non grata around here.”

**[Stripes]**

“Really? But I have always been so… anyways, so, how do I do this? Hello? Anyone there?”

**[Onion]**

“ _You do not have to be so close. I can hear you perfectly fine._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“So apparently robots _can_ have an attitude. Ahem, so anyways, I would like to first give my condolences to your body. That floating sphere will be missed. I am, however, glad to see you’re fine, so to speak. How does it feel living in, um, his arm?”

**[Onion]**

“ _It’s odd and unfamiliar. Despite robots not having a ‘soul’ as some say, we do take notice of our current shell, and this arm is a bit cramped at times compared to my old body._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“And I’m sure not being as mobile is a bit disorienting as well, isn’t it?”

**[Onion]**

“ _Most certainly. Being unable to control my own locomotion will be something to get used to. I am not complaining Mister Valiant, I just need time to process my current residence._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“So, why not Olivia’s Pip-Boar? Why Your arm?”

**[Nate]**

“I didn’t have time to perform such a complex transfer through an additional device. Plus, I have more free space, or at least I do, now.”

**[Stripes]**

“You sound a bit sad saying that. Why?”

**[Nate]**

“Nothing that concerns you. Now finish this up, I have things to do.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes. Well, Onion, I have to ask, why did you selflessly sacrifice yourself?”

**[Onion]**

“ _I am a robot, plain and simple. It is within my programming to perform duties to protect my owner and her friends by any means necessary._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“That sounds a bit… canned. You sure it was just your ‘programming’?”

**[Onion]**

“ _Yes, well, I also care for Miss Springs. I know it might sound odd for a robot to express feelings, but there are often times where I do not feel like a robot, that I might be a mammal by her side. Unfortunately that is not the case, nor will it ever be so. I am a robot bound by programming._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“For a robot bound by programming, you sure sound sad.”

**[Onion]**

“ _Bound by_ really _good programming._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, well, back to what you just said. Sometimes you feel like you’re a mammal at her side? If you _could_ be a mammal, and no folks, I’m sorry to say that will not be happening, ahem, what would you want to be?”

**[Onion]**

“ _A bear._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“That was a quick answer. Have you actually given that thought? And why a bear?”

**[Onion]**

“ _Yes, well, even robots can have flights of fancy if enough memory is left uncluttered. As for my species of choice, it is simple really. I want to protect Miss Springs. That is all I care about, that is why I sacrificed myself to make sure she could live. That is also extended to Mister Valiant, his brother, Miss Kerrigan, and anyone else she calls a friend. I often find myself useless in this body, especially after leaving the Burrow. I do what I can to protect Miss Springs, but most of the time, it is her protecting me, despite me only being a robot. She can fix a broken panel, replace a fried circuit, but I can’t replace an arm if she lost it, I can’t de-fragment her brain when she is mentally fried. I often feel useless being the one being grieved over. A bear is large, strong, and can offer the protection and strength that I lack._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“But an elephant and a rhino could do the same, possibly even better.”

**[Onion]**

“ _I have databases of every known mammal in my system. Details on strengths and weaknesses, historical accounts of famous mammals of their species, I have gone though this all countless times. A rhino or elephant, while strong, lacks, in my opinion, the softness that a bear or other furred mammals have._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“Softness? What, do you dream of cuddling with Olivia?”

**[Onion]**

“ _No. Well… you see, part of my duties is to watch over Miss Springs, and I have found medical records of mammals suddenly dying in their sleep due to stress filled activities, and Miss Springs has had nothing but stress filled activities ever since we left the Burrow. I watch over her when she sleeps, and, please do not tell her I said this, but she talks in her sleep sometimes, and while I usually ignore it out of respect for her privacy, a few times I think she was dreaming of her mother, and from the sound of it, she misses cuddling up with her. I think the term used is a ‘security blanket’._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“That sounds sweet, albeit a tad creepy if taken out of context. What about now? With Nate’s arrival, she has had someone to… well…”

**[Nate]**

“One more word and this interview is over.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes… well… Have recent events changed your thoughts on that Onion?”

**[Onion]**

“ _Actually, they have. Miss Springs has someone who she can take solace in both physical and emotional comfort. I still wish to protect her, but I have learned that her friends, along with her new family, can protect her better than I could ever have. Mister Valiant, why did you go through the trouble in saving my memory core?_ ”

**[Nate]**

“She’s already lost a lot. I couldn’t have her loosing her oldest friend as well.”

**[Onion]**

“ _I thank you Mister Valiant._ ”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, I think I will end today’s episode at this. I have a lot to prepare for the next one. Thank you for your time Onion, and thank you for allowing me to talk to your… arm… this is still a bit bizarre. Well folks, until next time, take care!”

**[Max]**

“See? That wasn’t so bad now was it Stripes. Setting these things up like this before paw? Does WONDERS on another’s temperament towards you doesn’t it. Thanks again for agreeing to this Mister Valiant.”

**[Nate]**

“Well… He MOSTLY behaved himself… Though I suspect that had something to do with the current security arrangements.”

**[Max]**

“Eh, I’ll take it. At least no one is shooting at us this time… Chest is still aching from that…”


	70. Times are Changing

“How is this even possible?”

I was still in pain, but I had finally regained most of my motor skills. My head was starting to hurt and it didn’t help that my brain was getting very confused about hearing Onion’s voice coming from Nate’s arm.

“I couldn’t sit by and have you… lose another friend. I… there was no way of saving his body, so I remotely hacked his system and downloaded it to my Pip-Boar.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I almost… I yelled at you.”

“I didn’t know if it would work. You had some tricky encoding on his subroutines, and I had to clear out extra memory to let him fit.”

“Clear out… you didn’t get rid of anything… important, did you?”

“I… no, I have everything I will ever need.”

“I’m glad. I would have felt horrible if you got rid of anything that was too important for you. I’m glad you did that though, it means a lot to me.” I gave him a hug and a kiss to thank him.

“ _Me too Miss. To be honest I really did not want to do it._ ” Onion’s tone showed relief. 

“This is… going to take some getting used to. You don’t plan on carrying him around like that all the time, do you?”

“I figured that once things quiet down, we can make him a new body.”

“ _May I make a suggestion Miss? I did find that old body to be a bit disadvantageous at times_.”

“I kinda liked the floating vegetable look myself.” 

“ _Very funny Miss. I was actually thinking of…_ ”

Onion’s voice got cut off by a sudden ruckus coming from Agent Hoppiny and her communicator. Once it was over, she turned to us, her face looking grim.

“We gotta return to the Chief. Now.”

“What’s going on, is he…”

“Let’s move out.” She stormed by us and left as everyone else followed. 

Nate’s face turned to a worried fear. This wasn’t good.

***

“Logan! What’s going on?” 

Most of the Guardians that came with us were standing around the armory doors, and they all had deep looks of concern on their faces. Nate and I shoved passed them, and they gave way to our movements with ease. Mark and the other medic were standing inside, but when Mark looked at us, he simply shook his head. 

Chief Lazlo was laying on the floor, not too far from where we left him. The blood on the ground had been cleaned up, and he had on fresh bandages, but he wasn't moving. My emotions started to well up within me as Nate ran over and knelt to his side. 

“Mister Lazlo!”

“Nate my boy.” His words were forced and slow.

“You’re gonna make it, Mark tell me he’s gonna make it!”

“No Nate, I'm not.”

“He’s bleeding internally, organs are failing at an alarming rate, and the ones that aren’t are working overtime. He’s lost more blood than we can give him, and moving him would simply exasperate the situation. He wouldn’t make it out of here alive, yet alone to someplace with better medical equipment. He asked me to give him a drug so he could be conscious to talk to you. Once it wears off… I’m sorry Nate.” 

“No! You can’t die. I…” Nate’s voice quieted down, but his sadness increased. “Y-you're the closest thing I have to a… a father… you can’t die!”

“You were the closest thing to a son to me Nathan.” Despite his forced words, he still spoke firmly like the leader he is. “I regret not producing an offspring, but I was always too damn busy trying to make this world a better place. My time is coming to an end, and with my last breath I need to proclaim an heir to the Guardians. They need a leader, a strong leader.” He coughed a few times, blood dribbling out as he did. “They need someone who can encourage the good in mammals, while discouraging the evil within them.” Lazlo slowly lifted his arm towards Nate. “In my hoof, take my badge.” 

Nate took it and looked over it before returning his gaze towards the fallen Chief. “I-I don’t understand.”

“You. _You_ are the mammal who best represents those traits. I'm leaving control of the Guardians to you, Chief Valiant.”

“I-I’m not, I’m not the mammal you want. There has to be someone better. Logan, even Olivia, but…” Nate tried to put the badge back into Lazlo’s hoof but he just pushed it towards Nate’s chest. 

“Olivia is too unpredictable, too much of a loose cannon. No offense Miss Springs.”

“Um, none given?” This entire thing was striking me as unreal.

“And Logan, he’s a good boy, the strongest soldier within the Guardians, but he’s just that, a soldier. I would trust wartime efforts to him with no regrets, but he’s a rock. He knows right from wrong, but sometimes it travels such a narrow path that it would be too easy for someone to make the right decision at the wrong time. You, you think before you act, you have always tried to find ways to solve a situation with ingenuity before violence. There will not always be war, there will be a time, I hope, where this world has been fixed, where the Guardians can once again serve and protect, to put away the sword and simply be a shield once again. When that time comes, mammals like Logan will not be needed, but ones like you, they will shine brighter than the sun. I want to make sure that there's someone who can pass down those ideals to future generations so when that time finally comes, the Guardians are prepared for it. That is why of every mammal I know, you are the most qualified, and I trust you to do what is necessary to see my dream come true.”

“I-I…”

“Stalker Logan.” 

“Yes Sir?” I could tell that it was hard for Logan to keep his composure.

“Nate is Chief now, do you object?”

“Sir I…” He stood there for a moment, looking between Mark and Lazlo, as if he was trying to make sense of it all. “I respect you Sir, and you have never once caused that respect to falter. I will continue to respect your decision. I'm unsure how the others will react to this.”

“That is why he needs you more than I ever have. Nate is Chief, but until he is able to fully take over for me, you will be temporarily in charge. You will obey his orders like you did mine, but it will be up to you to make sure that both he, and the rest of the Guardians are eased into this transition. Is that clear Stalker?”

“Sir, yes Sir!”

“I’m… sorry that I couldn’t have been more of a father to you Sebastian Logan. I raised you like one, but so many Guardians had already run off to join those other perverse factions that I desperately needed more competent and qualified soldiers, and I cared more about making you into one that I never stopped to let you grow up to be what _you_ wanted to be. For that, I am sorry.”

“You told me I was abandoned Sir, that whoever my parents were, they didn’t want me. You could have ignored me, you could have pawned me off on someone else, but you took it upon yourself to raise me into the mammal I am today, and I could not be more proud of you. Thank you Sir.”

Yes I was upset at this, and I could feel myself on the verge of crying, but for some reason it wasn’t him laying there on death’s bed that was hitting me the hardest, it was how everyone else was taking it that was getting to me. It was only Logan and Nate that were speaking, but I could tell that everyone else was feeling it, that they were all taking this hard. Logan was still strong with his emotions, but from the slight tone adjustments as he spoke, he was not very far from breaking his veil. 

Nate was the one I was worried about the most. I knew that Lazlo was one of the first mammals that he warmed up to after leaving their Burrow, but I didn’t realize how much of a father figure he was to him, and on top of that Lazlo was making him Chief? That was a very unexpected outcome, and from the looks of Mark and Holly, they didn't expect that either. I put my arm on Nate’s back and gently leaned into him, to show him that I was here for him.

“Olivia Springs. You are the strangest, most insane mammal that I have ever met. You cause destruction wherever you go, and cause your enemies to quake in fear of a tiny rabbit.” He might be dying, but he was making me feel horrible the way he described me. “You also have a heart of gold, and are one of the kindest, most loyal mammals I have ever known. Thanks to your actions, this world has been lifted from its squalor and shown that one mammal _can_ make a difference. I know you can’t fix the whole world, but you have done more than anyone to try. Please, take care of Nathan. He will need you now more than ever.”

“I… thank you. And you have my word, there is nothing that can come between us.”

“You two do make the perfect pair. I was once afraid that I would leave this world unchanged, that everything I have done would have been for naught. I am happy to be leaving it knowing the world is in the paws of the two most capable mammals. I’m… feeling tired. Nathan, please, before I go. Could you… Agent Hoppiny, the transfer terminal?”

“Sir? Oh.” The rabbit ran to a corner of the room and seconds later brought over a large blue box. She placed it between Nate and Lazlo. There was a keypad on it and Lazlo slowly typed in a code that unlocked it. Inside was a small computer with a familiar indent. 

“Nathan, place the badge there.” 

Nate hesitated but then placed it. Upon connecting, the computer booted up and two buttons lit up, one green, one red. Lazlo placed his hoof on the red one. 

“This is Chief Maximilian Lazlo, designation Guardian Chief. Confirm.” 

“ _Identity Confirmed._ ”

“I hear by transfer all ranks and privileges of Guardian Chief to one Nathan Valiant.”

“ _Transfer Recipient, Please Hold Down Green Button And Confirm By Stating Full Name._ ”

“I-I…” 

Nate looked at me, and I wondered if he thought I would do or say something to stop this, but I did not know what to do. Do I go against the wishes of a dying mammal? A mammal who has shown nothing but kindness and acceptance? I did not know if Nate really was the best choice for this, but what if he was? He was already stronger than I've ever seen him, he has shown his ability to take control of the situation, even when he himself is unsure. Lazlo was right, Logan was way too hardened to be an effective leader outside of combat, and I _know_ I would make for a horrible leader. Putting the lives of a few friends on the line from a most certainly questionable decision that not even I was sure was right? No, that would be too much for me, but if it was too much for me, would it also be too much for him? 

“I can’t tell you what to do sweetie, this is all happening too fast for me to even comprehend. Just trust your feelings. I know whatever you decide will be for the best, and I will be there for you regardless.”

“I…” He took one last look around at everyone and then placed his finger on the glowing red button. “Nathan Valiant.”

“ _Nathan Valiant. Confirmed. Uploading Personnel file. Error, File Not Found. Continue?_ ”

“Import File Valiant dash zero zero alpha five dash zero one from external database zeta one.” Lazlo sounded tired. He didn’t have much time left.

“ _File Successfully Imported. Personnel File Valiant, Nathan Located. Confirm Acceptance of Rank._ ”

“You… you knew, didn’t you?” That’s all I could say, and surprise backed every word.

“I had the files prepared shortly before leaving for here. I was hoping they weren't needed, but there's a reason I haven't attempted reclaiming Precinct One earlier. I knew the dangers. King was right, I'm too old for this.”

He didn’t know. Not once did it occur to me that he didn’t know about what happened with King and his Guardians. I wanted to tell him, but I think Nate realized it as well. He looked at me and gently shook his head before speaking. 

“I, Nathan Valiant accept the rank of Guardian Chief.”

“ _Processing. Unlinking Prior Records. Assigning Rank And Permissions. Link Complete. Please Confirm._ ”

“This is Chief… Nathan Valiant, designation Guardian Chief. Confirm.”

“ _Identity Confirmed Chief Valiant._ ”

“Thank you Nathan. It feels good to know they are in capable paws as yourself.” His words were even slower, as if it was getting harder to force them. “I was glad to have met you, along with your brother and Holly.” Lazlo closed his eyes and with one last breath, he was gone.

“No! Please don’t go.” Nate looked up at Mark, tears in his eyes. “Can’t you give him something again? Keep him alive longer?”

“No, it… it should have worn off already. I think he was keeping himself alive by sheer will. I’m sorry Nate. There was nothing we could have done.”

“Sweetie, he didn’t know about King, did he? Shouldn’t we have told him?”

Nate stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes. “No. He died peacefully. I think… it was better that way.” 

“There are no more threats here to worry about, did you want to go somewhere and be alone? You can talk to me about if you need to.”

“No. We still have a job to do.” Nate’s eyes grew stronger as he straightened his body. “Stalker Logan.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Get together our forces here and send out a message to all who are loyal to Lazlo. While I'm still not sure about his decision to make me Chief, I do know that it will be for naught if we remain separated like this. As my first order as Chief, we are going to take back our base and show King that the Guardians, Lazlo’s Guardians, are not to be trifled with. Is that clear?”

“Sir, yes sir!”

Logan was the only one who said it, even though I was sure Nate addressed it to everyone here. His face looked stern, but I could tell that he was scared. They say it’s in the eyes, and I think I knew those eyes better than anyone else, but unlike other times, only his eyes were betraying his real feelings, everything else showed his strength. 

“Guardians! Whether you like it or not, Chief Lazlo is gone, and Mister Valiant is our new Chief so you will show him the same respect that you showed Chief Lazlo. Is that clear Guardians?” 

“Yes Sir!” Jasmine and Zack, along with a few others responded to Logan. The rest remained silent. 

“I said is that clear Guardians?!”

“Sir, yes Sir!” Nearly all of them responded this time.

“I expect every single one to show the same respect to Chief Valiant as you did to Chief Lazlo. Do I have to remind you who the Chief’s girlfriend is? Am I clear!?”

I don’t know what was worse, the fact that some of them were not seeming eager to accept Nate as their new leader, or the fact that Logan had just used me to threaten them. I was going to interject but then Nate walked up to Logan and carefully rested his paw on the wolf’s shoulder. 

“N-no, I will not let Olivia’s actions try to act as a buffer for me. I still don’t know if Mister Lazlo made the right decision, but it was his decision to make, and from the sound of it, it wasn’t a decision he took lightly or rushed into. He must have seen something in me that I am only now seeing myself. I don’t know if you're unhappy with this because I'm not a Guardian, or if it’s due to my lack of training, but I'm sure it _does_ have something to do with my species. There are very few foxes within the Guardians, and even fewer people seem to trust us, despite the good we try to do. So I ask you, are you willing to let Lazlo’s legacy die just because I'm a fox?”

“No Sir!” The voices echoed so loudly in the room that I wasn’t sure if everyone answered, but from the sound of it, I had a feeling most, if not all did. 

“I'm not Mister Lazlo, and I won’t try to be him. I don’t think any mammal could be the mammal he was, but I promise you this. I will do everything I can to make sure that his legacy continues, to show that even a fox can be a leader. A _good_ leader. My first edict as leader will be this. From hence forth we shall no longer be the Steel Guardians, we will be Lazlo’s Guardians!”

“Hooah!” All the Guardians raised their arms in the air as they cheered. 

Nate may not have won over every Guardian yet, but it sounded like a good start. This entire thing still seems so weird to me, like I was caught in a dream, but I know that it's not. Somehow, I think this is good. Ever since I met him, he has looked weak to everyone but those closest to him. He was stronger than most mammals, he just never knew how to tap into it. Sure I seemed to have helped, but he still needed something… more. I think now he has that extra kick. I just hope it doesn’t decide to kick back.

***

Logan needed to converse with the other lieutenant Guardians, to explain the situation and get everyone ready for both this new change, and also to prepare the forces to take back the base. From the sounds of it, there's been very little activity from King’s mammals, so we were going in blind. 

Zack was assigned to our very own Tac-Lifter. It consisted of Jasmine, Holly, Mark, Nate and myself. I know that we usually flew together before, but there was often another Guardian, or Logan himself with us. I was glad to have this little alone time with those closest to Nate. 

“How you holding up sweetie?” I sat next to him, gently leaning against his side. 

“I don’t know. This is just…” He was lost in thought, I could tell.

“Weird?”

“Yeah. I just, I never expected something like this to happen, let alone to me.”

“You said it yourself, it doesn’t matter if it’s a fox running the Guardians as long as Lazlo’s legacy remains.”

“No, it isn’t that Binky. It’s… I have never been a leader, and now suddenly I'm made one out of the blue?”

“From what they told me, you were pretty in charge when I was kidnapped, and when you made the decision to open the Burrow door.”

“That…” He paused, his gaze turning away slightly. “That was different. I let my emotions take over, to control me. This is different. I am in control, my mind is clear for the first time in a very long time, and despite all that I still can’t fathom me giving orders, _forcing_ someone to do as I say, especially if I'm unsure of what I'm even doing.”

“I think that’s why he let Logan take control for a bit, to teach you, to allow you to get acclimated to this.”

“But what if I _don’t_ get acclimated? If no matter how much I try, how _hard_ I try, I never am able to be as good as Mister Lazlo. I don’t think many of the Guardians liked me and Mark already due to our species, but they put up with us because Mister Lazlo said they had to. The Guardians are already torn apart, I don’t want to risk it happening all over again, because of me.”

“Then kick them out.”

Nate gave me a look, I couldn’t tell if it was confusion or simply him not understanding what I said. 

“I can’t do that.”

“Sure you can. If those mammals are too full of themselves to obey a fox, they will never work closely enough with you to be a functional team. You need mammals who can devote their fealty to you, who will not obey your orders just because you're in charge, but because they respect you as a leader. I doubt Lazlo earned that respect his first day, he probably had to work for it, to make sacrifices to get to where he was. I’m not telling you it'll be easy, but I’ll be there the entire time to both help and encourage you.”

“That’s what I'm afraid of the most.”

“What?”

“That I will find out Mister Lazlo was right, that I _am_ the best mammal for the job.”

“Then why do you make it sound so bad?”

“I don’t know much about those who came before him, he’s been in charge since before any of us was born. What I do know is that he was completely dedicated to his job. He worked longer days than most, he put himself out there at the front lines, he was so busy he never took a wife and had children, children who _should_ be in this position, not me. The thing that scares me the most is that I will be so consumed by this new life like he was, that I will never have time for… you.”

I gave him a kiss and wiped away the tears that were forming from his eyes. “That will never happen. I don’t care if I have to become a Guardian in order to stay by your side. The only thing preventing me from doing that right now is the simple fact that I need to stop these Legionaries and find out who hired them in the first place. After that? Well, I think I’m more of a Stalker than anything.”

Nate smirked a bit. “Stalker Springs? Has a ring to it. You’ll be the most attractive one at least.”

“I’d beg to differ.” Zack shouted out from the cockpit. For a moment I forgot we weren’t alone. Then I heard a loud thump. That girl really needs to learn to control herself around compliments.

That seemed to help calm him down a bit, but I knew it wasn’t over. Nate is going to have a very long road ahead of him. Even if he got complete loyalty from all the Guardians, he will still need to learn how to use that loyalty. He’s not the type of mammal to send someone to their death without knowing sure well any potential outcome. The question is, when it finally comes time for a fight, will he be willing to send mammals off to their deaths? That reminds me. 

“What about King?”

“What about him?”

“What are you going to do with him? From what I hear, I don’t think he’s the type of mammal who will leave if you ask nicely. There is going to be a battle, one that we need to win.”

“I don’t know. He's already caused so much strife with the Guardians, the only thing I want to do is punch him square in that smug face of his.”

“Whatever happens, I will be by your side, we all will.”

***

When we arrived at the Guardian base, Logan had all of us land nearly a mile away, out of the external defense system’s range. A single aircraft remained in the sky in order to take a detailed look around for any sign of movement. Logan assured us he knew we were here, but after half an hour of waiting, King showed no signs of it. What was he waiting for?

“Is there any secret entrance? I mean, even more secret, this entire place is a secret entrance it seems.”

“The main entrance is within that building, while the hanger and garage are hidden in the blacktop. There is one more way in, but it won’t be a comfortable one, especially for our larger soldiers.”

“Why? What is it?” I tried to think what other kind of entrance there could be, especially one that from the sound of it isn’t really meant to be one. Then it hit me. “Please don’t tell me it’s…”

A sewer. A fucking sewer, and from both the smell and the… muck that we were currently wading through, it was an actively used one. I would like to know who designed this fucking thing because normal sewers at least were kind enough to provide some kind of walkway, but no, this one was sans walkway, and complete with waist deep sewage. If we can’t get this over with so I can take a shower, _I_ might be the one who knocks out King.

“If I catch anyone laughing, or even smirking at me, I will personally shoot you.”

“Pay no mind to ‘livi, she just has a bit too much… crap that she’s dealing with.”

“Holly!”

“Shh, we're almost to the recyclers.” Logan’s voice instantly quieted everyone, which is good because I swore I heard at least one of them chuckling.

Around the next corner was a door, one marked _Steel Guardian Personnel Only_. Logan stopped us before we could move further and pointed to the door. It took me a second but then I recognized two automated turrets, only these were mounted on tripods rather than concealed within the ceiling or wall. 

“Who in their infinite wisdom put guns in a sewer, filled with highly _flammable_ gases?”

“Probably the same mammals who didn’t think anyone would use the sewage system as a viable entrance.”

“Ain’t talking to you Holly. So Logan, you think King got around to changing their programming?”

“We have a few technicians unaccounted for, so it’s entirely possible.”

“Well, I have _one_ way of checking.” 

I grabbed out a remote bullet. It was my last one, but I didn’t want to risk finding out those guns were armed the hard way. Especially with any potential risk, even if it’s minor, of igniting any flammable gasses in here. Once it was programmed, I shot it at the closest gun and accessed it. 

Turns out I didn’t need to waste it, the guns were still tied to the old friend-or-foe database, with no sign of tag changes. There was no internal access to the main systems, so I had a feeling they were standalone deterrents, not part of the main defense system. Not that reprogramming would help us in this situation. In order for that to work, I would have to go and manually change every single one of King’s Guardians tags to foe, and I had no idea the names of most of these mammals. Plus, even if we did, we didn’t have time. I'm sure they know we're here. 

“It’s clear.”

“Alright everyone, proceed with caution.” Logan was still giving commands, but I'm sure that Nate wasn’t going to stop him, at least not yet. “I don’t want any weapons discharged unless it’s in self defense. We don’t know who is loyal to King or who is just trying not to get themselves killed. Once this is taken care of, Chief Valiant and I will personally talk to every single one of them to figure out what really happened.”

“It’s going to take a while before I'm used to hearing you called that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

The recycler room was just that, a large room whose sole purpose is to filter and recycle any waste water. It was very similar to the one in my Burrow, but this tech looked much older and more archaic. That’s the one thing I kinda like about this place, it has very few signs that Burrow-Tec had their paws in its creation. 

A single door connected this room to the rest of the base. 

“Stalker Rothschild, thermal scan please.”

“Yes Sir.” Jasmine took longer than it usually did before she reported her findings, and rather hesitantly too. “I… I thought I saw something.”

“Do you or do you not see any signs of activity?”

“No Sir, I do not. Must have been something else. Coast is clear.”

“Defenders, take point. Stalkers, I want you right behind them. I want to make sure that we don’t let our defenses down. Remember, once we make contact, do not fire unless fired upon. Move out.”

The first Defender opened the door but only took a few steps before stopping. “Uh Sir?”

“What is it Defender?”

“We're not alone.”

“What do you mean…”

“Welcome back, Stalker Logan.”

I moved to get a better look, but I already knew who was talking. Standing only feet away in the next room was the traitorous rhino and a team of Guardians, all who had weapons pointed right at us. 

“Defender King! We're here to take back our base, surrender now and we'll be able to avoid any unnecessary violence.”

“Stalker Logan, the bite to Lazlo’s bark. Where is the old geezer anyways? I want him to see his decades of work crumble to the ground before I have you all killed.”

“How did you manage to avoid Stalker Rothschild’s thermal scan?”

“Turns out, your engineer friend has a ton of very interesting tech that she never once shared with any of us. One such device just so happens to mask certain scans, including thermal, and since I knew that Red-Neck bitch was going to be with you, I figured it'd come in handy. I ask again, where is your Chief?”

“Chief Lazlo, he’s… dead.”

“Oh ho! The old buffalo finally bit the dust did he? Pity. I was looking forward to seeing him one last time. Let me guess, _you're_ in charge now I take it?”

Nate left my side as he pushed through to the front. “No. I am.”

“YOU? You have to be shitting me! Okay, jokes over. I want to talk to the _real_ chief now.”

Nate pulled something out of his pocket and held it before King. “I, Chief Nathan Valiant hereby order all of you to stand down. Now.” He sounded so confidant, I have no idea what he’s like inside his mind right now, but if it was anything less, it wasn’t showing.

“Well I’ll fucking be. That old buffalo finally _did_ go senile! Putting a _fox_ in charge. Better yet, a worthless cur like yourself! I might just piss myself laughing!”

I reached for my gun, wanting to shoot him right here, right now just for even letting those words slip, but I felt a paw on my shoulder. Logan looked at me, shaking his head. I looked around and everyone was watching, waiting to see what happens. I looked at Mark and Holly, and they both showed concern on their faces, and they also had their paws clenched on their weapons.

“This ‘worthless cur’ just watched _your_ leader die, helpless to do anything about it. Mister Lazlo was ten, no a hundred times a better mammal than you could ever be. I am not in the mood, so please, give me a reason to lash out. I dare you.”

“What? You gonna send your _girlfriend_ to do your dirty work? I bet she drags you around by a collar like the cur you are.”

That’s it. I’m shooting him. 

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up!” 

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Nate darted forward, with his metal arm stretched out and before anyone could react, landed his fist so hard on King’s face that not only did he drop in an instant, his horn shattered under the impact. The Guardians near King pointed their guns at Nate, but none of them fired. King was motionless on the ground.

“Anyone else have something to say!?”

I drew out my plasma rifle, knowing it was much more effective against their armor than my pistol and joined Nate by his side. They all still hesitated, a few of them, their weapons quavering. Logan used this window to order our Guardians to surround and disarm them. Not a single shot was fired. Between me aiming my gun at them, along with Holly and Mark joining our side, and the fact that Nate just took out their ‘leader’ with one punch, I don’t think they were in the position to react, at least not before it was too late. 

“That… was some punch bro.”

“I’m a bit surprised by it myself Mark.”

“ _I helped a little._ ”

“Onion?”

“ _Yes Miss. I couldn’t stand hearing him talk about you and Mister Valiant like that, so I took the liberty to overcharge Mister Valiant’s pneumatic system. I do hope it wasn’t too much._ ”

“It was perfect. I’d hug you if you still had a body. How you hanging in there anyways?”

“ _Quite well actually, despite the circumstances. You don’t know how much fun it is exploring a new system. My old one was pretty stuffy if I do say._ ”

“Just… please don’t go rifling around in any of his personal stuff.”

“ _I am not a savage Miss._ ”

“If you don’t mind Miss Springs, we are still trying to reclaim the base.” Logan sounded a bit annoyed. “Plus, you're talking to an arm…”

“An arm that saved us from any unnecessary violence.”

“Ahem. Okay people! Let’s sweep the area! I want all of the traitors rounded up and thrown into the brig!”

“Yes Sir!”

“Enhanced or not, that was exemplary work Chief. I know Chief Lazlo would have been proud, and I think it also sent a message to any who choose to follow them that our new Chief is not a mammal to be trifled with.”

“Tell you the truth Logan, when he brought Olivia into it, I felt myself… slipping a little. I think it was that anger that took over, if only for a small moment.”

“And the fact that you didn’t continue to punch him shows you were able to show some restraint. That is the sign of a true leader, only giving as much as needed, although a little more restraint might be better next time.”

“Yes Sir.”

“You are in charge now, remember that. Sir.”

“Yes S… Stalker Logan.”

“Alright everyone! Report back to me every fifteen minutes, once we've rounded up all the traitors, we will be converging in the Hall. Move out!”

***

It took nearly three hours before the sweeps were over and all of King’s men had been found. A few of them gave up the moment they saw us, but two of them tried to go out with a fight. One died, while the other sustained an injury. A single death was a pretty good outcome, although I would have rather not had any. 

Matheous King, stripped of his Guardian rank, remained unconscious within a secure section of the medical facility. From what Doc said, any harder and King would have died, that his thick skull was the only thing that protected his brain from being turned into mush. A shard of his shattered horn had gotten lodged in his brain however. Doc said he'll live, but he was unsure of how he'll be when he wakes. Hopefully it was with a sound enough mind, Logan and Nate both wanted to have a word with him.

I gotta say, this place is HUGE. Apparently I’ve only been in a small fraction of the base, because I didn’t even know about this Hall. It was large enough to fit nearly a thousand Guardians in it, and it was so big it took up an entire level. A large screen projected an image of a podium where Nate and Logan were standing. I was seated nearby, along with Holly and Mark. Jasmine, Zack, Tuskgen, and the others we knew were seated with the other Guardians right in the front row. This felt weird for me, and I wasn’t even the one in the spotlight.

Logan spoke first. 

“Today we lost a great leader. Chief Maximilian Lazlo has been around longer than most of us can remember. With his age he brought true wisdom to us all. He was not only a leader by voice, but by action. Most of you have had the chance to fight side by side with him, his own sense of morality empowering each and every one of us to give it our all. He cared about each and every one of you not as a soldier, but as a friend. Still, some decided that his kindness wasn't enough, that it showed weakness. Many of you were once scavengers, raiders, or even slaves. If it weren't for his kindness, you would not be sitting here. He didn't take you in on a whim, he saw potential in every single one of you, and all he asked for in exchange for rescuing you from a life of despair was to simply take his kindness and pay it forward, to act as a shield to protect the innocent, and a sword to drive away the darkness. 

“While we will mourn the passing of our great leader for days to come, he did not leave us without guidance. Before he passed, he made sure, with sound mind, to appoint a new leader, one who he believed will help to continue his legacy, to make sure that we remain a force not for war, but one to prevent war and maintain peace. While some of you might question his decision, and some may not even accept it, I will make it known that I will continue my duties without hesitation and that I will follow our new Chief with such fealty that I had shown Chief Lazlo. I stick by his decision, and help to aid him in the months to come, to help guide him and shape him into the mammal that Chief Lazlo knows he can be, into the leader that will prove that we are not defined by our species, that we are more than that, we are not just mammals, we are Steel Guardians!” 

Logan stepped back from the podium and signaled for Nate to move forward. I wanted to give him a kiss for luck, but I felt that this might not be the best time for that, so instead I just smiled and nodded. He looked very hesitant, but I wasn’t sure if it was due to the fact he was about to speak before hundreds of Guardians as their new leader, or if he even had anything to say. For once, there was nothing I could do to help him. He was on his own, but I knew he would be able to take this step, even if it was the one of the largest ones he’s ever taken.

“Thank you Stalker Logan. Only some of you… Only some of you know who I am, where I came from. So for those of you who don't know, my name is Nathan Valiant. I'm just a fox from a Burrow. I was never a guardian, never a soldier or a killer. I never want to be any of that. What I want… What I have _always_ wanted is to make the world a better place. It's the dream my mother had before she… Before she was so unjustly taken from this world. She always taught us to look beyond a mammal's species. To judge them by their character and actions. She always told us to make the world a better place, one step at a time. On day at a time. Those same words were uttered to me by Chief Lazlo. A few of you who got to know me I'm sure were always curious why I always insisted upon calling him Mister Lazlo. Why I couldn't call him chief. I couldn't because he was too much like a father to me. He reminded me so much of my mother. How kind and thoughtful he was. How insistent he was in treating every mammal equally. Judging them upon their individual merits. I… I swear that if my mother had lived and escaped our burrow with us. They'd have been the very best of friends. In fact, I somewhat like to think they're making friends right now as they look down on us. Chief Lazlo has built an amazing Legacy here. He took each and every one of us in. Gave us a home and… And a _family_. Gave us a reason to go on living, to go on and fight for a better tomorrow." I watched him stop for a moment to stare down at the podium, taking in a deep breath before he glanced back out over the crowd and smiled.

"I think… No I know he wouldn't want a single one of you to change, even if you don't like me, he wouldn't want you to change. And neither do I. Each and every one of you is able to draw your own conclusions. You are all free to decide your own fate. I won't stand in the way of that. I'm no heartless monster. I care too much about others to even think of doing harm like that. All I ask is that you give me a chance. So I implore you to stand, not behind me, not in front of me, but right at my side and try. Try every day to make the world a better place for all of us. For every innocent mammal who's under threat. You are GUARDIANS! WE are Guardians. We bear the sword and shield emblem to defend those who can't defend themselves. To strike out against the darkness that evil resides in and sweep away the ills of this world. We stand here to watch over those who have no ability to defend themselves. That is the obligation and the duty we all share now. Lazlo left us a grand legacy. One we should all be proud of and I swear to each and every one of you seated here today. I will do my very damnedest to see that legacy grow, to make this world safe for every mammal wanting peace. So I ask, will you all stand beside me? Will you help me defend those who want a better world?"

—————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning. That was an interesting turn of events, wasn’t it? Some of you might wonder about the choice to make Nate leader of the Steel Guardians. Yes, when I was suggested that I was a bit unsure of it, especially with how Nate was developing at the time, but the thing is, he _was_ developing. Some say a great leader is born, and others say they are made. Nate? He was neither. This leadership was thrust unknowingly upon him by someone who not only respected the fox, but also saw something in him that others never really did. Chief Maximilian Lazlo saw not what Nate was, but what he could become. What he was capable of. Not even Nate saw this in himself. That is why I believe that making Nate chief is the best option, to not only show him what he is really capable, but to be a…, well, a kick in the rear to get him going. For today’s episode we will be talking with the new Chief. Mister Valiant, or should I say Chief Valiant, how are you doing? I promise this will be a short and simple interview.”

**[Nate]**

“I honestly have very little hope in that that statement but sure… Go ahead, and Yes Mister Redbridge, I’m aware of what I’m signing up for this time… Marian help me.”

**[Stripes]**

“I want to start off by saying I’m sorry for your loss. For the loss of all Guardians. May I ask about your relationship with Chief Lazlo? I know it has been, and will be addressed at some point, but I would like to hear it straight from the fox’s mouth.”

**[Nate]**

“Lazlo… Lazlo was a father to me more than any other mammal has ever been. Helped me to find a path to travel down just after I left the burrow. Gave me the space to come to terms with some of the things that had happened to me… He was the first mammal I truly opened up to about what happened down there. The first that earned my full trust. And I’m sure that’s true about a lot of the Guardians. He saw the whole organization as a family. I see it that way too.”

**[Stripes]**

“How are you taking your new-found role? I know that many of the other Guardians are a bit… hesitant about following your lead.”

**[Nate]**

“It’s… Difficult. And I’ve only just stepped into the role. If you think they’re hesitant than none of em have even tried to talk to me! I’m a jumble of nerves and I know I have a huge space to fill. Literally *and* figuratively! Believe me when I say I didn’t expect this in any way, shape, or form. I’ve never seen myself as a leader and until I get through all of this I just… I’m not sure.”

**[Stripes]**

“What are your plans with Defender King and his followers? He doesn’t seem to be the type who would take a defeat like that easy.”

**[Nate]**

“Though I’m already certain that King won’t accept it, I’m giving each of his followers a choice. They can either follow me, a little fox who knocked their leader flat on his ass in a single punch. Or they can be stripped of their gear and position. Exiled from the Guardians, and forbidden from ever again stepping paw or hoof within this base ever again.”

**[Stripes]**

“All leaders have an agenda. Be it beneficial or detrimental to the world and those who live within it. I know it is soon, but do you have any plans for how you will lead the Guardians? I mean no offense, but you do not seem like the iron fist type of mammal. I can see that you want to help others, but what are you able to do that Chief Lazlo was not?”

**[Nate]**

“I have no idea. I’ve looked over some of Lazlo’s propositions for the Wasteland. I’ve gone over staffing, inventory, holdings, threats. All of it. The best I can see right now is that the Guardians must step up and make themselves seen once again. It can be done, but it’s not going to be easy and I’m not going to say more than that. We can do this and we will so long as we *all* work together.”

**[Stripes]**

“Stalker Logan seems to be uneasy about your new appointment. At least I think he is. It’s really hard to tell what that wolf is thinking at times. Do you have anything to add about that?”

**[Nate]**

“Stalker Logan is as loyal as they come. He may not seem like it, but I have confidence in him and his ability to handle the situation we’ve been presented with. I trust his capabilities in the field as I trust my capabilities in the tech lab. He and I may not see eye to eye, but I think that’ll be a boon in our relationship. Two opposites working in tandem. Bringing opposing views and different ideas the other might not see to the table.”

**[Stripes]**

“How are is your family taking this? I don’t just mean your brother and Holly, but Olivia as well. Do you think this will change anything? I mean she is still trying to find whoever hired the Legionaries, along with helping nearly every mammal she runs into. I mean, Chief Lazlo didn’t have much of a social life outside of the Guardians, are you afraid that will negatively impact your own?”

**[Nate]**

“Lazlo ended up married to the Guardians. So when I say the Guardians were his… ARE his family, I mean that literally. We were so much his children as we were his equals in his eyes. As for myself and my Mate… Time will tell. She and I love each other and there’s no denial that I’ll help her stop the bastards who are trying to snatch her up. She is my family and I will protect her. If there are those within my new command who don’t like that, they’re just going to have to suck it up because I am *not* going to be married to my job.”

**[Stripes]**

“Max, did you have any questions of your own?”

**[Max]**

“Not really, no. Nate and I have been getting along pretty well actually so I don’t really have any questions for him.”

**[Nate]**

“My regards to your girlfriend by the by.”

**[Stripes]**

“I want to end this with a message, but not from me. Do you have anything to tell those mammals who reside in settlements who seek protection, the wanderers who risk their lives every day in order to survive, or even the mammals who seek to destroy this world?”

**[Nate]**

“To those seeking protection, I will do everything in my power to help. I will seek you out and lend a paw where I reliably can. I will stand beside you, I will give you my paw and lift you up when you’re knocked down. If those under my command are willing, they’ll stand by me and do the same. I will not abandon those in need of help. There’s been too much of that in the past two hundred years already. To those who are just barely surviving, I don’t want you to survive anymore. I want you to *live*! And I will do everything in my power to make the Wasteland a place where you can do that once more. To those who only wish pain and destruction upon this world…I have one simple message for you. My name is Nathaniel Valiant, Chief of Operations for the Steel Guardians of Zootopia. I will NEVER allow you to bring harm upon a mammal under my protection so long as I live and breathe.”

**[Stripes]**

“That’s all the time we have for today folks. I will let you in on a little something. These next few chapters will be focusing a lot more on Nate’s new position. While I try to make sure that Olivia is still the focus of the story, much of it will be applied to Nate, but fear not, this is simply a small arc within the overall story. Olivia will return to the forefront of everything soon enough when she embarks back on her quest. Take care folks!”


	71. Something Lost, Something Gained

Nate was standing upon the same podium as he was yesterday. It had been a little over a day since all the bodies were transported back from Precinct One, and the funeral procession had just commenced. I honestly didn't have any idea on how the dead were treated in the wasteland. I knew that many societies preferred burial, and I have witnessed it, and even done the same myself, but I didn’t realize that the Guardians cremated their dead. I guess it made sense, seeing how large of a graveyard would have been needed for such a long run organization like this. I just had to make sure I was nowhere near the crematory when it happened.

“You may notice that this is a bit of an unusual gathering of not only Guardians, but civilians as well. Chief Lazlo wasn’t just a friend and companion to the Guardians, but a friend to those he died to protect. It would be wrong of us to prevent these souls who he had touched from seeing him laid to rest.”

Mayor Swift, along with many other mammals who I either didn't know, or barely knew were present along with the entire force. Field agents, patrols, everyone of them were called back in for the funeral, and even a few of those who had sided with King had arrived, though they had been escorted by armed Guardians. King had awoken a few hours ago, but I wasn't surprised he wasn’t there. Knowing him he was probably laughing his ass off at this. I really wanted to shoot him.

“Chief Lazlo was a great leader, but he wasn’t just a leader, he stood side by side with the Guardians, and never once considered him above any of them. That is why we have chosen to honor his death not with the pomp that typically comes with a death like this, but rather to honor him as he did us, as a Guardian. All those who died during the fateful events at Precinct One will be honored with Mister Lazlo as their ashes are put to rest within the Hall of Guardians. Now, there are a few mammals who would like to say something. Stalker Logan.”

“Thank you Chief Valiant. As you all know, I have been Chief Lazlo’s right-paw mammal, serving him loyally all while commanding the forces during battles. Some of you have gotten to consider me the bite to his bark due to my ability to take control of a confrontational situation. He dedicated his life to helping so many that I was more than willing to take the stress off of him when it came to fighting. He wasn’t a coward and he wasn’t afraid of a fight, I've seen his unbridled aggression when it comes to push or shove, but even during those times he cared too much about getting innocents caught up in the battle that I'm sure many of you saw that as a weakness. No, it wasn't a weakness but his greatest strength. I know how easy it is to end a life, how that can affect you, long after the calluses of war have hardened. He always had the ability to look past that violence and create a better solution when it presented itself. When no solution was found, he was as a skilled surgeon, cutting out the infection before it could spread. Thanks to his efforts, the walls of Darkwater are stable, the influences of Raiders and other malicious groups are at an all time low within the heart of Zootopia, and that blight on the map called Wild Times is no longer in operation. Sometimes war is necessary, but when Chief Lazlo sounded the horn of battle, you knew that all other options had been expended. Today I ask of you to not mourn the loss of a leader, but to mourn the loss of a friend to most, and to some, a father.”

I could tell that the last thing Logan said had effected Nate, but he still kept his composure. I wonder if anyone else saw it, or if it was just me? Without any other word, Nate nodded towards Mayor Swift who was sitting in the front row. She had on a long black dress that still showed how attractive she was, but also emphasized her current sullen state. From what I heard, shortly after taking back the base, Logan had Agents send out communications to everyone who was close to Lazlo, including Mayor Swift. When she arrived, I could tell that his death hurt her, but despite the fact, she was still keeping her composure around everyone. She was, however, caught by surprise once Nate welcomed her, as the new Chief.

“Thank you Logan. Most of you know me as the mayor of Hope. I remember the first time I met Lazlo. It was nearly twenty years ago and we were under attack by the Council who thought that Hope would be a perfect place to help them expand deeper into the wasteland. Hope has been under attack before, but usually by raiders or loosely organized gangs. This time, it was different. They were armed and organized. I had never met Lazlo before, but I knew of him, most of the wasteland did. We all heard his tails of chivalry, but I know many didn’t believe them. To be honest, I didn’t at first. That might come as a surprise to many who know me, but back then I was younger and more naive of the world. I had taken over as Mayor only a few years prior and already had learned that if someone sounds too good to be true, they usually are. Thankfully, Lazlo was not. When our distress signal was finally answered, Lazlo led the charge personally, and within hours had driven the Council away. It was hard to believe there was a mammal out there that actually cared about others like he did. 

“Now I will tell you something that I have not told to many. Lazlo was the reason that I am who I am today. Like I said, I was young and naive. My parents never let me travel outside the town, so I was very oblivious to what went on out there. Only by talking to the traders did I learn of how bad this world was. When my parents were nearly killed by raiders disguised as traders? I didn’t want to leave the town, afraid of what other dangers might be out there. Lazlo showed me that while the world is full of dangers, not everyone is untrustworthy. He took me to places that I never thought I’d see. The serene, if not deadly waters of Darkwater, the rolling hills of Bunnyburrow, even to the Meadowlands where a small town called Meadow Valley has prospered in peace since before the war. This opened my eyes to how much beauty is in the world. It also taught me to find that same beauty within everyone. A mammal's exterior tells them who they are, not who they were or who they can be. I’ve learned to read past that, to see the real mammal that resides in us all. That is why he will be missed, because he was one of the most caring and gentle souls I have ever met.”

I found myself crying from her speech. I knew that Lazlo was a good mammal, but I didn’t realize how much of one he was, and how much of a positive influence he had over other mammals. It makes me wonder why anyone would want to leave his command. If only there were more mammals like him in this world, then maybe groups like Guardians wouldn’t be needed. Next up was Mark. 

“My name is Mark Valiant. Some of you may know me simply as Nate’s brother, and others as a civilian medic that has helped heal wounds in the past. What some of you might not know is how close my family is to Chief Lazlo. He was… Is and will always be my family's savior. If it weren't for him we wouldn't be standing here talking about him now. He saved us when we were only three days out of our old Burrow. He knew we wouldn't be able to survive. I still remember what he said. ‘You're a pair of foxes and a bunny, I don't care about that. You won't survive out here longer than a week if we just leave you behind. It wouldn't be right.’ I never thought he'd take to any of us like he did though. I'll miss him, but I'll always remember how he treated everyone. So long as you didn't try to shoot him, he generally wanted to help you. That's the attitude I took when we finally set out on our own, that's the attitude I'll take until the day I'll die. I know I'm gonna miss him, but I'll do my best to live on with his memory in my mind.”

It was Holly’s turn now, and just like always, she was blunt and to the point. 

“Lazlo was a pain in the ass. I don't say that to be mean. I say that because he always demanded that we check in with him. Once a week, every week. I say that because whenever he could, he'd send one of his patrols our way to make sure everything was alright. He was a wonderful, caring, almost overbearing in a fatherly way pain the ass that I'm going to miss so, so very much. I know I annoyed him to no end whenever I was around here, begging to see any new firearm you were all able to dig up. Wanting to check up on the armory and see if there was anything I could scavenge. I was that terrible hopeless daughter who'd get tangled up with the wrong buck to him and by God would he always let me know it! But that's the kind of mammal he was. He was a pain in the ass to all of us in one way or another because he cared about all of us. To him, we were his family, we always will be. So none of you had better forget that! Or else I'll make sure to out you when he comes back from the dead because discipline has become too lax! Cause we all know he will too. He cares too much about us all to let us slide like that.”

Then the moment I was anxiously awaiting came. Nate nodded towards me. I didn’t know what to say, I wasn't a talker. Give me someone to shoot, or something to fix and I'm your girl. Talk about someone who I have not known nearly as much as everyone else in front of hundreds of mammals? I’m scared shitless. A hard nudge from Holly told me that I needed to get up and do this. Please, someone just shoot me and get it over with.

“Um… hi? No, what I mean is…” Come on Olivia, get it together. All those eyes on me… “Look, I'm not good at this type of thing. Want me to strip down and rebuilt a generator ten times better? I can do that. Take out a horde of savage ghouls? Done that a few times. Talk in front of a crowd of people, whom I know at least half of them still tiptoe around me like I'm some kind of volatile bomb? Not my thing.” Gah! I'm getting off topic. Why is this so fucking hard to do? “Chief Lazlo he… I didn’t know him nearly as much or even as well as most of you. Most of my time with him was of a direct result to nearly getting myself killed. I think he spent more resources on keeping me alive than he has in a month on all of the Guardians. Still, he kept caring. I bet if he wasn’t the mammal he was, I would be dead. At first I thought it was simply him repaying me for saving his life. I could understand that. When he kept saving my life? Part of me wondered if he was simply trying to use me, or even recruit me, which he did try, but this life isn’t for me. After a while, I began to realize that he wasn’t helping me for some ulterior motive, that he genuinely wanted to help. When I found out about how he helped Holly, Mark, and Nate? I knew he wasn’t a bad mammal. After meeting bad mammals over and over, it was hard to understand that there really were good ones out there. 

“From hearing what others have had to say about him, I know now truly how much he cared, and not just about some small rabbit who happened to save him. I didn’t even know _who_ he was when I did, I just knew that some helpless mammal was in trouble and I had to do something to help. Even if I did know he was the leader of the Guardians, I would still have done everything I could to help him. I don’t care who or what you are. Actions speak louder than species or gender, and if you are in trouble, I will stop at nothing to help, even if it means taking down an entire raider group and nearly getting killed in the process. You never know how important a single mammal can be until they prove it, and I think that’s what he saw in me, something that even now I find myself having trouble grasping at. I wish I could have met him sooner, to get to know him as well as all of you, but even though he’s gone, I will cherish everything he has done for me, everything he has taught me and do my best to continue to spread his belief that everyone deserves saving, but sadly, in this world there are those who are beyond saving, but those mammals should not be dealt with through ruthlessness, but rather compassion. My mother once told me that I will meet those who will truly hate me for no reason, and that those are the ones who are suffering the most. Taking the life of another mammal is an unavoidable obstacle in making this world a better place, but those who suffer in life, should not be made to suffer in death. Um… I think I got a bit off topic again…” fuck. I could feel those eyes piercing me like daggers now. “Chief Lazlo may be gone in life, but he will always be remembered in death, and I will do my best to help continue his vision to make this world a better place for everyone.”

I hurriedly walked off the stage, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. I had started to talk and my brain took over. Sure everything I said was the truth, but why did I feel like it wasn’t my place to be here to begin with? I'm not a Guardian, and I really didn’t know Lazlo very well, but I know he was a good mammal. 

“You did fine ‘livi.”

“You sure Holly? I was nervous as fuck up there.”

“Yeah, we could tell, but you still did good.”

More and more mammals stepped up to tell their own stories on how they knew Lazlo, both civilian and Guardian. All of them knew Lazlo in different ways, from different times, but every single one of them had nothing but praise for the fallen Chief. He really had touched so many mammals during his life. It made me miss him even more, knowing the impact he has had on the world. I really did wish I knew him better. 

Zack gave a nice speech on how Lazlo was like a king of old who treated both royalty and peasants with the same respect. Tuskgen kept her speech short and simple. Despite the fact that her and her brother had not been on talking terms, I could tell that she was taking his death hard. Even Bo gave a few words, about how Lazlo helped stand up against the evils of slavery. I had wondered if Jasmine would talk, but her name never came up. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was one of the newest recruits and knew even less about him than I did, or if there was still an issue with her past. I am hoping that her past doesn’t affect her future with the Guardians, but with Nate in charge, I doubt it will. I think even my friends have gotten to like, and hopefully trust, Jasmine. 

Once everyone who was willing and able to give a speech did, Nate took the stage again. 

“Today, we've all seen just how many mammals Lazlo and his actions have affected. How many considered him a friend and even as close to family as it's possible to be. He touched many of our lives in profound ways, gave us hope, gave us each a chance to become a better mammal. I considered him a father. There were evenings where nightmares were just… Too strong for me to withstand and he'd find me wondering aimlessly in the middle of the night, afraid of my own damn shadow. He was the first to ask me just how… How bad I had it in the Burrow we came from, the first to actually listen to me. To actually care about what happened to some scruffy little fox the rest of the world had no time for. When he learned I enjoyed working on machines and computers? He encouraged me not to hold back, to crawl a little ways out of my shell and try my best, no matter if it was good enough or not. He let me fiddle with a lot of run down tech around here and I came to know a few of you that way, just fixing odd little devices here and there. Reprogramming computer programs that had once been impossibly corrupted. All of that he encouraged me with. Even gave me the idea to fix up an old pre-war military transport. Even now he's still urging us on, giving us a guiding light through the legacy he left behind in all of us. Chief Maximilian Lazlo demanded from each of us that we give it our absolute best no matter what it was we found ourselves doing. He encouraged us to see beyond ourselves! I know I will never be the same mammal as he was, nor will I ever try to be. All I can promise is that I will do my very damnedest to live up to his memory and his legacy. That I will do everything I can to help each and every one of his guardians reach up beyond their limits. To see more in themselves and those around them, to see all of the potential for greater and greater things! I swear this day that I, Nathan Valiant, shall carry on his legacy and help this world become a better, safer, and once again joyful place. I will fight for it, I hope we all will.”

Most of the crowd stood and cheered, from the looks of it, there were very few that didn’t. Whether or not all of them agreed with Lazlo’s choice to make Nate leader, I'm sure they stood together with him in not mourning the death of a mammal, but in the legacy he created in life, a legacy that I'm sure Nate will do all he can to keep alive. 

And if he fails? I will be there to support him every step of the way.

***

“Your blood pressure is off the charts Miss Springs.”

Once the funeral was over, and things were situated and starting to get back to a semblance of normalcy, Mark suggested… no, insisted that Nate and I go visit Doc. Both Mark and Holly agreed that the past few days Nate and I had shown signs of battle fatigue. I insisted I felt fine, that I was as mobile as ever, but he still insisted, so here I am receiving news that I knew I didn’t want to hear.

“Muscular reaction times are off, pupil dilation is abnormal, and I don’t even have to run the tests to tell that your mental acuity is below acceptable rates.”

“I feel fine Doc.”

“No, you don’t, or at least your mind is trying to tell you that you don’t. I see this all the time. Working as a medical technician in an army has made me quite the expert at detecting this. If I took a guess, most of your more extraneous events have been fueled solely through adrenalin. Have you been using B.A.T.S.?”

“Here and there.”

“I don’t care what those ‘doctors’ who worked for Burrow-Tec say, using that serum as a replacement for proper training isn't good. There's no such thing as a non-addictive chem. The more you get used to using it, the harder it is to function without it.”

“I can’t help it Doc. When people are in trouble I need to act, and fast.”

“Well, try to keep its use at a minimum. I already know it’s impossible to tell someone to not use it, but please, don’t overdo it.”

“I’ll try Doc. So, am I good to go?”

“From here? Yes. From the base? No.”

“What do you mean? I still have Legionaries to hunt down.”

“You and Chief Valiant are ordered to rest. A few days at least, a week would be best.”

“I can’t be tied down for a _week_!”

“And there goes your blood pressure spiking again. I do have the medical authority to keep both you and the Chief confined to quarters.”

“But I…”

“No buts. You're to come and see me for a checkup every day until I'm certain you're fit for duty again, even if I have to get some Defenders to drag you here.”

He was really going there? Would any of them even _want_ to do that? Damn it, I got to stop thinking about things like that. I already feel bad enough that I intimidate some of the Guardians, I don’t need to do or say anything that will make that worse, _especially_ considering my boyfriend is now their leader. 

“Okay Doc. I promise.”

“Good, now run along, I’ve got work to do.”

I wonder if _anything_ can intimidate him. I’ve seen Logan crack more smiles than this doctor. Then again, with what he has probably seen, with an unthinkable amount of mammals that probably died under his care due to injuries, I guess it isn’t surprising he is how he is. 

“‘Livi, you done in here?”

“Oh, hey Holly. Yeah, Doc was just wrapping things up with me. What’s up?”

“We might have a problem. Come with me.”

Holly sounded serious. My first thought was that something happened with Nate, but that washed away quickly. He was with Logan, going over the details of his new role as Chief. Plus, if anything had happened to him, I think Holly would be much more frantic. Right now she just seemed… concerned. 

I followed her deeper into the base towards the wing that held the supplies, armory, and at the very far end, Tuskgen’s lab. It wasn’t long before I started to hear crashing noises. The telltale sound of breaking glass, warping metals, and yelling, lots and lots of yelling. I picked up the pace and ran towards the source of the noise, Tuskgen’s lab.

Inside, the origin of the ruckus was clear. A large elephant in a tattered lab coat was throwing the largest temper tantrum I had ever seen. Everything that wasn’t bolted to the ground was either shattered or scattered throughout her lab. From the scrapes and cuts on Tuskgen’s thick hide, I could tell that she had been injured in the process. She is such a kind, gentle mammal, why is she doing this? Then she turned and I saw the tears, rolling like a waterfall down her face. 

“Tuskgen?” I couldn’t think of anything to say, but I wanted to make sure that I had her attention. 

She currently had a large cabinet that from the looks of it, had been attached to the wall moments earlier. Upon realizing that she wasn't alone, she simply dropped the fixture and stood there, looking paralyzed. I slowly walked towards her, trying my best to not look intimidating, but that was hard when I still had no idea how the others really saw me. 

“Tuskgen, what’s wrong?”

After a moment, she simply dropped to the floor and started sobbing uncontrollably. I walked close enough to put my paw on her arm, and I felt it tense up. I just stood there, not moving my paw nor saying anything. It took nearly a minute, though it felt like an eternity, for her tension to ease up. 

“W-why did that… d-dumb brute have to g-go and get himself killed.”

“Your brother? Is that what this is about?”

She slowly nodded. I saw her blindly reaching around for something with her other hoof. I looked around and saw a large towel, large for me at least, sitting crumpled up a few feet away. I walked over to it and handed it to her. Once she realized what I had given her, she grabbed it with her trunk wiped the tears from her eyes before switching it over to her hoof and blowing her trunk. It was hard to not show how painfully loud it was to me. 

“T-thanks.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I-I…”

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.”

“E-ever since we were kids, he always picked on me. Called me ‘Ed’. I-I’m not that feminine, I’d rather dress in coveralls than anything else. I never liked ‘girly’ things, and he picked on me because of that. Calling me his ‘brother’, that he didn’t even have a sister just because how I dressed and would rather tinker with whatever junk our parents brought in on salvage missions.”

“There’s no shame in that. I'm not exactly the girly type either, and I've been tinkering since I was told enough to talk.”

“Says the bunny who owns some sexy lingerie.”

“Shut up Holly. You still owe me for that too, don’t think I’ve forgotten.” I turned my attention back to Tuskgen. “Was that why you two didn’t talk much?”

“N-no. I mean…” She slowly reached up with her trunk and pulled down the collar of her undershirt just enough to pull out a necklace. It was oval shape made of what looked like tarnished copper and was nearly as big as my paw. She tapped it with her hoof and it popped open, revealing two older elephants, one on each side. 

“Are those…”

“My parents. They were scavengers, long before even my brother and I were born.”

“Were they also part of the Guardians?”

“No. Honestly, the way they talked about them, I don’t think they even liked them.”

“Why not? Sure there are some that are a bit… rough around the edges, but they just want to do good.”

“You don’t know much about them before Lazlo took over, do you?”

“Not really, no.”

“Lazlo might have been old, but he was the most recent in a long line of Chiefs. Before him, there was Chief Chaffer. If Lazlo was the kindest, Chaffer was the meanest. From what I hear he wasn’t a bad leader, but he used fear to control the Guardians. He constantly threatened to toss mammals into the brig, even for simple things like being a minute late to your post. He’d limit everyone to enough food to keep us alive, and if you were injured in battle? You were left to die if you couldn’t make it back to the Tacs. He didn’t hate those he commanded, he simply wanted the best, no matter how many died to give him that.”

“That’s horrible. I'm so glad that Lazlo was a good mammal. I’d hate to see how… wait a second, Lazlo told me that every Chief was descended from the one to found the Guardians. Does that mean…”

“Chief Chaffer was his… father.”

That hit me so hard I thought that someone punched me. How can someone so kind, and so generous have been fathered by someone who sounded so cruel.

“What happened to him?”

“My parents were in their teens I think, when the Great Divergence happened.” 

“Great Divergence?”

“When the Steel Guardians split off into three factions, each with their own ideals.”

“Oh, you mean the Corrupted and those Council Guardians?”

“Yes. My parents were salvaging an old military complex a few miles inside the Rainforest District. The Corrupted Guardians were barely even Guardians. A dozen or so stole some gear and joined forces with some raider group. They were no threat to the Guardians, so Chaffer ignored them. The self proclaimed Revolutionary Council of Steel Guardians on the other hoof was a liability to the Guardians, and so a liability to Chaffer.”

“What does that have to do with your parents?”

“Chaffer lead a charge against the fleeing Council, straight into the Rainforest District, straight into where my parents were. They weren’t killed obviously, but that fight injured both of them, and since they were injured civilians, Chaffer ordered the medics to leave them to die. If it wasn’t for a traveling merchant who saw the whole thing, I wouldn’t be here talking to you.”

“So that’s why your parents hated the Guardians. I wouldn’t blame them if I was in their position, but that doesn’t answer why you and your brother didn’t talk to each other. Hell, it now makes me wonder why you two even are Guardians in the first place.”

“Like I said, my parents didn’t like them, and long after we were born, that dislike of them continued. Even when Lazlo took over for his father, and started to shape the Guardians back into the peacekeepers they were meant to be, they still didn’t trust them, said that too many mammals throw around false hope just to strip it from you with nary a moment's notice. Despite their injuries, they were still able to continue their work, and I enjoyed helping. I was never one for digging through the junk, or traversing with them on dangerous hunts, but every time they brought home something that looked beyond repair, I fixed it up and they sold it, making a decent amount of caps to live on. We weren’t rich by any standards, but we could buy food, water, and even the occasional little fun thing here and there. Life couldn’t be better. Until we met Chaffer.”

“What do you mean, met? I thought Lazlo had taken over by then?”

“He did. Problem is, he didn’t do it because his father died or retired, he did it because Chaffer… when I met him, face to face, he was the Chief of the Council.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean the ‘Council’?”

“Lazlo never liked going into details of it. He even changed his name so that neither he, nor the Guardians were reminded of his betrayal. If you think King’s betrayal was bad? I tend to get a little… nosy when it comes to files, provided they aren’t encrypted. I'm not _that_ big of a snoop, but still, I can’t help it sometimes, and when Lazlo brought his data-log in for me to fix a minor corruption in the database? I accidentally ran into a few things, including a detailed report that he never released. It was the Chief’s personal data, and I wasn’t planning on doing it, but when I ran into the names of my parents, I had to. I never did tell him about it, I felt too ashamed. It seemed that Chaffer had a personal vendetta against the Council, so he diverted so much energy and resources to try to get at their base. The Rainforest District is a deathtrap. Fallen trees, sniper and grenadier nests dotted all over, and more automated turrets than you can shake a tail at. I think the Council’s leader at the time was a bit paranoid, and with Chaffer after him? I don’t think I blame him. 

“Eventually, Chaffer succeeded, at the cost of many Guardian’s lives. He captured the leader, but then the Guardians never heard from him again. A weeks later, after countless search and rescue teams came up empty, he reappeared, suited in the Council’s crest, leading them to war against the Guardians. That’s when Lazlo took over, after seeing his own father’s betrayal. Despite Lazlo being rushed into the position, he was a natural leader, and he rallied the Guardians to push the Council back into the Rainforest. It took a few years of skirmishes, but soon the Council started to show less and less aggression. They all thought that Chaffer had finally died, and that they were scattered. They were wrong.

“When he appeared again years later, it was in a small town near the north western wall of Darkwater. Not many towns thrived there, but this one did simply due to the fact that it was surrounded by so many untouched areas to scavenge. It was aptly named Junktown, and this is where we lived. They would scavenge the areas, bring it back for me to repair and then I would sell it from a small tent that was set up in the middle of town. Most families within Junktown did that, but all the traders came to our tent first. It made me feel… special, to know that my hard work was so eagerly wanted by mammals from all over. My brother, on the other hoof, didn't care about scavenging, fixing, or selling. From the moment he was old enough to fire a gun, that’s all he cared about, shooting things. Sure, he knew right from wrong, and would never harm someone who didn’t deserve it, but he was never phased when it came to killing anything, or anyone, who _did_ deserve it. Think that’s why once he was old enough, the town’s mayor made him one not only a guard, but one of the top rank ones. He was as deadly with a minigun as he was accurate with a rifle. I’m just glad no one was dumb enough to give him a Nuke Tube, or else he would have leveled the town. Didn’t stop Chaffer and the Council from doing that anyways.”

“He destroyed the town?”

“Destroyed is an understatement. It seems that there was some hidden military bunker nearby with tons of weapons that were hidden away shortly after the war. He wanted it, and nothing, no one would stand in his way. He personally came to the town, to ask the mayor if he knew where the weapons were. He didn’t, otherwise we would have found them and sold them a long time ago. When the mayor told him that? Chaffer got angry and not only killed the mayor, but started to slaughter everyone, yelling to everyone that this land was Council property and that we were never given permission to utilize it, despite the fact that the Council never expanded beyond the Rainforest District.”

Every time she mentioned Chaffer’s name, I got angry. I didn’t know if this mammal was still alive, though I doubt it given Lazlo’s age, but if he was, and I ever saw him? He wouldn’t be anymore. The Council already sounded dangerous, but under Chaffer’s leadership? They sounded like one of the most dangerous groups in the wasteland.

“Did he… kill your parents?”

“I… When the fighting broke out, I did the first thing that came to my head, I called for the Guardians. I had heard so many good things about them in recent years, I just knew they weren't the monsters that my parents made them out to be. My brother never shared my thoughts, following their hatred of them, despite never having met them before. I had a small short wave radio that I had been tinkering with, and managed to get a message out. When I got a message back and told my parents? It was as if they forgot we were in danger. They never hit me or my brother, but they never needed to. Their words always hurt so much more. It wasn’t until Chaffer shot my father that my mother stopped yelling. I was scared, I couldn’t move, I didn’t know what to do. I don’t like fighting, I just like making things. My brother saw this and charged him, guns blazing. Chaffer was in full armor, so my brother's small rifle did nothing to even slow him down, and two of his soldiers grabbed my brother and beat him an inch from death. I was still sitting there, too scared to do anything. My mother watched my brother’s beating in horror as Chaffer asked her if she knew where the weapons were. When she said no, he killed her too. I probably would have died if it wasn’t for the Guardians arriving. They drove away the Council and took all the injured back to their base to be healed. Not everyone made it, but my brother did. 

“We were still young, and we had no parents. Lazlo was so kind, and when he saw how skilled I was at fixing things, he asked me if I wanted to apprentice under the lead Engineer. I don’t know if it was due to all the potential things I could do, or if it was because I was still in shock at watching my parents killed right in front of me, but I knew that there was nothing for me, so I didn’t hesitate to accept. My brother, however, wasn't so accepting. From how he fought against the Guardians who were simply trying to help him, I think Lazlo saw something in him as well. It took a few months but he finally convinced him to join the ranks. To be honest, I think over the years he finally realized how good these mammals really are, but he never forgave me for calling for the Guardians behind my parents back, or for not doing anything to help as I watched them die. I think, even after all these years, part of him still blamed me for their death. I tried to patch things between us, but he's one of the most stubborn mammals I know. From what Lazlo told me once, he said that my brother didn’t like anyone here, but he respected them enough to follow. Plus, he had access to all the guns he could ever want. I just wish I could have at least said… I’m sorry.”

“You did what you had to do. If you didn’t, you, and everyone else including your brother, would have died that day. Your actions saved lives, even if he never saw it that way. I really didn’t know him, but I will tell you this, he died not only doing what he loved, but he died a hero, protecting all of us from an ambush. If he hadn’t been there with us, we would have probably not lived either. He died saving lives. Whether or not he liked any of us, he still fought with the bravery and loyalty that a friend would. Like I said, I didn’t know him, nor his motives for joining, but I know that Lazlo would never force joining on anyone, just like with me, just like with Mark and Holly, and Nate, he asked, he gave us all a choice. Is it possible, that he didn’t accept being a Guardian out of his own sake, but to be here to watch over and protect you? Even if he never showed it?”

“I… I never thought about it. Lazlo has told us that we weren't bound by contract, that we were free to leave at anytime for any reason. Do… do you really think that’s why he stayed all these years?”

“I can’t tell you what to think, but if he hated the Guardians so much, why else would he have stayed?”

“I…” She gave me a hug, a rather painful one due to her size, but I didn’t complain, especially after she said “thank you.”

Holly and I stayed and helped her clean up a bit before we left. While not completely over her brother’s death, she seemed much closer to her normal self than she had been moments earlier. Once we helped her enough that she said she could take it from there, Holly and I left to find out where our significant others were. Once we were down the hall a bit, Holly whispered to me. 

“Do you really think that’s why he joined and stayed all these years? I can’t imagine being part of a group you despised for that long.”

“I don’t know honestly. It just felt like the right thing to say.”

“I really hope you didn’t just give her false hope about her brother’s feelings towards her.”

“From what I have learned Holly, sometimes false hope is better than no hope at all.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Celeste]**

“Hello again folks! Well… It’s been a while hasn’t it. Not that this isn’t fun buuut well… With a perforated boyfriend things kind of get in the way, which is probably why you haven’t seen or heard from Max as much as some of you might want. And as for Stripes? For this episode let’s just say he was drugged, chained up, and thrown into the nearest available utility closet. He’s been pestering Max for on this particular subject for a while and it came to a head the other evening. Drove my poor little fox into an exhausted drunken mess.

“Why you might ask? Well it seems that Stripes has been wanting to talk about the first time they met and just how Max came to be here in Zootopia, as well as why he has such an aversion to Memory Lane. Yes that’s right! My fox isn’t even a local to our er… Not so fair wasteland. In fact he’s only been here for the last four or so years of his life. Now before I go on I must inform you that Max has a very… VERY difficult time relating to his past. It took me forever and a day to get what I have out of him and he seriously had to have me sit on him to keep him from drinking. A lot of you probably won’t think his past is that hard of one once you hear it but that’s a matter of opinion. For him and where he came from and everything he’s seen, it’s made him into a far different mammal than what he used to be.

“So then… Maxton Septim Redbridge, just where was he born and how did he end up here? Why did he end up where he is now? It seems that he came from a far off community called Foxmoors somewhere three or four hundred miles northwest of Hope. As Max described his old home to me, it was a place of green grass and large trees with only the occasional rad storm, a largely idyllic community which was by and large prey controlled, with one special caveat. The founding families were all vulpine in origin and it was rather common for better off prey to marry into these families, keeping the namesakes of the town founders alive and well. Max as it happens was just… I guess you could say lucky enough to have been born into one such family, specifically the Redbridge line. As far as he can remember, his birth mother died sometime soon after he was born and in interest of keeping his family line alive his father married a rather well off Merchant’s daughter who just so happened to have been recently divorced… With quite a number of her own kits. He never really gave me any specifics beyond the fact that she was a rabbit.

“Now you might be wondering if he was abused or mistreated to make this so hard for Max to share any of it. I can at least say he was never mistreated by his family, if only for the fact that where he came from he always received a special level of treatment for being a direct descendant of the founding families. His step mother made sure he was cared for, educated and never found for want, but he was never really loved like her own kits and his father well… His father was never really there for him. Max only had this to say about his father. He could never look his own son in the eye for fear of being reminded of what he had lost. Which is all the more ironic when you take in how he died. This is where things start to well… Go down hill for Max. His father tried for years to move on from the loss of his mate and sought solace in a place so very much similar to our own Memory Lane. His father largely avoided him in favor of his memories. He eventually became so addicted and lost to the machines that it took his life, leaving the Redbridge namesake and holdings in the paws of his Stepmother. Now you might think this would suddenly become a point where he’d be turned out of his own home. Thankfully his stepmother wasn’t an evil little witch and while she didn’t really have any feelings of affection for Max, she made sure to have him taken care of. Largely though, he became a non-entity within his own home. No one paid much attention to him and largely left him to his own devices.

“The loss of his father hit him a lot harder than he would’ve admitted back then. All he wanted was to be loved and to really, well… Matter to someone. Instead he was neglected and largely left to his own devices. This ended with him falling into some bad crowds, drugs, fights… It eventually came to a head one evening when someone tried to kill him for “Lookin’ at his girl”. That sobered him up pretty quick and at the age of 22 he decided he needed to change. So he left Foxmoor and struck out on his own, taking the one thing his father had left him. An ancient Police Cruiser that had been stripped down and rebuilt for survival in mind. Don’t ask me how his father came into possession of such a monster piece of techno-sorcery but he did and left it to his son.

“So over the next ten or so years Max ran all over, fighting slavers, getting captured at times and working his way ever so slowly towards Zootopia. He still isn’t quite sure what drew him here, all he knows is by the time he had finally made it, he was grizzled, liked to drink a little too much and had a foul attitude that would easily kill a ghoul just by looks alone. That’s where he met Stripes, stuck in the middle no where, tied up to a concrete beam sticking out of the ground and with a rather disgusting gag shoved into his muzzle. He still regrets removing the gag if you’re curious. But, for the past four years he’s stuck by Stripes, slowly becoming attuned to the Zebra’s attitudes and er… Less than amenable qualities. Even he isn’t quite sure why he’s stuck around the Zebra for so long and since there are a number of positions that have started to open up for him… Who knows how long this is gonna last? Anyhow, as you all by now know he’s not as grumpy or as drunk as he used to be. He SAYS it’s largely thanks to my influences but I don’t believe that for a moment. I think he’s always been a good soul deep down and it’s just taken a while for it to come out… That and some strong arming relief from the Zebra… Speaking of which…”

**[Stripes]**

“It’s about time I got out of that fu… and the mic is on, isn’t it? Ahem…”

**[Celeste]**

“Well don’t forget who’s to blame here. YOU decided to push Max too far last night and I had to hold him back from actually striking you. So tying you up and throwing you in the closet was easily the safest option for YOU. So you’re very welcome for that.”

**[Stripes]**

“Hey! I wanted to put together a simple show telling the folks out there, some of whom seem more interested in that ball of fuzz than me, how he came to be who he is and how he wound up being my assistant! I figured since we were already at Memory Lane we may as well use it, Fink WAS going to give us a free pass at it, but nooooo… you have to take away my booze, dump out all my precious, and very hard to come by mind you, coffee beans, for what? Gah! You know, it’s really not even the fact that he didn’t want to. Sure, I _did_ ask him a _few_ times, but I swear, his last no would have been his final one! But no, you had to bind me, gag me, and throw me into some dark pit of despair. Good thing I have a secret stash that even _he_ doesn’t know about. Plus, someone told me about this little place that serves the best coffee in the wasteland. I may have to check it out. Ahem, I am rambling, sorry folks. 

“This is _Stripes_ , not Celeste, signing off. Tune in Friday when we have a special After Show where we pay a historical tribute to the fallen Chief of the Guardians, Maximilian Lazlo. Until then, take care everyone!”

**[Celeste]**

“Well now, aren’t we just a bit touchy. First, that swill you called coffee was nothing more than a bunch of cans of _Instant Grounds_. Second, your booze has been eating at your liver and you know you’ve been doing better since we took it away from you and just so you know now Stripes. Max LOST his father to one of those contemptible machines. Oh and you’ve told him that you wouldn’t ask about his past twice before last night. Anyhow yes, you were rambling, and since you’re on the other side of the control board… This is Celeste folks! Really signing off, and don’t forget, if you have any inquiries, any stories, feel free to send them to the caller. They’ll be happy to see if they can reply. Bye bye now.

**[Stripes]**

“…You are contemptible.”

**[Celeste]**

“I believe the word you’re looking for is bitch, and yes, yes I am.”


	72. Understanding Change

“It’s morning. Rise and shine Binky.”

Huh? Morning? I don’t wanna get up. 

“Sleepy.”

“I gotta meet with Logan. He’s gonna start showing me the ropes. Did you want to sleep some more?”

“What time is it?”

“Um, five in the morning.”

I grabbed the blanket and rolled myself up in it, turning myself into a bunny burrito. 

“I’ll let you sleep some more.” I felt him kiss me between the ears. “Come find me when you get up.”

“Love you Pillow.”

“You talking to me? Or your actual pillow?”

“Both.”

“Love you too Binky.”

A small bit of light entered the room as Nate opened the door and left, closing it behind. I wanted to get up, but I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. I knew he wouldn’t leave the base without letting me know, and we were all safe here, so I wanted to take this time to catch up on rest. Plus, Doc’s orders.

***

“Hey ‘livi, you up yet?”

I just closed my eyes, damn it Holly.

“It’s almost ten and Mayor Swift is about to head back to Hope. She said she wanted to see you first.”

Almost ten? I thought it was only five? Shit. I didn’t want to sleep the entire day away.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m getting up.”

I was so tangled in the blankets that it was much more difficult to get up than I thought. I kept trying to roll around, moving my arms and legs to find the edge of it, but it only made the whole thing feel more constrictive. 

“Whoa girl, let me help you.”

After a moment, Holly had gotten the blanket loosened enough for me to work my way out. It was rather embarrassing honestly. I jumped out of bed and tossed the possessed blanket back, acting like nothing happened. I looked at Holly as my eyes finally decided to focus, and she had a smirk on her face. 

“What?”

“Oh nothing, just glad I didn’t send Marki in here to wake you.”

“What do you mean?” It took me almost a minute to realize that I was completely naked. Fuck! “Not one word Holly, not one word.”

“Not like I haven’t seen it before, I mean we _are_ both the same gender and species after all.”

She was right, we were both girls, and it’s not like she hasn’t seen me change before, but I was still feeling flustered, so much that I had forgotten where I even put my clothes. I kept finding Nate’s clothes, but not my own. It’s not like we did anything exciting last night, I simply got undressed, we got into the bed and talked until I passed out at some point. So where did I…

“Maybe I should start to call you doofette now, your clothes are right here.”

I turned around and Holly had my clothes in her paws. I quickly snatched them from her. “Thank you. You can leave now.”

“What crawled up your butt and died?”

I didn’t realize that I had been snippy at her. “Sorry. Things have just been… I’ve had a lot on my mind the past few days.”

“You want to talk about it?” She stood there for a second then sat down on the bed. “Actually, no, sit, let’s talk now. I'm sure Jezzie can wait a few more minutes.”

“Jezzie?” 

“Yeah, apparently she didn’t want us just calling her Mayor anymore, that it sounded to official and she considered us more than that. Plus, you know me and nicknames.”

I wanted to tell her that was what Blanche had called her, but I think I was finally over her death enough, and didn’t want to reopen those floodgates again. I sat down next to her. The more awake I got, the more I remembered Nate and my conversation from last night. 

“What’s going on in that head of yours ‘livi?”

“It’s… it’s everything really. Everyone seemed to know Lazlo, to have such kind words about him but it just makes me wish I had gotten to know him better. I think the only one who knows less about him is Jasmine. I’ve also been thinking about the Legionaries, about how despite the fact they're scattered, that at any moment they could reunite with a rekindled effort to get me, and I need to nip this in the bud before anyone else gets hurt. Then there’s the fact that we have no idea where Drake is, despite Nate’s attempts to triangulate his communicator. I feel like all I've been doing is sitting here, twiddling my fingers while the world continues to fall apart around me.”

“You need your rest. Doc knows it, Mark knows it, heck, I think even Nate knows it. You're burned out ‘livi, and a burnt bunny won’t be any good to anyone. Both Logan and Nate have reactivated the teams watching over the Legionaries, so we will be informed if they make any moves. Nate even gave his first official order and had a small team of Agents track down any signs of deathwing activities and look for Drake. This world isn’t going to fall apart just because you're resting, otherwise it would have long before you left your Burrow.”

“I know, it’s just…”

“There’s something else, isn’t there? It’s not about that boar, is it?”

“No. I still want him to get what’s coming to him, but I'm mostly over that, at least parts of it. No, the thing that's been on my mind so much, the thing that's starting to scare me, is the simple fact that, what if I'm losing Nate?”

A serious streak popped through Holly’s face, turning towards worry and concern. “You are the world to him, and I can’t imagine you doing anything to change that. Did he say something to you?”

“No… yes… I mean… I don’t know. This whole leadership thing has thrown my brain into a loop. I know he loves me and I still love him, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon, but he has new responsibilities. From what little I knew of Lazlo, he never had time for a relationship, and spent most of his time working to keep the Guardians in check. After this little civil war thing that happened, the Guardians are going to need to be put back together piece by piece and I'm afraid that I’ll be left out, that he won’t have time for me anymore.”

“Oh ‘livi. That will never happen. Yes, things might be different, and I'm not going to say this change will be easy down the road, but he could never leave you behind like that. Have you ever thought about becoming a Guardian? You're already both brave and strong enough for it, and you would never have to worry about leaving his side.”

“The thought came up, but it’s not my kind of life. Despite being the Chief’s girlfriend, he would have to treat me like any other Guardian. Favoritism is not a good thing to have in a group of mammals who’s ranks are determined by skill. Yes, I'm sure I have what it takes to climb up the ladder, and hell maybe take over for Logan one of these days, but all the others would see is Nate showing me slack, despite working hard to rise. Plus, I really do want to eventually return to Hope and fix that place up. I was just hoping that Nate would be there with me for it.”

“I think he wanted to. He’s told Mark and I on multiple occasions that he hopes Jezzie is able to find away to convince everyone of our good intentions. I think he wanted to eventually settle down in Hope with you.”

“Really? Not like it will happen now. Nate can’t simply up and leave the Guardians to go live with some rabbit miles away from his own people, and I highly doubt I could live here. I'm getting tired of living someplace where there aren’t even windows. Makes me feel like I'm in the Burrow all over again.”

“We never thought our bunker would be a permanent home either, but it kinda ended up like that when we weren’t able to find a good place to live that would accept us, or at least, accept them.”

“What should I do Holly?”

“Just keep doing what you have been. Not this, moping, but being there for Nate. He doesn’t want to lose you just as much as you don’t want to lose him. Things will work out in the end.”

“What if it doesn’t?”

“It will. Knowing that doof, he'll pass on leadership to Logan well before he loses you. Even after everything that's happened, you are still the whole world to him, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

I hugged Holly. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“And now I have been hugged by a naked girl…”

“Eep! Sorry, I forgot.” 

“I’m just joking ‘livi. Though I do see why he likes it. You are surprisingly soft and fluffy. I admit, while I have seen a naked bunny, being hugged by one is entirely new… Hmm I wonder if Mark would be Jealous of us though… Oh the Scandal! Do you think we should break it to him easy or just come right out?"

“I have my gun around here somewhere…”

“On that note, I think I'll be going… Jezzie is with Nate and Logan in the Chief’s office. You remember where that is, right?”

“Yeah, now if you'll excuse me, I’d like to get dressed before anyone else decides to come barging in.”

“Just remember ‘livi, you promised to let me show you how to fire a gun without having to rely on B.A.T.S. so much.”

“Yeah, yeah. Oh, here’s my gun.”

I heard the door open and close quickly without another word from her. I stood there for a moment to make sure she was gone before getting dressed. Once I was dressed in my typical outfit, which Nate had been generous enough to wash for me, despite me telling him it wasn’t _that_ dirty, I left to head towards where Mayor Swift was waiting for me. 

It had been about two days since the funeral, and things seemed to be returning to normal. I passed by Guardians who were traveling between where ever and whatever they do on a typical day. The path towards the office took me past the hanger and I happened to look in to see Jasmine and Zack exiting from a Tac-Lifter that just landed. 

“Hey Jasmine!” 

“Olivia! How're you doing?”

“Fine, I think. Having issues wrapping my brain around some things, but that’s nothing you need to be concerned with. How're you doing?”

“Good. We just returned from Precinct One.”

“Really? What’s going on over there?”

“Logan wanted us to start gathering any weapons and tech and bringing it back here for Tuskgen to take a look at before they get inventoried.”

“Find anything interesting?”

“The usual, weapons, ammunition. Did find a few Nuke Tubes and a dozen M42 Mini-Nukes.”

“Please tell me you aren’t bringing nukes into the base.”

“No, not yet. Tuskgen needs to send a team of engineers there to verify the detonation mechanism is locked, otherwise they won’t be cleared for transport back here.”

“Just don’t let Holly near them, or else you won’t have a base to come back to. You seem to be adjusting to this new life pretty well Jasmine.”

“Yeah, Zack has been helping, and I’ve actually made a few more friends here too. Seems that some of King’s guys were spreading some nasty rumors about me, and that's why it was so hard to get very well adjusted here. After the dust cleared from his betrayal, and the fact that I haven’t ‘burned everyone alive’ as a few of them put it, I don’t think I'm as big of a threat to many of them now.”

“I'm glad to hear that. I wish that it didn’t take an upheaval to do it, but it’s good that you're starting to fit in.”

“The fact that I punched a few Guardians in the face for saying some nasty things about her didn’t hurt either.” Zack came up to us, carrying three very large bags. 

“You, what?”

“Yeah. I got in a bit of trouble from Logan, but it was worth it. Can’t stand seeing someone messing with my girl like that.”

I heard a small squeak from Jasmine, and waited for the inevitable over-reaction, but it never came. “I see you're handling affection a bit better too.”

“I… well… I think I'm getting used to it…”

“She still doesn’t react well with any public displays of affection though, but Logan doesn’t really care for others showing it while on duty either, so we try to behave around others.”

“That’s sweet. Glad you two found each other. Just remember Jasmine, if you need any suggestions for when you two are… alone, I'm sure Holly and I can make a few.” I gave her a wink. 

It took a moment before Jasmine realized what I was saying and her eyes widened as she nearly tripped over her own feet. Zack dropped the bags to the ground and steadied her before she fell. 

“Sorry. Just kinda slipped out.” Holly's starting to rub off on me. Great. “I think I'll leave you two alone before something else slips out that I'll regret. Wanna join us for lunch later?”

“S-sure…” Jasmine sounded very flustered. 

“It’s a date then. Not a date… I mean… I think I'll be going now.”

I admit it was kinda cute how she overreacted to these simple things, but I'm glad she's slowly working it out. I would hate for Zack to find it tiresome after a while, though, something tells me that it would take much more than that to make him feel that way. In truth, I was really afraid that no one would like her due to her background. Not that I wouldn’t be opposed to her being a permanent companion in my band of deviants, I just think that everyone should have someone who can be close to them. I just hope that Holly was right and that I'm over thinking this too much. I may have lived much of my life alone, but now that I've found someone who was meant for me? I can’t imagine going back to that ever again.

***

It took me a bit to finally find where Mayor Swift was, but eventually I was successful in locating it. Inside I was met with not only the mayor, but Nate and Logan as well. All three of them seemed to be locked in a heated discussion that they didn’t even notice I was here. 

“Ahem.” They all stopped talking and looked towards the doorway where I was standing. “I hope I'm not intruding.”

“Not at all, Chief Valiant was just trying to make some suggestions regarding the future of both Hope and the Guardians.” Mayor Swift smiled at me, but I could tell that her mind was still on whatever they had been discussing. She seemed… unsure.

“I hope you slept well.” Nate was trying to show some professionalism with Logan around. I'm sure it was hard for him. 

“Yes, I did. That is until Holly came and bothered me, but I won’t bother any of you with that. So, I heard you're heading back to Hope Mayor?”

“Yes, and please, just call me Jessabell, or Jessie. No need for formalities at this point I think.”

“Okay Ma… Jessie.” That was gonna be a difficult change after all this time. “Holly said you wanted to see me?”

“Yes actually. How you holding up?”

Why did everyone have to open with that? “I’m as fine as I can be.”

From her scrunched face, I could tell that she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t press the matter any. “I see, well I had two things for you. Firstly, is the whole issue with some of Hope’s citizens and their distrust for foxes. I have done what I can to assure them that both Nathan and Markus are not bad mammals. It has won some over, but others not so much. However, in light of the news that a fox is now Guardian Chief, some of their minds might be changed. Most of the town liked Lazlo, and appreciated his commitment to trying to make this place safer for everyone.”

“Do they know what happened yet?”

“A few do, but the details are sketchy at best. Upon my arrival I will be having a town wide meeting to inform everyone of events, but as long as Chief Valiant here continues passing on Lazlo’s good grace, I have a feeling that eventually, they will see him in a much more appreciative light.”

“I'll do my best to make sure Mister Lazlo’s legacy lives on.” 

“I know you will.” Jessie pulled out a box from under her chair. “Now, onto the other matter.” She looked at the box for a moment and then sighed before continuing. “If you were not aware before, I am sure you are now. Lazlo had… taken a liking to me when we were both younger. I think it was the only time he loosened up and showed compassion outside of his work. I, however, was not able to return that compassion. It wasn’t because I didn’t like him, no that was far from the truth. He was a wonderful mammal, kind, generous, and if things were different, would have made a perfect life mate, but since I was not, nor am I still not into males in that fashion, I had to turn him away. Unfortunately it was not too long after he gave me this.”

Jessie handed me the box. I looked at her questionably but she kept it there until I took it from her hooves. It was wrapped with a simple red ribbon that I carefully untied. Opening the box revealed a shimmering dark aqua blue dress. I looked at her but she simply gestured for me to keep going. I placed the box on my lap and slowly pulled out the dress. It was long and flowing, and it looked like it was made of metal the way it caught the light and shined. I stood up, still holding it and then I noticed something. 

“This was for you? It looks way too small.”

“It was for me, but I had the town’s tailor alter it for a smaller frame.”

“Smaller frame? What do you…”

“For you.”

“Me? Why?”

“Lazlo was sweet, he really was, but sadly it was never to be, and though I know I broke his heart he was still a dear friend to me, as you are Olivia. I would be honored if you took this and wore it. For both of us. I think he would appreciate the idea that I could not truly ever accept such a wonderful gift from him and I think he knew I would find someone better suited for it. The memory of the time I hurt him still lingers for me, but to see this dress make another couple happy. I think truly that would bring joy to him and I know it would bring joy to me as well.”

“I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” I held it close to me and turned towards Nate. “What do you think?”

“It’s… I…” I think him trying to picture me in this was starting to break his professionalism. Logan must have noticed that too so stepped in.

“I'm sure you're in a hurry to get back Mayor Swift, but I need to know your opinion on the matter. Remember, this isn't a definitive decision just yet, and I'm still uncertain of its outcome, but it is now well within Chief Valiant’s duties to make such suggestions.”

“I still don’t know. That sounds like… I would have to have a meeting with the town leaders. I may be mayor, but I govern a freethinking town, so the citizens have the right to accept, or oppose, any suggestions like this.”

“May I ask what's going on?”

“It's Guardian business Miss Springs, I don’t think…”

“Stalker Logan, if you remember, Olivia was hired to be the town mechanic, and as far as I know that position is still hers, so any decisions regarding Hope concern her as well.”

“Yes, sorry Sir.”

“The town of Hope stands between this base and Precinct One. Logan and I are hoping to reestablish Precinct One as not only a secondary base, but to use it to make the Guardian’s presence more known to the wasteland. Right now, this place is hidden away from the public's eyes, and because of that, there are still some who question our viability as guardians to them if we keep hiding ourselves. Mister Lazlo had drawn up plans to reestablish Precinct One as a link to the rest of the world, to house recruitment, training, and everything else that the Guardians need to grow again. I've been looking over his files, and while I agree with needing us to grow, I think he was doing it all wrong. I'm proposing that we move main operations to Precinct One.”

“What does that have to do with Hope?”

Nate looked to Jessie. “Mayor?”

“You probably know this already, but Hope was built on the main train station that shuttled mammals in and out of the city of Zootopia. Besides the overground rail systems, there were plenty underground ones as well. One such system extends below Hope and connects to Common Square where Precinct One is located. Chief Valiant wants to not only move operations to Precinct One, but to extend them to Hope as well.”

I turned towards Nate. “You mean militarize the town?” That didn’t sound like him at all.

“No! I mean… no, not at all. The surroundings to Precinct One are still dangerous territory. It'll take months, if not longer to make sure everything is secure. Until then, I want to use Hope as a kind of temporary operation center. It would handle recruitment, organization, communication, and so on. In return, I'm offering permanent Guardian security to prevent any… problems from ever happening to the town again.” 

“What do you think about that Ma… Jessie?”

“I don’t know. Some of these raiders have been getting much more brazen. Despite Wild Times having been shut down, some of our regular traders have been reporting an increased demand for slaves, but if the Slave Prince is behind this, he’s being very secretive about its whereabouts. Along with that, some traders have had their caravans attacked more frequently, resulting in the need for more protection, and thus having to increase the costs of goods and services.”

“Exactly why this world needs the Guardians more than ever.” 

“So Nate,” Logan glared at me. What? It felt weird calling him Chief. “What made you bring this up all of a sudden?” 

“I… have been thinking. A lot these past few days. Mister Lazlo had so many grandiose plans but never was able to find ways to do it. There's been so much going on. Between the Corrupted, the Council, all these raiders, and even keeping Darkwater’s walls from collapsing. He never had the time nor the resources to spread out. I also think he was afraid of another split among the ranks, which happened anyways. Logan and I have been talking and we need to make the expansion of the Guardian forces a priority. That way, we can have dedicated teams dealing with all these things, rather than a few bouncing back and forth. That will free up time and resources for other…Operations.”

I knew what one of these ‘other operations’ was. Me. Holly was right, he would give all this up just to be with me, but since he probably feels obligated to Lazlo, he can’t do that. I think he was trying to change the system so that we can still be together. He knows that after all this is over I want nothing more than to take my role of mechanic and fix up Hope. Moving Guardian Operations to Hope? He would have all the excuses in the world to be with me. Moving main operations to Precinct One? That is easily half the distance between there and Hope as it is to this place. 

I wanted to ask him this, to see if he really was doing this all for me, but now was not the time. I had to first ask him in private. I'm sure Logan could tell this, but just as he was loyal to Lazlo, he looks like he will be just as loyal to Nate, even if others might think otherwise. That reminds me.

“What about King?”

“Oh yes, him.” Nate sounded a bit bitter with his words. “We've already had a few of his followers return to duties, although not without special escorts to make sure their loyalties remain with us, but as for King and those who refuse to follow under me? I’ve already had Logan strip them of their ranks and privileges. We're not savages, so we won't be executing them for their crimes, but rather tossing them out with a warning that if any of them were to return, it will not be met with open arms.”

“That seems a bit… easy on them for what they did. What if King tries to gather some raiders or mercs to try to retaliate against the Guardians?”

“Then we show no mercy on him or anyone with him. I will never forgive him for what he did, but everyone deserves a second chance at life, just not with us.”

King may not be the worst of the mammals I've had to deal with so far, but I could tell that he wasn't a mammal who would take this easily. I had a feeling we would be seeing him again, but at least Nate was smart enough to know he might be a problem in the future. 

“So, what now?”

“Actually, I think it’s time to go pay King one last visit. I told him I would give him and the rest of his followers one last day to come to an agreement before we kicked them out, and times up. Would you like to come with us?” 

As if Nate had to ask. “Yes, please.” 

Jessie said her goodbyes but then I remembered something. 

“Um, have you seen or heard from North at all?”

“He was gone for a few days when you called for him, but when he came back he didn’t talk to anyone unless it was business related, and even then he seemed… different. What happened?”

“It’s a long story, let’s just say that I did something that hurt him, despite how important it was that needed to be done. When you see him, can you tell him that I'm sorry?”

“I will pass it on. You're a sweet girl who cares too much about people, whatever happened, he will forgive you.”

“I really hope so. Thank you.”

We all left the office and Jessie went off to where a Tac-Lifter was awaiting her transport back to Hope. Logan, Nate, and I went the opposite way, towards where the holding area for prisoners was. It was deep in the base, past multiple security checkpoints. It made me wonder if this had been installed during construction, or added after the last division among the Guardians. Either way, there was no sneaking in, or out of here without being noticed. 

Once we got the main area, we were lead in by two heavily armed Defenders. Inside the large room were six cells. Five of them were occupied. In cell four sat a very displeased looking rhino. 

“Matheous King, have you decided your fate?” Logan was the one to speak.

“Let’s see, get thrown out, stripped of everything, or follow a cur. How about you just shoot me and get it done?”

“That's not an option King. What's your decision?”

“You know if you free me, I'll do everything in my power to make you regret siding with that cur.”

“And we'll be waiting, locked and loaded for that time.” Nate stepped forward, his arms crossed.

“Well, looks like the cur speaks. You'll never make it you know. You'll get eaten alive.”

“At least I won’t die a traitor.”

“Hah! Lazlo was the one who betrayed us first! We're soldiers not politicians. Problems are solved through violence, not words.”

“Violence doesn’t solve everything, well, except for your short lived leadership. It took, what? One punch to take you out? How’s that horn holding up?”

“Come closer and ask that. I'll bite your face off, cur.”

“He’s not gonna change. Stalker Logan. Gather him and anyone else who refuses to obey by my command, load them up in a Tac and drop them off in the middle of nowhere. Let’s see how long that attitude keeps him alive.”

“Yes Sir!”

“You're not gonna stick around for that Nate?”

“I’ve had it with him. If I never see him again it'll be too good to be true. It’s almost lunch time, and I promised Holly and Mark we’d all have it together.”

“Yeah, I'm famished. Jasmine, and probably Zack will be joining us as well I hope. Plus, I have a feeling we have a few things to talk about afterwards.”

After leaving the area, we found ourselves alone for a moment. I turned and grabbed Nate’s head, pulled it down and gave him a kiss. 

“Fraternizing with an officer? That’s grounds for dismissal miss.” Nate said that in an obviously joking manner.

“Whatcha gonna do, throw me out?”

“No, but it may require some… discipline later…”

“You've gotten so much more confident in yourself, and I like that. Maybe this whole thing will work out after all.”

“I just hope I'm cut out for the job.”

“Well sweetie, no matter what, you'll always have me by your side.”

“If things work out the way I hope they do, I plan on it.”

I had a feeling that was in regards to this whole talk of Hope and relocating the base, but I didn’t want to press it just yet. He'll tell me when the time is right. For right now, I'm just glad that things are going well. Nate was already stronger than he knew, now, I think he's finally realizing how strong he can be.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! I want to start off by first apologizing for that little… incident between Celeste and I, although I really need to thank her. You see, that coffee shop I visited, Cup O’ Joe I think it was called, wasn’t really on my agenda. Apparently, when suggested a place that has amazing coffee a few days ago, she was apparently sending me after a red herring. There was no coffee shop, and I think she was just trying to get rid of me. Woe to her however being that I _did_ stumble upon a coffee shop, and while it’s selection was not all that great, I met a cute little weasel there who I think we hit it off with. Apparently _someone_ actually thinks my puns and jokes are funny. She has an interesting story behind her as well, but that is for another day. 

“Today’s show is a dedication to the fallen Chief of the Guardians, Maximilian Lazlo. I now wish I had tried harder to get a proper interview with that buffalo before his passing, but I will do my best to make up for it by telling you folks a little more about him, and his family. 

“Now, at least one of you has inquired as to why Lazlo’s father betrayed the Guardians. That requires a bit of a lesson on Lazlo’s parent’s past. You see, ever since Chief Bogo founded the Steel Guardians, there has been at least one of his descendants at the head of the group, and they have all been male. Now before you start thinking wrongly of them, there was a reason. It wasn’t that they thought a female wouldn’t be able to handle it, we have seen first hoof that power sees no gender. The reason for this was more symbolic. A male cape buffalo at the head of the Guardians reminded them of Bogo and his commitment to creating a force that could uphold the law and protect its citizens. Bogo died a hero, and that legacy was passed on. The first born male of the bloodline was trained from a young age to fight, to protect. He learned diplomacy and strategy. He learned everything that was needed to make a great leader, and this kept up for generations. That is, until Lazlo’s mother was born.

“She was an only child. It is unknown if her parents couldn’t conceive a male, or if they simply gave up on it, but the fact remained that the male bloodline of Guardian Chief was broken. That didn’t stop her father though. The Guardians needed a Chief when he passed, and he believed that the only one to lead was those born of the right blood, so she was trained the same as any other Chief. In the end, she was not only on the path to becoming a great leader, but she showed kindness and generosity mixed with her ferocity and strength, something unfamiliar, something new to her father’s eyes. However, she was uneasy about replacing him as their leader. 

“It wasn’t due to cowardice, or thinking little of herself due to her gender. No, she knew she could do it, and she wanted to. However, she also wanted to preserve the image of the Guardians, or rather, the image of their founder. She couldn’t be the face of the Guardians, but she was the only one trained enough to lead them. That’s when she got the idea. 

“Every Chief needed to find a companion, someone to bring about the next generation of leaders, and it was no different with her. She decided to find a buffalo who was strong, fierce, and loyal to the Guardian’s effort. That’s when she met Chaffer. He wasn’t the same mammal that you had learned of just recently, he _was_ kind, he _was_ loyal, and he was strong. Very strong. Between the promise of a beautiful woman and being the face of one of the largest peace keeping groups the world has ever known? He fell into it with little thought. 

“Things were good for a while. He provided the face and the strength while leaving all the details to his wife. She was happy that way, keeping up with her training, being the leader that her father wanted her to be, all while protecting the legacy of Bogo. Then Chaffer started to change. 

“It was gradual at first. He started to get angry when she made suggestions that he thought were asinine. He would go against her wishes and modify tactics to meet his whim, not the teams. It grew exponentially until he started to ignore her orders and started to think the Guardians were his to control. Then she got pregnant. Months later she gave birth to Lazlo. It was a boy, a male heir to the Guardian throne. The legacy would continue.

“Now, this is where I am sure some of you are thinking ‘So, when will Chaffer start to plot to kill the kid to keep everything to himself?’. Well, sorry to say that never happened. Sure, I’m sure he _thought_ about it at least once, but he wasn’t an idiot. He knew he couldn’t live forever, and that when he was gone, the Guardians did need leadership. He had planned to simply corrupt Lazlo, to turn him against his mother and learn to harness and control the power of the Guardians. 

“Thankfully, we all know that never happened. Lazlo inherited his mother’s sense of duty. He often thought his father’s ideas were crazy or even dangerous. He saw the Guardians not as toys like his father did, but as a family, a family he had to protect. By this time, Chaffer had gone mad with power. Lazlo and his mother planned on how to boot Chaffer out since he technically didn’t have claim to the position, Lazlo’s mother held position officially. Then Chaffer led a mission to recover some pre-war weaponry and disappeared. 

“By the time Chaffer reemerged as leader of the Council, Lazlo had already been placed within the role of Chief and was well on his way to undoing all the damage his father did to them. Once, and only once did Chaffer and Lazlo meet face to face. Lazlo asked his father why he betrayed them, and his answer was spoken so effortlessly. He wanted an army, not a group of babysitters. The Guardian’s agenda was so deeply rooted that Chaffer was unable to gain the power and support he needed to make an army to rid the world of its filth. He saw struggling a weakness. Those who could not benefit his new utopia would be killed. Those who had crops or farms would be absorbed into the Council. He wanted to bring peace to the world by cutting out every single infection that plagued it, leaving only the Council to be the lifeblood of the Wasteland. 

“Lazlo tried to convince his father that this was a fool hardy plan, but the haze of power was so thick, Lazlo was unable to do anything, anything but order his forces to drive the Council back into the Rainforest District. Up until the day he died, Lazlo still regretted it. He still thought that his father could have been saved, but he just did not know how. That is why he dedicated his entire life to helping others. He wanted to make the world a good place, to eliminate the suffering, not the sufferers. He wanted to give everyone the same freedom that he and his Guardians had. He cut the contracts, giving all Guardians the freedom to leave, to be who they wanted to be. Some did leave, but most stayed. Lazlo wanted to reshape the Guardians into the peacekeepers they were. 

“Unfortunately, he had to sacrifice so much to do so. He never married, he never had a child, he was just too busy trying to make this world perfect. Lazlo never told a soul this, but he had hoped that he could live long enough to see it come true. He was afraid of dying and leaving everything he worked so hard to build in the hooves of another like his father. That is until Nathan Valiant came into his life. 

“Lazlo saw something in that fox that no one, not even Nate himself ever saw. At least, no one until a certain rabbit came along. Lazlo knew he was old. He knew that he would leave this world without a leader, a good leader. His bloodline was at an end, and he regretted many things. He never once regretted taking that fox into his world. While none of them wanted to be Guardians, he knew Nate had potential, and spent time secretly trying to bring out that potential within Nate. It wasn’t until Olivia showed up that Lazlo could finally see that potential shine through and grabbed a hold of it and molded it. Lazlo had already chosen his successor, he just thought he had more time. 

“There is a lot more to Lazlo than this, but unfortunately, today’s episode is nearly over. I want to thank each and every one of you for sticking it out through the months. This chapter marks the ten chapter countdown. After today, only nine more left, and that means only nine more After Shows. There is still so much I want to tell you all about this world, and maybe, even after the story is over, I can stop in here and there and say hi. Maybe I’ll drag Max with me a few times, but that girlfriend of his? Anyways, take care everyone!”


	73. An Unexpected Surprise

For the rest of the day Nate got dragged all over the base. For the places that I could join him, I typically did, but in all honesty, it was very boring. When it came to the parts that Logan insisted that ‘civilians’ like myself weren't allowed, I was more than happy to slip off to find something a bit more… exciting to do. 

Turns out, that was very hard to do here. Holly wanted me to practice with her in the shooting range, but it wasn’t going to be available until later in the evening, so she found a way to slip into the armory to ‘inspect’ the Guardian’s equipment. After the Armorer kicked her out, she stormed off somewhere muttering something about getting him fired. 

Mark was with Doc helping him with the injured that still remained and since I only knew enough about medicine to slap a band-aid on a broken bone, I felt more of a hinder sticking around so I left them alone. I was on the way to see if Tuskgen needed help, since that was really the only thing I was good at, when I ran into Bo carrying a bunch of large crates. 

“Hey Bo. I haven’t seen you around much.”

“Been busy fixing up the garden. Those darn mammals trampled it after taking the place over. Betty broke down in tears at seeing our hard work gone to waste.”

“You look like you're having troubles, want me to help?”

“These are a might heavy.”

“I’ve got nothing better to do, here let me…” 

Damn, they were heavy. I only grabbed one of the smaller crates, but it felt nearly as heavy as me. He offered to take it back but I was already feeling useless at the moment, so I clenched my teeth and hefted it over my shoulder. It felt a bit lighter this way, but not by much.

“What’s in these things? Rocks?”

“Naw. Some fertilizer and seeds from Precinct One. Apparently they had a huge storeroom of this stuff. Supposed to have worked in conjunction with something called a R.A.D. but since Tuskgen needs to figure out a way to make more of them, Chief Valiant said that I can have some of it for our own garden.”

“What's your opinion on Nate as the new Chief?”

“Well, I reckon that if he’s good enough to be in relations with you, he’s good enough to be Chief, although I'll admit, it caught me by surprise. He wasn’t the first mammal that came to many minds.”

“I was taken a bit by surprise by it too. I mean, it’s not that I don’t think he’s up to the task, it’s just that I never would've pictured him in the position either. I think it’s good though, he’s already gotten much more confident in himself since it happened. Wait a second… what do you mean if he’s good enough for me?”

“I mean no disrespect Olivia. You're a kind soul, and I could tell that the moment I met you. Any mammal that you take to as affectionately as him must have done something good to deserve it. That’s why I say that I believe he'll do good for us all. Couldn’t imagine you’d fall for someone who'd do any of us wrong on purpose.”

“And what if he makes a decision that he thinks is good and it turns out it isn’t? What then?”

Bo stopped and set down the crates and turned to me, his face looking stern, yet somehow compassionate. “I’ve heard stories about you. How you've killed entire groups of mammals without any concern for their life, how you've put yourself and others in danger due to misguided and poorly thought decisions. Am I wrong?”

Hearing that come from him made me feel… weak, like he was trying to push me down to the same level of those I killed. “N-no… you aren’t.”

“Despite all that, all you've done and all you've been through, I still respect you, and I still think you're one of the kindest souls I have ever known, and despite everything, you've slowly helped to make this world better, even if you don't realize it. You can’t fail if you don’t try, but you also can’t succeed if you don’t try. As long as Chief Valiant tries his best to make things better, his failures will be a simple understatement to his efforts. ‘Least that’s how I see it.”

“Thank you. That… that actually means a lot to me. There are times that I wonder, did I do the right thing? Yes, some of those mammals deserved to die but sometimes… sometimes I regret _how_ I did it. Even if someone deserves to die, they don’t deserve a long agonizing death. I try to be better than that, it’s just sometimes… it’s hard, it really is.”

“You're a good rabbit Olivia. As long as you think like that, and as long as you're willing to show that you care, even if it's to your enemies, then you will continue to be a good rabbit.”

He picked up the crates and we continued to where the garden area was, chatting about simpler and less emotional things the rest of the way. Apparently when King took over, not only did they take every bit of edible thing from the garden, they also trampled over it, breaking the watering machinery, contaminating the soil, and leaving the place barely operational. 

I had never been to this part of the base before, but it looked completely different from the rest. Turns out it was an old storage facility that never got utilized so Lazlo offered it to Bo and his family when he found out they knew agriculture. Large devices were attached to the overhead lighting that seemed to change the whole tone of the lighting in the room.

“What are those?”

“Something Tuskgen whipped up. Problem with growing plants underground is that most of them need light to grow, and most indoor lighting won’t do the trick. Since there were no proper lights here, Tuskgen made something that she said will filter the existing light to allow the plants to thrive. It ain’t as good as natural light, but stuff grows and that’s all that matters.”

The whole setup was similar to what was in the Burrow. Large troths lined the room, at least two dozen of them running perpendicular to one another. A few of them had plants already poking out of the dirt, but many of them were either empty or partially full. 

“Not a whole lot of fertile soil around these parts. Chief Lazlo had to send some teams into the Rainforest District to gather what was needed. Very dangerous trip that was, due to Council activity, but no one was hurt and after some time, we had fresh food.”

“You arrived shortly after… I was rescued, didn’t you?”

“Yup. Wasn’t more than a day before I was up here getting things ready.”

“Then how did you manage to grow so much in such little time?”

“Well, between some generous donations from Miss Petunia over in Hope, and some special fertilizer that Doc threw together, well let me say, I haven’t seen plants sprout that fast in all my years. It’s like they wanted nothing more than to be eaten.”

He motioned towards a corner where he wanted me to put the crate, and he placed the others near it. 

“That’s great to hear. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon. Doc says I need to spend at least a few more days here, and I would love to have some real food filling my stomach before I continue my little adventure.”

“Got some carrots and potatoes that'll be ready in a day or two. The rest will be at least a week or longer. Afraid the kitchen has no more fish.”

“Heh. I probably ate it all.”

“You are one strange bunny.”

“I’m told that a lot actually.” I saw some movement and that’s when I saw Bo’s wife and daughter come in, each of them carrying crates as well. 

“Betty, you remember Olivia.”

“How could I forget. How you doin' darlin'?”

“I’m okay. Sorry for what they did to your garden.”

“I was a bit saddened by it, but thanks to these supplies, we’re hoping for it to be even better than before. Bea, you remember Olivia, right?”

After Bea had put down the crate she ran over to her mom’s leg and nervously hid behind it. At her mother’s words, she simply poked her head out enough to nod. 

 

“She’s not gonna bite dear, come out and give her a proper hello.” Betty turned towards me. “Ever since they took Bo to that horrible place, she’s been afraid around most other mammals. She won’t even go to the bathroom without one of us there with her.”

“Hey Bea, I’m a friend. You remember how I took that nasty collar off of you? I was also the reason your father got rescued. Don’t tell me that you're still afraid of me after that?”

She slowly stepped out from behind her mother and shook her head. She didn’t really look scared, she just looked… sad. Then, catching me completely off guard, she ran up to me and hugged me. Despite her being a kid, she was already much taller than me. And much stronger. 

“Thank you bunny.”

“You're welcome Bea. As long as I'm around, I promise nothing bad will happen to you or your parents ever again.”

“You… pwomise?”

“I promise.”

A beep came from my Pip-Boar that startled both of us. I checked it to find a message from Nate. It said that Tuskgen was calling a bunch of them to her lab and that he wanted me there too. 

“Sorry to cut this visit short but looks like I'm needed. You take good care of your mommy and daddy, okay?”

“Okay.”

“If any of you need something, don't hesitate to ask Nate, I'm sure that as long as it's within his ability to do so, he will do it.”

“You take care Olivia.”

“You do the same Bo. You and your family.”

I left them as they got back to work. I had been too busy talking to pay attention to where I had been going so I was utterly lost. Thankfully I found a Guardian who pointed me in the right direction. I figured that I would be late, but was surprised when I turned the corner to find Nate, Logan, and a few others down the hall. I hurried to catch up to them.

“What’s this about Nate?”

“Not sure. Tuskgen said she had something very exciting to show us.”

“You think it involves that R.A.D. thing?”

“I hope so. From what I've dug up on it from the central computer, it has the potential to save this world, but only if we can get it mass produced. It was also never fully tested, so we’d need to have Tuskgen do a few tests as well once she can duplicate the technology.”

“Clean water and soil for the first time in over two centuries. That would be an amazing sight.” 

“Yes it would Olivia, yes it would.” 

We finally reached Tuskgen’s lab and she was standing inside next to a large… something, that was covered in a white blanket. It wasn't as tall as her, but it was much larger than both Nate or I, and only slightly larger than Logan. For the first time in a few days I saw an excitable expression on her face as we approached her. 

“What’s under the cloth Tuskgen?” Nate sounded very curious. 

“Only a wonderful treasure that one of the salvage teams brought to me from Precinct One. Ladies and gentle-mammals, may I present… the one of a kind, prototype X-01 Exo-Armor!”

She yanked off the fabric and there stood what looked like a suit of Exo-Armor, but it was different. Not only did it look brand new, it was also much smaller. From what I was told, only the larger mammals, such as elephants, rhinos and hippos wore the armor, but this one was for a species so much smaller. The thing that caught my attention the most was the helmet. It had a very wolf-like visage to it. 

“I've never seen a suit that small. It looks perfect for you Logan.” 

“Actually Sir, it's not for me.”

“Then, who?”

“You Sir.”

“Wait, I can’t fit into it, it’s too big!”

“Well Na… err Chief Valiant, I plan to modify it to fit your stature. While modifications like that are too extreme for the larger suits, this one is already close enough in size that I can perform the adjustments without sacrificing effectiveness. I already have ideas on how to integrate the Pip-Boar in your arm into the suit’s central computer. It will make controlling it feel much more natural. I've also started to draw up new designs for altering the helmet to suit your species as well. This is all so very exciting.”

Nate walked around the suit a few times and then stopped and stared at the helmet. “No. Keep it.”

“Pardon me Sir?”

“There are still plenty of Guardians who are unsure how a fox will handle this role, and even more civilians will probably have the same concerns. While I'm not trying to hide who I am from the world, this might make things… a bit easier to let others adjust, to see my actions before my species. So make the modifications you need, but keep the wolf.”

“Yes Sir. Right away!”

“First fox to become a leader of the Guardians, and now first fox to wear an Exo-Suit. You sure are doing a good job representing your species for more than others see them. I’d kiss you if Logan wasn’t already giving me the stink eye.”

Nate leaned over and whispered, “yeah, I plan to have a little talk about that to him. It’s still hard to believe this is all happening.”

“You and me both. Shame that suit won’t be ready sooner than that, I would love to see the look on the Legionaries faces when you go waltzing up to them wearing that…” Then it hit me. “Are you even _allowed_ to continue helping me look for them?” 

“Logan and I have already talked about it. The Legionaries pose a much greater threat to the wasteland than just to you. If they're willing to go through all of this just to get to one rabbit, imagine if they succeeded? There are mammals out there that are willing to pay good money to do bad things, and that puts everyone at risk. A small team has been assigned to join us as well. I managed to get Jasmine and Zack on it since we know we can trust them. I want to get Bo, but with the damage done to the garden, I want to make sure that's reestablished. Not only is fresh food good for morale, but Tuskgen needs samples from it to test out the R.A.D. once it's ready.”

“I take it there are still some Guardians who don’t agree with Lazlo’s decision.”

“Unfortunately, but I didn’t expect everyone to fall in line instantly. Most of the Guardians are good mammals, it’s just hard to erase centuries of bias.”

“I wish there were some kind of mental nuke to eradicate it from the mammal race entirely. Speaking of nukes… please don’t tell me Holly knows about them. Jasmine informed me that they found a few in Precinct One.”

“I don’t plan on telling her about it. That’s one of the few weapons she hasn’t gotten to get her paws on. The way she talks about wanting to use one, if given the choice between staying with Mark and owning one of them? Let’s just say Mark will have a few lonely nights. That reminds me. Holly said that the range will be free in an hour and to meet her there.”

“Yeah, she's really been pushing me to learn proper gun usage.”

“B.A.T.S. isn’t something to be trifled with. Remember, last time I used it, I lost an arm.”

“Yeah, that’s what everyone keeps telling me. Of course, I will admit this. While I wish that you never had to go through that whole thing, between losing your arm and becoming Chief, you've changed, and in a good way. You're stronger, more confident. If someone had described your old self to someone who didn’t know you, I don’t think they’d believe it.”

“I feel different, I'm sure of that.” The lights dimmed for a moment before returning to their normal brightness. “Tuskgen, have your engineers figured out what’s causing this yet?”

“No Sir. I have them working round the clock trying to figure it out.”

“What’s going on?”

“There've been minor power failures throughout the base. They seem random enough, but Logan tells me that nothing like this has happened before, and the reactor is at optimum operating capacity.”

“So no one has any idea what's going on?”

“Nope.” 

“Hmm, I can take a look at it if you want.”

“Well, Tuskgen already has…” Nate was interrupted when a very puffy looking sheep ran into the room.

“Agent Merino? What’s the matter?”

“It’s your brother Sir.”

“Mark? What’s wrong, is he hurt?” Nate’s concern started to bleed through his newly adopted professionalism.

“No Sir, he’s just… you should get down to the Mess Hall.”

We took a look at each other and then bolted towards the mess hall. It took a few minutes, in which Nate nearly knocked over not one but three other guardians. I couldn’t even fathom what could have happened here. Did one of the Guardians who didn’t trust Nate decide to take it out on Mark? She said he wasn’t hurt, so that couldn’t be the problem. He had been working with Doc most of the day, so could it have something to do with that? Maybe he caught another mammals sickness? There were a million and one things going through my head as to what could be wrong, but none of them made sense. 

When we finally got there, the reality of it was much more… unexpected to either of us. There was no anger, no violence, there wasn’t even a sickly looking mammal. Instead, there was laughter and cheering. And singing. Lots of loud, boisterous singing. The part that caught both of us by surprise wasn’t due to the dozen or so Guardians singing, it was due to _who_ was leading this choir. 

“Mark?” 

“Bro! Glad you could join us! Look, it’s our fearless leader! Hey bro, come up here and sing!”

“Are you… drunk?”

Mark was standing on top of one of the tables, dancing and singing some upbeat and joyful song. His dancing was erratic, most of the time not even in sync with his words. Drunk or not, he still had a wonderful voice. Even a few of the female Guardians seemed taken by his voice and were giving him very… sultry looks. It was hard not to laugh at this. If Holly was here right now, I wasn’t sure if she would tease him, or try to snatch him away from those on looking females. 

“Noooo… I’m just having some fun! They told me to loosen up, and here I am!”

“Alright, who’s responsible for this?”

“It was Mikkelson Sir!” A bear stood up and pointed towards a now angry deer. 

“Did you have to turn me in so easily Boyle? Yeah, it was me Sir. I didn’t mean anything bad by it. He just seemed like he had a stick up his ass. Tried to give him a drink to wind him down, but all he wanted was one of those damn Rad! Colas, so I added a bit extra to a few of them. On the positive side Sir, your brother has a really nice singing voice, even if he’s drunk.”

“You should hear him when he’s sober. Now with that piece of information out of the way...Mikkelson! Report to inventory at oh-five-thirty. Don’t be late. As for the rest of you, unless you want to join him with sorting through nearly sixty crates of supplies, I suggest you all get back to your duties.”

“Yes Sir!” 

Everyone, including a very disgruntled deer, left the room, leaving Mark, Nate, and I alone. Mark was still dancing and singing, completely oblivious to what had just transpired. I went to go help Mark down when Nate stopped me. 

“Shouldn’t we get him down before he ends up hurting himself?”

“Yes, but in a moment.” He took out a small device from one of his pockets. 

“What’s that?”

“A camera. Time to record the greatest piece of blackmail in history.”

“You're just as bad as Holly.”

“No one ever gets to see this side of him, and I'm his brother. It may come in handy down the line.”

I sighed and waited for Nate to finish. He even got Mark to look right into the camera, all the while too drunk to even know what was going on. Once Nate seemed happy with his blackmail, we both helped Mark down and lead him to the room that he and Holly were staying in. This was definitely a different side of Mark than I was used to, and it amused me to see him like this. A shame he didn’t drink willingly. That amusement faded quickly when he suddenly starting to think I was Holly and not only grabbed my butt, but also tried to fondle my tail. It startled me so much that I jumped back, causing Mark to take a stumble and fall off of Nate’s shoulder. 

“What was that for Olivia?”

“He touched my butt!”

“Apparently my brother gets a little frisky when he’s drunk… yet another tasty bit of blackmail. Sorry Mark, this bunny’s butt is all mine.”

“Not Holly?”

“Nope, not Holly, Olivia.”

“Your girl has a _reeeaaaally_ soft butt and fluffy tail.”

“Will you two _please_ stop talking about my butt!”

“Chief Valiant, do I even want to know what's going on?” 

Not only did I not see Logan approaching us, but I also might have said that last thing a bit too loudly in these small, reverberating hallways. 

“Mikkelson spiked Mark’s drink. I put him on tomorrow's early inventory duty as punishment.”

“I see. Well, once you're… situated, I need to have a talk with _you_ and the senior officers about a few security details.”

Logan didn’t even have to say it for me to know he meant without my presence. That was fine, most of it sounded boring anyways. 

“Yes, _after_ I take care of my brother.”

“Yes Sir.”

After Logan left, I tried to help with Mark again. 

“You should go see Holly, she should be ready for you.”

“Do you got Mark?”

“Yeah. I hope Logan isn’t bothering you with the way he acts when the two of us are together. I need to have a little talk with him about it.”

“It's a little annoying that I can’t be myself around you without irritating him, but then again, he probably thinks that I'm a distraction from you taking your role seriously.”

“Yeah, but I need to assure him that I can balance both my personal life, and my professional one without them getting in the way of the other.”

“We always have our ‘personal’ time together, if anything else.”

“Nate an' 'livi sittin' in a tree… k-i-s-s-i-n-g...”

“Shut up Mark!” We both said it simultaneously. That caught the attention of a few passing Guardians, but we didn’t care as we chuckled. 

Once I was sure that Nate had Mark, I went off towards the shooting range to meet up with Holly. The lights flickered a few more times on the way. After this I need to see if I can help Tuskgen figure this out. Last thing this place needs is a sudden power failure.

***

“About time you showed up ‘livi!”

“Sorry, we had a bit of a… predicament.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing bad, although… I think I’ll wait till Nate tells you. Anyways, I'm here so let’s get this show on the road. What you want me to do?”

“You got your gun?”

“Actually, no, I left it in the room.”

“That’s fine. I got a few here for you to try. Take that one, it’s a standard issue semiautomatic pistol. Probably a little heavier than the one you're used to.”

“Not by much.” I held it up and peered down the built in three point sight. 

“Don’t fire yet. Now, no offense, but you're holding it like a newbie.” She moved over to me and moved my arms into another position. “You can’t leave your arm locked like that, while your gun has very little recoil, fire something like Mark’s and you might end up breaking your arm from the kickback. You wanna keep your arm stable, but loose enough to move it at a moment's notice. Just like that. You feel it?”

I nodded.

“Good. Now, aim down at the target and fire.”

Down the range was a large circular target. I aimed towards the center of it and pulled the trigger. It definitely kicked a bit more than my own, and was much louder. I looked at the target, but I couldn’t see where I hit.”

“You missed by a mile. Were you even aiming at the target?”

“Yes! Right at the center!”

“That’s where you made the first mistake. Sure, with B.A.T.S. active, the chemical makes everything so vividly clear that it's impossible to miss a shot, but without it? Your body needs to adjust to every gun. No gun responds to a person the same as another. Your shot went wide to the left of the target. Now, aim a bit right of the center.”

“But…”

“Just do it.”

I did what she said and fired. I didn’t hit the center, but I saw the impact on the target.

“Good, now you need to take that distance and keep adjusting it until you get the feel of it.”

I fired a few more times, making small adjustments to my aim every shot until I finally hit the center. I fired a few more times and each time it hit around the same spot. 

“Good! Now you're getting the hang of it. This is a relatively controlled environment, so remember, you also need to account for wind speed and direction, elevation, and if your target is moving. Just remember this, when aiming for a moving target, always aim in front of the direction they are moving. Lead the bullet into the target. Like this.” 

She pushed a button and another target popped up. It was closer, but it was also moving from left to right. Holly picked up a similar gun to mine and fired a few rounds, each of them hitting the center. 

“Now you try.”

I did as she said, and tried to aim before the target. I missed. I tried again, and again, but missed each time. I was starting to get aggravated. 

“Whoa, calm down girl. Just relax and concentrate.”

“Sure, that might work now, but what about when I'm actually in the middle of a fight?”

“That comes with time and practice. For now, we need to cover the basics. Okay, let’s switch to a larger…”

The power went out, leaving the room very dark. There was enough ambient light from outside the range that my eyes were able to adjust well enough to see.

“What just happened?”

“Nate said that there've been unknown power fluctuations. Tuskgen’s team can’t seem to figure out what's wrong. Should come back… any… it’s not coming back on. Hold up Holly, let me go check, the doors over here.”

“I can see the door just fine, it’s not _that_ dark.”

“Um, it’s nearly pitch black, the only reason I can see is due to my… wait, how many fingers am I holding up?”

“What? None, your paws are behind your back. What are you getting at?”

“Have you found your ears to be more sensitive, or even your touch?”

“Just a little, but I figured it was due to the fact we finally got some well needed rest. What are you trying to say?”

“Remember when I got bathed in radiation, what happened?”

“Yeah, we found out that you were part… oh… my… are you saying what I think you're saying?”

“Yep, welcome to the freak-show.”

“But… But… How?”

“We need to figure out what's going on first, then we'll have Doc look you over. In the meantime, try not to over think it. Now, let’s go find Tuskgen and Nate and figure out…”

Lights came on, but not the normal ones. They were red and flashing. That can’t be good. I tuned my Pip-Boar to Nate’s frequency. 

“Nate! What’s going on?”

“ _One of Tuskgen’s engineers found some tampering with a power terminal, then the lights went out. It was recent too. I think we have an intruder._ ”

“Fuck! Could it be one of King’s followers? Are they even still here?”

“ _No, we sent them packing a few hours ago. I don’t think it was one of them, we had every Guardian present at the time._ ”

“Then who could it be?”

“ _No clue. I had security patch their database into my arm, and am having Onion try to find anything out of place._ ”

I thought this place would be safe, I thought that I wouldn’t have to worry about any of us running into danger until we were ready to find it ourselves. I never thought danger would find us, here of all places. 

“ _Miss?_ ”

“You find something Onion?”

“ _Yes… and no. Motion sensors detected two separate signs of movement near your location moments before the lights went out, but none of the cameras picked up anything._ ”

Movements, yet no visual image? That could mean only one thing. Before I could tell Holly, I felt something hard and cold press up against my neck.

“Move, and you're both dead.”

“‘Livi… it’s…”

“You were stealthed, weren't you?”

I felt the gun lift off of my neck as the figure of a rabbit appeared, dressed in a very familiar uniform. She had a gun in each paw, one pointed at me, the other at Holly. 

“And none of you were all the wiser until it was too late. The Legionaries said it would take a rabbit to get a rabbit, so here I am. You've caused us all so much trouble. A shame you're worth more alive. She, however, isn’t worth a thing, so I would suggest putting that gun down before my finger slips.”

I slowly set the gun down while I thought of what to do. If I could buy some time, I'm sure Nate and the other Guardians would be here shortly to take her by surprise. 

“So, where’s your friend?”

“What are you talking about? I came alone.”

“That’s not what the sensors said. How do I know you don’t have someone else just waiting to make a move on me. Or better yet, since I'm worth so much, maybe they were sent to make sure you _don’t_ kill me?”

“I’m a solo act, I don’t work with anyone.”

“Well, maybe that’s why they sent someone else? They don’t trust you?”

“Quit stalling you bitch! If you don’t shut up, I'll… FUCK!”

The rabbit dropped the gun pointing at me as I saw blood starting to drip from her wrist. She moved the other gun around but it dropped out of her other paw. She screamed in anger as she collapsed, her anger turning into screams of pain. Moments later Nate, along with Logan and a few others came bursting into the door. 

“What happened?!”

“I don’t know! This Legionary got in here somehow and had guns pointed at both of us, then she suddenly collapsed. I don’t know what…”

A light turned on, shining from Nate’s arm as he waved it around the room. It stopped on something sitting on top of the writhing body of the Legionary. It looked a lot like North, only much, much smaller. In each paw were a pair of swords, swords that looked very familiar. The outfit looked familiar as well. No. It couldn’t be…

“Blanche?”

“Guess I had to show my melted face sometime. You ass-twats miss me?”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! For today’s episode we will be… _loud beeping_ oh, one second. Hello? Oh, hi! How you doing? That’s good to hear… one second hun. Sorry folks. I just got a call from my girlfriend. Yes, that’s right, this equine is no longer available. Sorry to all the girls out there who wanted a piece of my fur. Ahem, no sweetie, there are no other girls, I was just… yes, I will tell them. So folks, I kinda accidentally called her a weasel, and well, she got _slightly_ offended. I know, let’s just… and this here… and… okay sweetie, go ahead, you are live on the show.”

**[Ternura]**

“Um… what? Oh, I can hear my voice. Why am I hearing my voice? Wait, did you say live? Gah! No… um… I don’t… why are you doing this? Um… hi? Stripes! Get me off of here!”

**[Stripes]**

“I figured you would want to say hi for yourself.”

**[Ternura]**

“No! I mean yes, but… not like this…”

**[Stripes]**

“Okay, okay. We can work up to this. I apologize folks, she’s a bit… shy sometimes, at least when she is put on the spot like that. Well, looks like she just turned off her end of the communication. I guess a bit of formal introduction is in order. Her name is Ternura Sincero, a tayra, not a weasel as I so mistakenly called her the last time. She did not like that one bit. She currently works at a small coffee shop that just recently got reestablished. It’s called the ‘Cup Bearer’, and funny enough, it is run by two brown bears named Adam Ursus and Dakota Arctos. I suggest checking them out. Since I am hoping to introduce her better, maybe a trip there might be in the future, but until then, on with today’s show!

“Today we will be interviewing the mouse who just can’t die, a rodent who broke the hearts of many when she died, Blanche Tailoway! So, Blanche, how are you doing today?”

**[Blanche]**

“I look like I got tossed into a vat of acid, how do you think I am ass-twat!”

**[Stripes]**

“Well, I see you’re still a tiny ball of fire.”

**[Blanche]**

“What did you call me?”

**[Stripes]**

“Um… nothing?”

**[Blanche]**

“That’s what I thought.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, so um… how does it feel to be back in the spotlight again?”

**[Blanche]**

“Spotlight? You mean the fact that I am not hiding anymore?”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, that. Why were you hiding exactly?”

**[Blanche]**

“That is none of your fucking business ass-twat!”

**[Stripes]**

“You were the one who agreed to do this interview, it would only be fair to actually answer some questions.”

**[Blanche]**

“I only _agreed_ because you ass-twats wouldn’t stop following me! You are not going to stop following, are you?”

**[Max]**

“If I had my way, I would’ve just left a note requesting an interview at your convenience… it’s not up to me sadly and our boss is a sadistic former raider who repeatedly threatens to crush every bone in my body if we don’t do what he says… Somehow Stripes gets to skip out on that punishment.”

**[Stripes]**

“I have my ways, and not until you answer at least a few questions. Please.”

**[Blanche]**

“Fine. If it will get you out of my fur.”

**[Stripes]**

“But you don’t have any…”

**[Blanche]**

“That’s strike one zebra.”

**[Stripes]**

“Strike? This isn’t some kind of game, you can’t ‘strike’ me like that.”

**[Blanche]**

“Strike two. You really don’t want me to say three.”

**[Max]**

“Stripes…! We talked about turns of phrase… Just… Fuck… Just get this over with already… Chest is acting up again…”

**[Stripes]**

_sighs_ “Fine. So Blanche, why were you hiding after everyone left you to what we all thought was your death?”

**[Blanche]**

“I didn’t want them to see me like… this.”

**[Stripes]**

“What about their friend North West, or should I say Nick Wilde now.”

**[Blanche]**

“He’s different. He was always a ghoul, at least as long as they knew him. Me? I’m not the same, I don’t look the same and I don’t feel the same.”

**[Stripes]**

“Sometimes change is good, but sometimes it can be bad. Olivia was beside herself when you ‘died’.”

**[Blanche]**

“I don’t see why, I was nothing but an angry bitch to them all. Especially at the end. I would not have been surprised if they wiped their paws of me and forgot.”

**[Stripes]**

“They didn’t, and they wouldn’t. Especially not Olivia. Now, tell us, how did you know about that Legionary spy?”

**[Blanche]**

“Been following that bitch for a while now. You see, despite the fact that I didn’t want them to see me like this, I felt bad completely abandoning them, so I did what anyone in my position would do. I followed them.”

**[Stripes]**

“You wanted to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn’t get into any trouble?”

**[Blanche]**

“Pretty much.”

**[Stripes]**

“You know you’re talking about Olivia Springs, right? The mammal that seems to attract trouble at every turn?”

**[Blanche]**

“I didn’t say it was going to be an easy job.”

**[Stripes]**

“But it would be a full time one with her. So, has your current condition affected your abilities to fight?”

**[Blanche]**

“I can show you if you want.”

**[Stripes]**

“No, that’s quite all right. You can put your swords away now. I have a feeling that this show is going to be cut short… um, Max, you have any questions for her?”

**[Max]**

“No… No questions… I… I need to sit down…”

**[Stripes]**

“Well then folks, it looks like this is all the time we have today.”

**[Blanche]**

“Heh, already? Afraid of a little mouse hurting you?”

**[Stripes]**

“Me? No. No way. I mean, I could easily stomp on you if I wanted to… and that was the wrong thing to say, wasn’t it? Um… I’m sorry, you can… put away your swords… Max! Help! That… that was my mane! You have any idea how hard it is to…”

_sound of microphone dropping_

**[Max]**

“Well… Well folks, Max here. As is always, Stripes overstepped his bounds and is now getting his tail pawed to him…And I’m…I’m not doing too well myself… So we’re gonna end it here and I’m gonna head back to Doc… Something doesn’t feel right… Join us next week though folks. Hopefully Miss Springs’ll have set aside some time for us… Hey Blanche! Just make sure he can still talk… No I don’t think he needs that hoof for anything… Just need him to… Answe… Answer questions… I need to find doc…”


	74. Of Reunions and Legionaries

I had to have been dreaming. She said it was her, but… is it really?

“What? You just gonna stand there with your mouth hanging open like that? Sheesh, I expected a bigger welcome than that.”

“But… but… you… I saw… how?” It felt like my brain just blew a circuit. 

“It’s a long story, but first, why are you ass-twats standing there? This piece of shit isn’t dead yet. Figured I could at least keep her alive long enough to get a few words out of her.”

I didn’t know what to do or say, and from the look on his face, Nate was shocked… no, it was more of an unsure expression really to see Blanche standing on top of the bleeding mercenary. Logan, seeing Nate’s current state stepped forward, probably wanting to take command, but after seeing this, Nate’s expression changed. 

“Get her to Doc, and keep armed guards at the medical facility at all times. Once she's awake, I want to personally talk to her.”

“Yes Sir!” 

Logan and one of the other Guardians grabbed the rabbit and proceeded to follow Nate’s orders. Logan could have easily taken her alone, but they probably wanted to make sure that she didn’t get worse due to mistreatment. The Guardians, these Guardians, aren't without consideration, even if it is the enemy.

“I’m… I have a few… things, to take care of.” 

“Nate? Where are you…”

Nate turned and left, but not before I could see that same mixed emotion cross his face again. Did Blanche’s sudden appearance unsettle him? Was he reminded of the last time they spoke? I couldn’t just let him continue to hold onto those emotions. 

“Holly, can you take Blanche and go check up on Mark? I need to talk to Nate.”

“Sure, okay Blanche lets… wait, what do you mean _check up_ on Mark?”

“Eh, long story, I’ll meet the two of you there.”

I ducked out of the room and chased after Nate before Holly or Blanche could say anything else to me. The corridor down the hall was straight, but it was also very long, and Nate wasn't there. It didn’t help that it was still pretty dark, even for my eyes. Then, as if the lights were reading my mind, they started to click on and I saw a bit of white and russet flash into my vision as it turned a corner. I recognized that fluffy tail anywhere. 

“Nate! Wait up!”

I turned the corner and saw him just standing there, facing away from me. He was acting so very odd suddenly, as if all this building he has done had started to crumble away. When I caught up to him, I placed my paw on his arm and slowly turned him to face me. He wasn’t crying, but his face showed a similar pain. 

“What’s the matter with you?”

“I… she’s alive.”

“It’s hard for me to believe, trust me, but she is. Why did you take off like that?”

“I… can’t…”

“You can’t, what? Is it about what happened the day we thought she died?”

“Yes.”

“Yes? I’m gonna need more than that sweetie.” I glanced around and saw an empty room nearby. “Here, come with me.”

I grabbed his paw and lead him into the room. Turns out that this ‘room’ was actually an access point for the water transport, more specifically, the hot water, so the room was a bit stifling, but I didn’t care. I wanted to make sure that no one decided to ease drop or interrupt us. 

“I know we both took her ‘death’ hard. To be honest, I'm still not sure who took it the hardest. We both blamed ourselves and tried to pry that blame out of each other’s minds. Yes, I'm not over it, but I learned to live with it, and sure seeing her now is bringing it back, but she’s alive. Shouldn’t that help matters?”

“She’s alive… but does she still blame either of us for pushing her away? Does she still blame… me for yelling at her? It was the last time I talked to her before…”

“You really didn’t stick around long enough to find out. Trust me, I want to know this too. What has she been doing? Where did she go? How the hell is she not a pile of ash? I know you have questions of your own, especially how she even got in here, and _why_ she did.”

“That… as Chief that should be my top priority. I should make it paramount to find out how _either_ of them got in here, but… how can I face her after what I said, after… what I did?”

“Sweetie, it wasn’t your fault. You were standing up for me. I was… I wasn't right, mentally _or_ emotionally. Do I regret what I did, abandoning the mission despite being so close, just to save someone? No, I don't. Do I regret _how_ I did it? Yes. I… I still have nightmares about that, about many of the mistakes I've made. I’m sure you've noticed.”

Nate nodded solemnly.

“I won’t tell you to just forget it, to keep them buried and out of sight, I know personally how much harm that can do, I'm just asking you to give her a chance. Let her explain what happened, let her tell us, in her own words, how she feels about what happened. I know she apologized in that recording, but I can tell that it’s not gonna effect you the same as hearing her say it in the flesh. So, please, will you at least do that for me?”

“For you, yes.”

I gave Nate a quick kiss before we left the room. All the heat and steam had left my fur feeling damp and heavy. From the look of it, so did Nate’s. We hadn’t stepped more than a few feet before we saw Logan turn the corner. If looks could kill, he’d be the entire firing squad. 

“It’s not what it looks like, I swear!” 

Logan could have said anything, but he simply stood there, staring at us. I think I would've rather he said something.

“Did you need something Stalker?” Nate adjusted his shirt and spoke as straightforward as he could. 

“Yes… Sir. I came to remind you, that you have a uniform fitting in forty-five minutes.”

“Yes. Forgot about it with this whole intruder situation. Do you have a report on that Stalker?”

“No Sir. Doctor Hedgeworth is still tending to her wounds. He says it'll be a few hours still.”

“Inform me the moment she's ready for interrogation. I have business to attend to before my fitting. You are dismissed.”

“Quite.” He said it beneath his breath, but I still heard it.

“Pardon me Stalker?” Apparently Nate caught it as well.

“Nothing Sir.”

Without any other remarks or actions, Logan turned and left down the hallway. Once I was sure he was gone, I turned to Nate.

“What was that all about? Does he not trust you?”

“I don’t think that’s it. I think, to him, he probably still sees me as the cub Mister Lazlo took in, just the same as he did for Logan, but from what I've heard, Lazlo, in his old age, showed more fatherly affection to me than he did for him. I think part of him resents that, but he's too proud to let it show.”

“I thought he liked you?”

“He does. I wouldn’t say we're best buddies, but the only time he ever expressed any opinions about me was when Mister Lazlo first brought the three of us here, and even then, I think it was more because I was a civilian than anything. I could be wrong, I mean the wolf shows no emotion or even the remotest of glimpses about his past. I only know that much because Mister Lazlo told me.”

“Just another thing to add to your to do list as Chief, getting to know your second in command better. We should meet up with the others before Logan decides to kick me out for impeding on some unheard of Guardian rule.”

“Yes… we should.”

“It'll be okay sweetie, I promise you.”

***

“It’s about time the both of you showed up…” 

Holly was sitting next to a conscious, but very confused looking Mark. Upon us entering, I could tell that she noticed how we looked, just as Logan did. I braced myself. 

“… sweet cheese and crackers, did you two sneak off for a little ‘fun’? Now is really not the time for that.”

“No we didn't thank you very much. Nate and I just needed to have a little talk, and the only room free was a hot water transfer room. And not another word Holly, my gun is just down the hall.”

“Alright, alright. No need to bite my head off ‘livi. Sheesh. Now, before we go all storytelling, would you mind telling me why I had to clean up my boyfriend's vomit from the floor, and the bed, and _him_?”

“Kind of a funny story actually.” From the look Holly was giving me, it better be a _very_ funny story to her. “Apparently some of the Guardians felt Mark was a little… well, stiff, and tried to loosen him up with some alcohol.”

“But my Marki doesn’t drink.”

“Didn’t stop them from spiking his drinks. Don’t worry Holly, I made sure to punish those responsible.” With no sign of Blanche in here, Nate didn’t seem nervous, although with her size, I'm sure she's close by.

“He really can’t handle his booze, did he do anything… embarrassing?”

“Other than mistake Olivia for you and squeeze her butt?”

“Nate! Why did you have to go blabbering that to Miss Tease over there?”

“Marki! You are _my_ fox, you should be touching _my_ butt!”

“I didn’t know! I swear! Everything is just so… fuzzy. Maybe if the room would just stop spinning…”

“You ass-twats _still_ getting all mushy-gushy? Maybe I should've stayed hidden, then at least I can sneak the hell out of this.”

Blanche’s voice startled me, and a quick glance towards Nate showed that it did him as well, although much more hurtful then it should have. 

“Blanche, I didn’t realize you were there.”

“I’m small, what'd you expect? And what is with Mister Serious over here? Last time I saw him, he was scared of his own shadow.”

I gave Blanche a look. Sure, it was a bit relieving to know she was alive, but I wouldn’t hesitate to boot her out if she was back to her old thoughts on Nate, especially after hearing that recording. She returned my gaze with one that faded into an almost sorrowful one.

“… sorry. I didn’t mean that, it’s just… old habits are hard to kill, you know? But seriously, you _do_ seem a bit more… serious than before.”

Nate didn’t speak, and I could tell he was trying not to look at Blanche. 

“He has changed, and for the better I might add.” After that little faux pas towards Nate, I didn’t think that it was the right time to continue this part of the talk. “ _How_ did you manage to survive that… explosion?”

“Dunno really. I was tied there, and I was… scared. I've fought for so long, witnessed so many deaths, most of them by my own sword, but when I was there, knowing I was about to die? I never felt anything like that. I should've been vaporized, and I don’t know how I survived. Maybe it was a faulty bomb? Maybe there really is some God or gods above watching out for me, although I can’t imagine anyone who isn’t fucked up themselves wanting to keep me alive, but I blacked out, and a few days later I woke up, looking like this. If it wasn’t for that big lug, I would've probably been shot or stepped on by some ghoulaphobic mammal.”

Then it hit me. “What happened to Drake?”

Nate’s ears perked up at the mention of the deathwing, and his face started to show an eagerness for listening to Blanche’s story.

“He’s alive, but he’s… he’s not himself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ghouls and deathwings aren't too dissimilar. Both of them can survive off of radioactive food and drinks, although at least a deathwing has the option to eat other things. You know the worst part about being a ghoul? Not only does booze taste like piss, or nothing at all, I can’t get drunk anymore! Imagine, me, not being able to get even the smallest buzz? Almost enough to not go on living. Almost.”

“But what about Drake?”

“Oh, well, I guess he swooped in and saved me or something, because when I woke up he was there by my side. He looked bigger, he had a very unhealthy glow to him, and worst of all, he couldn’t talk. If I could take a guess, I think that blast of radiation turned him savage.”

Nate’s ears drooped along with his body.

“Savage? Then why didn’t he eat you?”

“He… I don’t think he could. Not physically, but around me, he just seemed like a very big, yet obedient puppy. He could understand me, but I couldn’t understand him. I spent a good time trying to see if anything remained in him, but he kept disappearing each night, only to return to me smelling of death. You know, I think he was sane enough to remember you two.” She gestured at Nate and I.

“How so?”

“Now, don’t take this the wrong way, I sure as hell did the first few times, but he kept bringing back… body parts. The funny thing? It was always either a fox, or a rabbit.”

I… I didn’t even know how to respond to that. While part of me wondered if it was really his own, albeit very morbid, way of remembering us, the other part of me just felt sorry for those poor, unsuspecting mammals who were killed. Nate’s expression grew into one of concern, but he still remained quiet. Horror filled Mark and Holly’s faces. 

“Now before you go and say or do anything you'll regret, I didn’t care for it one bit, but I was afraid to scold him, not knowing how he’d react. I had no idea how much of him was Drake, and how much was just a deathwing.”

“Where is he now?”

“Outside the base a bit, hidden, I hope. It’s still daylight and he doesn’t seem to like traveling during it much right now. It'll be nightfall in a few hours, so I'll need to return to him before that. Don’t want one of these Guardian maniacs shooting him out of the sky.”

“I…” Nate started to speak, but stopped for a moment. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and started to talk again. “I need to know. _How_ did you and that Legionary get in here, and _why_?”

“First you're quiet, and now your acting all bossy? What, did he finally take the pants from you Olivia?”

I went to say something, but Nate started to talk, with a bit of anger behind it. “First, that is none of your business. Secondly, I'm acting ‘bossy’ because I _am_ the boss!”

“What the hell you getting at?”

“Nate, take a deep breath.” I placed my paw on his arm. I didn’t want him snapping or anything, not until Blanche knew everything. “Well Blanche, I don’t know if you knew, but Chief Lazlo died recently.”

“Yeah, I know. Could hear half the wasteland moping, half of it cheering. I think everyone knows.”

“What they _don’t_ know, is that the new Chief has already been chosen, chosen by Lazlo himself before dying. Nate, is the new Chief.”

“What!? You? You've got to be shitting me!”

Nate couldn’t hold it in anymore. “What? You saying a fox can’t be a leader? You thinking that this, how did you put it, ‘cowardly cur’ isn’t good enough to lead an entire army? Is _that_ what you're saying? I… I was actually feeling bad about your loss, and part of me, I don’t know what part, but it started to miss you. Not as much as Drake. Olivia, she took it the hardest. You know what happened? What happened while you hid your sorry excuse for a friend away? She broke. She broke over, and over again. I did too. I lost an arm trying to save her all while she was scared to death about losing another friend. So you better not give me shit about me not being good enough for this position, or help me I'll make sure you live long enough to regret it.”

“You know why I never showed myself until now? I was scared, alright? I was fucking scared!”

Blanche’s outburst caused Nate to flinch. 

“That recording? It was the truth. I thought I was gonna die, I thought that if I said these things, things I never would have said, that it would be my last words, that I would never know if you even believed them, but I had hoped, I hoped that you did. When I woke and found myself like this? Finding you and saying ‘surprise!’ was on the top of my list, I wanted to, but what if none of you believed what I had said? What if the only legacy I left behind was that of a blood thirsty cunt of a whore who’s friends didn’t even care if she was dead? I couldn’t face that, I didn’t want to face that! I never had friends, and when I thought that maybe I finally made some? I didn’t know how to handle that, I didn’t know how to be someone other than myself. So I drank. I drank and I fought and I cussed at you all. What did it get me? Blown up. Nate, when you yelled at me like that, back before… this happened, I knew you were right. I knew it but my mind wouldn’t let it sink in. Sure that whole thing was dangerous, and even suicidal, but what was the rest of the world doing? Sitting back and watching it crumble, meanwhile, some crazy rabbit and her messed up boyfriend were the only few actually trying to build it back up again, and if they got killed doing it? It still makes you two better mammals than any of them, better mammals than I have ever been. I always fought for money and myself, but fighting for something else? For _someone_ else, and knowing that they were better because of it? That scared me, and I couldn’t face the fact that it did.”

“I’m… sorry.” Nate’s voice broke the silence. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, then and now. I'm sorry I didn't trust you, that I never tried to get to know you better. When I heard that recording, part of me wanted to accept it, but another, smaller part of me, thought that it was just you trying simply sweeten an already sour situation. I’m not gonna tell you we're best of friends, that still needs to come naturally, and it will take time, but I will say that I'm sorry, and I will find it in my heart to forgive you.”

“Th… really? Thank you…”

“Now, before anyone else says something they'll regret, I need to know, for security matters, _how_ did the two of you get in here?”

“For me, it was easy. I’m small, smaller than most rodents, and small enough to slip through some pipes. As for the Legionary bitch? No clue, but I'm sure it happened during all that ruckus from the other day. Remember how I said I wanted to just find you all and say hi? Well, I got close, a few times.”

“What do you mean?”

“Once Drake was a bit… better, I was able to get him to traverse the wasteland looking for you all. The first time I saw you was outside of Hope, when those Red-Neck bastards attacked. I tell you what, I wasn’t expecting that Re… giraffe friend of yours to charge in like that. Honestly, I wanted to help, but I was afraid that Drake would attack indiscriminately and hurt one of you along with the enemies. Thankfully when that giraffe fled that massive armored deathtrap of yours, it left me a way to at least try to help.”

“What are you… no… you didn’t… it was you, wasn’t it?”

“Why you acting so surprised? That bastard had it coming, and everyone knows that you can’t reason with a walking fire-bomb. They’re beyond saving at that point.”

“But, how?”

“That was a bit trickier. I had to get Drake to not only climb into the tuna can and aim the gun, but I had to get him to get me in such a position that I could pull that trigger. Tell you what, that was a very difficult thing to do, glad my aim was good. Both times. I was afraid it be off and I’d kill the wrong mammal.”

“Y-y-you… that shot was flawless!” Holly had a hard time getting the words out.

“It was? Why thank you.”

“What about… wait, the spiders?”

“Yup. That time it was from a weapon that a damn raider dropped. He thought it'd be funny to try to shoot a deathwing in the back. He wasn’t laughing after that. I lost you guys for a while after that, but I knew eventually you would be coming back here, for some reason you always do, so I stayed close. That’s when I saw that rabbit slinking around, popping in and out of invisibility. I knew it was a Legionary, and when I saw her slip through the defenses? I had to follow her, knowing that there was only one reason a Legionary would be here. Your Guardians really shouldn’t turn off your defenses, you know that?”

“We were having a bit of an… internal squabble.”

“Yeah, I can tell. Anyways, you wanna go and see Drake?”

“Yes.” Nate and I answered together.

***

Thankfully it was fairly easy for Nate to get us outside without any issues. Logan was nowhere to be seen, which Nate said was good. Sure, Logan knew about Drake, and knew he wasn’t an immediate danger, but that was the old Drake. If the deathwing were to try anything? He was afraid Logan would shoot first and ask questions later. 

Blanche had left Drake about a quarter mile away, hidden away from the world in a rundown shed. Well, a shed for something like an elephant, because inside, curled on the ground, was the deathwing that I had not seen in what felt like a very long time. I could tell that Nate just wanted to run up to him and say hi, but we all knew this had to be taken slowly. From what Blanche says, he might not react the way he used to. 

“Drake?” I spoke slow, trying to not spook him. 

Drake slowly moved his head until both eyes locked onto me. His jaw opened and closed, as if trying to talk, but only low growls came out of it. I took a chance and took a step forward. Drake slowly moved, uncurling and setting his body upright, but he didn’t look like he wanted to attack. 

I had wondered why Drake choose the ground to sleep on, rather than hanging from the ceiling, but from how rickety this building was, that would've probably caused it to collapse. I took another step. 

“Drake? It’s me, Olivia. Do you remember me?”

He bit at the air, but nothing more. 

“I don’t know if you can understand me, but I'm coming closer, okay?” I took another step, this one a bit larger. 

Drake shook his head and bit at the air a few more times, but didn’t seem like he was going to attack. I took another step. I kept this up, him mimicking the same basic expression over, and over again, until I got close enough to smell his breath. It was nauseating, but I simply swallowed air, held my breath, and moved close enough. He cocked his head and then bit forward, nearly taking my arm off. 

“Olivia!”

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” 

I tried it again, but rather then moving slowly, I pushed my paw a bit more forcefully. He didn’t try to bite, but rather tried to stand up. I paused a moment, letting him sense that I was not a threat before I continued forward. When I was finally close enough, I did what I had always done with Drake. I started to scratch the bottom of his jaw. I felt him relax, and heard the familiar noise of soft purring. He still didn’t talk, but he also didn’t seem to want to take another bite at me.

“Every time I tried that, he wanted to eat me…”

“Guess you don’t have the magic touch like me. Hey Drake, you miss me?” 

He still didn’t speak, but he continued to purr as his body relaxed. 

“Drake? You… you remember me?” 

Nate spoke up and Drake’s head jerked from out of my paw. He stared unblinking towards Nate. Suddenly, and without warning, he jumped up and charged towards Nate who was standing just outside the shack. He moved so quick that none of us could react. Nate stood there, frozen until Drake reached him. What happened next was very unexpected. 

Drake stopped just inches from Nate, and opened his mouth, but instead of what I thought was going to happen occurring, Drake’s long and sticky tongue lashed out and swept across Nate’s face. Drake was… licking him? 

“C-Cub.”

“Drake? You can… talk?” 

“C-cub.”

It was much more forced and raspy than his normal voice, but he repeated it enough to realize it was indeed him talking. 

“Well, guess I know who’s his favorite.”

“Dumb brute wouldn’t even _try_ to talk to me.”

“I missed you buddy.” Nate looked like he wanted to hug Drake, but it was a bit awkward, so instead he did what I did and scratched the bottom of his jaw. 

“ _Chief Valiant, what is your location?_ ” It was Logan calling on Nate’s communicator. 

“He has to call me _now_? Yes Stalker, I know I'm probably late for my fitting. I will be there momentarily.”

“ _No Sir. It’s the Legionary. She’s awake._ ”

***

Drake had been excited to see us, so much that he tried to follow us into the base. Since we still had no idea his true state of mind, I asked Blanche if she would keep him out of sight until we were done. 

Once we got back, we went straight to the medical facility where the Legionary was. She was tied down to a bed, with four armed Stalkers surrounding her. Logan was there, and when Nate came in, his face still sticky from Drake’s saliva, he gave him the same evil eye that he gave us after leaving the room earlier. Nate ignored him and went straight to the prisoner. 

“I’m gonna make this quick and easy. Why are you here?”

“Stupid fox. Let me go and I'll tell you.”

“I ask again, why are you here?”

“For her, you idiot. She’s the only active contract, and she’s worth triple of what she was before.”

“How did you get in here?”

“Turning off the security was a bad move fox.”

“Are you alone?”

“Why, your bitch lose interest in you? Sorry, not into preds.”

“Are you _ALONE_?”

She spat in his face. I really wanted to just punch her, but I had to let Nate show Logan he can handle this. Plus, with all these guns in the room, she wouldn’t be stupid enough to try anything.

“More will be coming.” 

“Who? When? Tell me!”

The rabbit bit down on the inside of her mouth. I saw blood slowly leaking out of it. What was she… suddenly, she started to convulse, and then foam started to pour out of her mouth. Doc shoved his way past the Stalkers and injected her with something, but it was too late. Within seconds she was dead. 

“What the hell just happened?”

Doc put on some gloves and rooted around in her mouth. Then he pulled out a small, white object. “Poison. She had a false tooth filled with it.”

“A suicide pill? Damn! Did she have anything else on her?” Nate was not happy.

“Yes Sir. She had some documents. With her wrists damaged, she wasn’t able to destroy them. We found a small thermal explosive in her bag, if she had gotten the change, it would've been all gone.”

“But she didn’t. Does it lead to anywhere else Stalker?”

“There were multiple mentions of the old Town Hall building.”

“That’s… that’s near Precinct One! Stalker Logan, get a strike team together. We're heading out in less than two hours.”

“Yes Sir!”

Logan left, and Doc started to unbuckle the rabbit’s body. 

“I need to go take care of a few things, could you take my brother and Holly and get ready? I’ll meet up with you once I'm done.”

“Sure thing Nate. Come on guys, let’s go. Hey Doc, got anything for Mark? He’s a bit… hung over.”

***

I was in the middle of getting ready when Onion’s voice came from my Pip-Boar.

“Miss?”

“Oh, Onion, you startled me. Is everything okay?”

“No Miss. At least, I’m not sure. Mister Valiant has ordered a mandatory meeting in the Hall.”

“What for?”

“I don’t know Miss. He found a way to deactivate my audio sensors. I feel a bit embarrassed about it.”

“Well you are in _his_ arm after all.”

“Yes. You better hurry Miss. This sounds rather urgent.”

I dropped what I was doing and went next door to grab Mark and Holly. They seemed just as oblivious as I was to this sudden meeting. The only thing I can think of is that since Nate is leaving for the first time after being made Guardian, he wanted to make sure the place didn’t fall apart, but wasn’t that what Logan was for?

We were some of the last mammals to enter the Hall. I saw Guardians of all shapes and sizes, probably the whole force save for those out on patrol. Some were barely dressed, telling me that they were dragged out of their beds for this. Whatever it was, it seemed much more important than a simple order change.

Nate was standing calmly by the podium, dressed in his new uniform. It was a dark grey that was on the verge of clashing with his almost russet fur. He looked so different standing up there, stern, commanding. Almost like I pictured Lazlo whenever he'd have called a meeting like this.

“Guardians!” Nate started out loud, with a bit of… I don’t know if it was anger, but something was bothering him. “It's come to my attention rather blatantly that a number of you don't think I'm up to snuff! That I'm not strong enough to lead you. Some because I'm a fox, some think because I'm so small I must be weak. SO I've had no choice but to do something drastic to address this. I'm from a burrow. Enough of you know this fact and even a few of you have joked about how weak and supple it must have made me… 'Living in the lap of Burrow-Tec luxury' I think were the immediate words used just ONE table away from me. Allow me to unequivocally lay that theory to rest.” 

Something must have happened. Did he over hear a misplaced conversation? I know there were still a few Guardians who didn’t approve of Nate’s position, so it’s not surprising that someone would've eventually overheard a negative conversation. What did happen next, that was a surprise. I watched as Nate started to unbutton his uniform jacket, dropping it almost unceremoniously upon the podium to his left before he stripped the undershirt off. His bare fur was now revealed to all. Why did he start to talk about his Burrow, what was he… then it hit me. He wasn’t, was he? I remember, that one night that feels so long ago when I first found out about what they did to him, and how I was able to still feel the scars through his fur. Part of me didn’t want to imagine him going through what I knew in my heart he was about to do. The other half was stunned into silence by how brazen he was being. I'd never seen Nate like this and I couldn't help but want to drag him off that stage. I think Holly saw that and stopped me almost immediately by laying a paw on my shoulder.

"Stalker Logan! Front and Center! Now, as I learned over the past three years. Every one of you respects Stalker Logan for his honesty and forthright loyalty to the Guardians and Lazlo. So far he's been teaching me the ropes and helping me ease into my new Position. Discipline is normally his domain, but I wanted to handle this my own way. Stalker Logan, you will follow my word to the letter. I want you to use the pads of your paw and dig below the fur of my back until you come into contact with skin, then I want you to relate what you feel there to every mammal in this auditorium. Do it Logan. That's a direct order."

I sat there, not able to do anything but watch as Logan reached out, almost hesitating before he finally shoved his paw along Nate's back, digging under the fur almost tentatively until he came into contact with skin. Then I saw it, the shock as he suddenly moved behind Nate, both of his paws now running through his fur and all over his back as disbelief and dawning realization started to encroach upon his features. It all too soon turned to horror and pain before he finally stepped away and shook his head, it was almost as if he couldn't believe what his paws and eyes were telling him as he looked at my fox in a new light.

"Stalker Logan, report!"

"S-Sir I… Sir… I."

"OUT WITH IT STALKER!"

"SIR! Scars sir! Dozens of them lapping over each other and… Bone, broken and healed and re-broken bone all along your ribs and I refuse to think where else, SIR!" He was shaking, the strongest angriest wolf I've seen in the Guardian's ranks was actually shaking as he stepped back again.

"My life in the burrow was a living nightmare for 15 years until my family and I escaped. Until I was ten years old I was faced with verbal abuse and… What the staff liked to refer to as disciplinary action. Our overseer ensured that as a predator I was the public example to every other predator that the prey were in control. Security took particular enjoyment in being able to publicly shame and 'punish' me just because of what I was. One of them even had the gall to _molest_ me for six years before he was finally caught molesting another prey child. Of course… That he molested me didn't matter so much. That wasn't the worst of it though. Broken bones, internal bleeding, all of that. None of it was as bad as what my Overseer, Elijah Kerrigan, did to me. Every Friday at five a.m. sharp I was forced down into his office for a weekly… 'Corrective education' session. Where he'd then...'Educate' me on why I should be so gracious to be alive, why I was worthless, why it was by his 'kind' and 'heartfelt' treatment that I was alive. He'd play grueling mind-games with me, try to mess me up on purpose and instantly call me out on being wrong. Then? Then beat me until he broke flesh and it would start all over again. Every time leaving a little reminder of our weekly...Sessions. He'd strike me as hard as he could, enough times to brake skin and leave a new and lasting scar. That's why I always appear so scruffy to you all. My body is so covered in scars that my fur will never grow in naturally again, not even my tail is exempt from that little detail."

He had paused there and I couldn't help but cry. As hard as I tried, I couldn't keep quiet as my tears stung all the way down my cheeks. Nathan, my Fox, my brave fox was pulling away the veil of his past to every mammal here. Showing them everything he had gone through and I know it was hurting him inside to do this so publicly.

"It almost worked too you know. Had me really believing I was worthless for a long time, eighteen years in fact. Up until nearly a month ago I was still believing those lies. It took a brave little bunny to show me the path I was meant to be on and just how deep the wells of strength run within me. I'm still finding those depths, sounding them out. This is all new to me, and yes, I'm scared because I KNOW I can't do this on my own. I need you all to help me on that. Every one of us is a part of this team and if a few of you feel that you can't handle the fact that I'm a fox and I'm in charge now? Well then that's not just on you to come to terms with. We all must come to terms with what's happened. Lazlo, Maximilian Lazlo. The mammal both Stalker Logan and I still see as a father to us believed in me. I don't need to repeat his final words as to why he chose me. You've all heard the recordings by now and know how much it hurt us to lose him, so I can only ask you all to work with me, help me make this situation work for all of us. Because whether you like it or not. We all were a family to Lazlo, we all are still a family to him. I can't and won't even try to change that fact. Family of course fights amongst itself. It's only natural to do that in a family, but it's also natural to care about that family and when something new is thrown into the mix. We all won't respond the same way. The way I had to learn what a number of you think of me wasn't the best. Whispered words and brazen comments right behind my back. That's not the way I try to live my life and since I see us as a family. I felt I had no reason to hide my past from any of you."

I couldn't take much more of this, to see him wearing down after all of this being revealed to every mammal in the base. I just wanted to drag him off of that stage and hold onto him. I didn't care how long, I just wanted to hold him and tell him it was alright. That he's the strongest, bravest mammal I know and I wouldn't have any other mammal in my life. Holly and Mark were sandwiching me between them now, holding me close to them and trying to provide what comfort they could, even as tears of their own were being shed. I wanted to look up. I wanted to look angrily at all the mammals who were speaking ill of Nate… But I couldn't muster up the strength to do that. All I could do was cling to my little family and try to comfort them as they were me.

"Guardians! I am stronger because of my experiences. I have never felt the way I do today. The old me wouldn't be standing here. He'd be hiding in some small room trying to fix a computer or putting together some piece of technology he'd found in a closet. Because he felt worthless. That's still a part of me, there will be days where I feel just that weak, just that worthless. That's still a part of who I am and I know I won't be able to entirely escape it, but I have a family I've relied upon my entire life. It grew a little, shrunk a bit, then grew again. So now I'm standing in front of another family and I have to ask that family. After what I've shared with you, after what you've witnessed today and heard what I've had to say… Will you accept us as a part of your family? Or will you continue to shun our existence here? Well? Give me an answer Guardians!"

He barked that order out, stronger than I'd ever heard him before and I actually felt a smile at that. My Nate, my fox, was stronger than he ever was before. He was making himself so vulnerable to retaliation right now and he didn't even care if there was about to be backlash, and thankfully? There wasn't any I could hear as nearly every voice started to roar my fox's name. When I was finally able to look up all I saw was Nate, grinning right back at me as a few tears ran down his cheeks.

"GUARDIANS! We are a family, when one of us stumbles, we all rush to help them back on their feet. When one of us falls, we all feel the loss. We are a family so stand strong Guardians! You're all dismissed! Those of you detailed to the Legionary Hunt are to report to the lift pad in forty minutes! Now get your ugly mugs out of here and let's get back to making this world a little better every day!"

"You heard the Chief! Dismissed! All those who have duty to attend to better be back on it in the next ten minutes or I'm coming after you myself!" 

I couldn't help but smile as I watched Logan stand by Nate, resting a paw on his shoulder with a bit of a grin himself. I guess he just couldn't help but make his… No _our_ family a bit bigger again. We seem to have started doing that a lot lately and I couldn't be more proud.

***

The three of us waited there, waited for the rest of the Guardians to clear out of the assembly hall and go about their business. Jasmine, Zack, Logan, and a few others that were close enough to us were all that remained. I wiped my tears and walked down to Nate, my walk turning into a sprint. I couldn’t give two fucks what Logan thought, I just wanted to give my fox a hug, and he returned it eagerly.

“That was… What happened to cause this?”

“I was returning from my fitting when I overheard a few Guardians in the rec-room. One of them had been ‘loyal’ to King, but the others were newer recruits, brought here only weeks before we lost Mister Lazlo. He was trying to spread rumors and hate about me to the fresh blood, probably hoping that it would spread like wildfire. It wasn’t until I overheard a few more in the mess hall that I knew I had to nip this in the bud.”

“What happened to the one who tried to start the rumors?”

“Latrine duty, for the next three months. I expect he'll be leaving the Guardians long before he serves his time.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through with that. I know it must have been hard.”

“It… was, but it had to be done. The Guardians have already been divided, I need to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I doubt I will have converted everyone, but there are plenty of shitters in this place.”

“If you ever do that to me, I will personally shave your tail. Got it?”

“Yes Ma’am!” Nate saluted me, jokingly.

“Please don’t ever call me ma’am again. It feels… weird. And that whole saluting thing? No. Just… no. Nice suit though.”

“Yeah, I wanted something similar to Mister Lazlo’s, but at the same time something that stood out.”

“I like it. So, you okay leaving after all that?”

“Stalker Logan has it under control. We’re gonna also escort an engineer team. Since they need to process the mini-nukes, Tuskgen thinks it would be good to have an armed team to escort them back, so since we're gonna be in the area, I volunteered us.”

“Sounds smart. Let’s get this show on the road. It feels like a very long time since I’ve killed anyone.”

“You're starting to sound like Blanche.”

“We should check up on them on the way out. You also might wanna inform Logan of what happened, just in case.”

“Don’t worry, I plan on it.”

Nate went off to talk with Logan as Mark, Holly and I headed towards Jasmine and Zack. We had started to chat about what happened, letting Jasmine know about Blanche and Drake’s return, and shared our feelings on what just transpired a few minutes ago. If Zack didn’t have any respect for Nate before, now he was almost visually exuding it. Once we were all caught up, we started to head out, but not before Holly suddenly stopped, her face looking like mine felt when I finally put two and two together. 

“Wait, mini-nukes?” An evil grin spread across her face. 

He had to mention nukes, didn’t he?

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Today we finally got a hold of Olivia Springs. It was a bit difficult in getting her to both agree with an interview, and to not get shot, but we caught up with her outside the Guardian headquarters as she was checking on another companion that you saw the return of as well. Speaking of which, how is the deathwing doing?”

**[Olivia]**

“He’s slowly getting back to normal, well normal for him at least. And remember our deal. You keep the questions straight and to the point and I won’t have Blanche finish giving you a buzz cut.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes… my head is a bit drafty as it is… Do you know how long it takes a mane that big to grow back? Ahem. Anyways, let’s get this show on the road, so to speak. First things first, how do you feel now that your boyfriend is the leader of the Guardians?”

**[Olivia]**

“It still feels weird to me. Not in a bad way, it’s just that… I remember the sweet innocent fox that hated to hurt a fly, and now he is the leader of one of the most armed groups in the wasteland? It really takes time to settle in. I think he’s feeling the pressure already.”

**[Stripes]**

“How so?”

**[Olivia]**

“There are many who are still loyal to Chief Lazlo who don’t see in him what Lazlo himself saw in Nate. From what I hear, they are begrudgingly following Nate’s orders until he messes up.”

**[Stripes]**

“Do you expect him to mess up?”

**[Olivia]**

“Yes. I mean… he’s scared, and I can tell. I think he’s afraid he will mess things up, or won’t live up to Lazlo’s wishes. I will do what ever I can to make sure he doesn’t fail, but I am not a Guardian so there isn’t much I can do sometimes.”

**[Stripes]**

“You turned down Chief Lazlo’s request for you to join the Guardians. If asked again, would recent events change your mind?”

**[Olivia]**

“No. I mean, I like what they do, and I want to help others just like they are supposed to, and I want to be by Nate’s side through all of this, but it isn’t my life. Not only do I have the knack of finding trouble, trouble usually finds me as well. I would be too much of a liability to them.”

**[Stripes]**

“Hmm… maybe a liaison to the Guardians? Just throwing out things. So, what are your plans now?”

**[Olivia]**

“Make sure Nate gets acclimated to his new role and then go find those bastard Legionaries once and for all.”

**[Stripes]**

“I wish you luck on that. Though, I gotta ask, what are your plans for the future?”

**[Olivia]**

“Living. I want to live out my life with Nate by my side, maybe have children of my own.”

**[Stripes]**

“Starting a family is always a good goal, even if the wasteland is very against it. Though, how will things work out between you and Nate? Lazlo never had time for a family of his own, and because of that, the Bogo bloodline is over.”

**[Olivia]**

“I… That’s strike one.”

**[Stripes]**

“You too? What is with the… fine. Let’s talk about Onion shall we? Are there any plans to extract him from your boyfriends arm?”

**[Olivia]**

“I really don’t want him to be constrained to another’s actions. He should be free to do what he wants, where he wants like any living mammal. Unfortunately, things have been too hectic to really find another solution. I want to build him a new body, but if Tuskgen didn’t have what she needed to build Nate’s arm, I doubt I could make a fully functional robot without scavenging or buying the right parts.”

**[Stripes]**

“What about your friend Mr Wilde?”

**[Olivia]**

“How do you know that name?”

**[Stripes]**

“Whoa there! You can put away that deathly stare. I have a fairly recent interview with him, after the incidents that revealed who he really was, not that it was much of a surprise to most of you folks, but from what I got, he isn’t going to stop his trade within Hope anytime soon.”

**[Olivia]**

“Was he… did he mention me?”

**[Stripes]**

“He was a little on edge, but give him time, I promise you he will return to his friendly self soon enough.”

**[Olivia]**

“I… I should have never let him run out of there like that. I should have ran after him.”

**[Stripes]**

“Then you might not have reached Lazlo before he died, King might still be running the headquarters, and who knows how many more Guardians would have gotten killed trying to rescue their Chief. No, I think you did the right thing.”

**[Olivia]**

“How do you even know all of that?”

**[Stripes]**

“I am really good at climbing, and shattering, walls.”

**[Olivia]**

“Uh… what?”

**[Stripes]**

“Never mind. So, the moment you can actually rest and take it easy, what is the first thing you want to do?”

**[Olivia]**

“Sleep. Or maybe eat. Eat then sleep. Real food is hard to come by, even with Bo’s garden and trade routes within Hope. I still have to rely mostly on that processed crap. I also need more sleep. Between long days and restless nights, I feel like I am growing weaker by the day. I think a nice food coma is in order soon.”

**[Stripes]**

“Sounds like a typical day to me. Just, replace food with hard cider.”

**[Olivia]**

“No wonder you’re so odd. You probably killed most of your braincells drowning yourself in booze.”

**[Stripes]**

“Hey! Quit making assumptions. Plus, I’m not even an alcoholic. I can quit when ever I want to.”

**[Olivia]**

“Prove it.”

**[Stripes]**

“I don’t want to right _now_.”

**[Olivia]**

“Are we done here? I have things to do.”

**[Stripes]**

“Uh, yes. Well folks, I hope you enjoyed another After Show. I have a few ideas left for the remaining shows, but I want to hear what _YOU_ want. There are only eight more shows left, and way too much content to fill it. If there are any interviews you want to see, or lore you want detailed, ask. While some I won’t be able to tell you due to spoilers, you never know what little tidbits I have hidden away just waiting for some reader to ask. So, until next time, take care everyone!”


	75. Surprise at City Hall

“Okay Doc, he’s over here.” 

Everyone who was going with us to City Hall had gathered in the hanger, but when I brought up Blanche and Drake, he started to get concerned. Not for Blanche, but for the not so talkative deathwing. Nate and I were probably the closest to Drake other than Blanche, so his health concerned us the most, but he seemed to be taking it much harder than me. I missed the big guy, but I think trying to not focus on Blanche’s ‘death’ also pushed Drake out of my head as well. It was hard to think of him and not picture him going in after Blanche after the bombs started to go off. All that radiation had really messed him up it seems. 

That's why Nate got the idea to get Doc involved with this little effort. There's no such thing as an ‘expert’ when it comes to deathwings. I'm sure there are mammals who have tried, and just as I'm sure about that, I'm also sure that they all failed, whether it was death, dismemberment, or simply fear overwhelming them at the last minute. Sure I don’t know this exactly, but even my own curiosity wouldn’t put me within a mile of a savage deathwing, and I've already fought three.

“Do you think this'll work Doc?” 

Nate was the one leading Doc to where Blanche and Drake were. We had left Mark and Holly to wait back at the base to make sure that they didn’t take off without us, but I doubt that was necessary since everyone's boss was absent as well. While Drake normally was friendly towards Mark and Holly, in his current state, I didn’t want to risk them getting hurt. I was concerned for Doc as well, but he insisted on going with us. 

“I have no idea, but theoretically it should. A deathwing physiology is one of the few unknown biological components within this world, so to get this close to one is a dream come true to some.”

“But aren’t you scared?” To me he looked as calm and straightforward has he ever does.

“Terrified. The one thing I have learned after all these years, after saving, and losing, so many mammals, is that fear is natural. Without it, you're not strong or tough, you're simply ignorant to your own mortality. Those who cannot face death without even the smallest bit of fear are doomed to their fate. However, there is a difference between not being afraid, and not showing it. I hide it and with good reason. Fear spreads. If you were dying and I showed you that I was afraid that I couldn’t save you, then you may simply accept your fate and die rather than struggle to hang onto that slim thread. So, am I afraid? Yes I am, but I won’t show that fear to anyone other than myself unless I have to.”

“That’s rather… poetic Doc. Ever think about writing poems?” Sometimes a mammal surprises me, and Doc certainly did the job there.

“I actually used to write, but put that behind me when I joined the Guardians. Being their physician is a full time job.”

“I can always find others who are willing to take the burden off your shoulders Doc, give you some more free time to do something you enjoy.”

“I enjoy _this_. I'm not a doctor simply by trade, or out to earn some caps. I enjoy saving lives, working on new beneficial medicines, and making sure that I have enriched the lives of mammals any way I can. I wouldn’t give this up for anything in the world.”

“The Guardians are glad to have you Doc.” 

“Thank you Mister… Chief Valiant. Very few appreciate my work the way I do.”

We finally arrived at the shack where Blanche and Drake were. 

“Doc, Nate, you two stay here for just a moment. I wanna let Blanche know what we're up to first. The sudden arrival of the Guardians new Chief dressed in his uniform, along with a lab coat wearing mammal might cause some unnecessary stress, even if it is just you Nate.”

They waited on the other side as I moved to the front. Inside, Drake was curled up on the ground. I didn’t see Blanche anywhere, so I quietly slipped in. It was starting to smell, and I saw the rotting corpses of various creatures laying around Drake. It didn’t look like he's done too much other than stay inside here.

“Hey.” Blanche dropped down from the ceiling and landed on my shoulder. 

“Fuck! Don’t scare me like that!” 

“That’s why I said ‘hey’. Anyways, what’s up?”

“Your seeming a bit… mellow.”

“Eh. Really haven’t felt like my bitchy self lately. I’m worried about him.” She pointed at the half asleep deathwing on the floor.

“He seemed fine, other than the whole semi-feral and non-talkative thing.”

“That’s the thing. He was starting to get better. I finally got him to stop attacking random mammals, and while I couldn’t get him to speak, I think he was starting to remember me. Then he meets back up with you two and from the moment you guys left, he started acting like this.”

I walked over to Drake and knelled down near his head. He was breathing heavily, and his eye was half open. I put my paw on top of his head and slowly stroked the black fur upon it. I heard a low growl followed by some clicking as his eye widened. 

“Hey there Drake. How you doing?”

He opened his jaw a few times, as if wanting to talk, but always closed it without any sound other than his breathing. I checked my Pip-Boar’s radiation detector. It started to click as I waved it over Drake’s body. 

“Just as I thought. You said that he started to act… savage after saving you?”

“Yeah. Think all the rads got to him. I’ve seen something similar in ghouls before, but he’s not glowing like them.”

“Hey Nate, Doc, you can come in.”

“What’s going on Olivia?” Blanche sounded concerned.

“Well, I guess Nate had a talk with Doc, the Guardian’s lead physician, and he thinks he may have something to help.”

Doc came in, his paws resting in each of his lab coat’s side pockets. Nate was right behind him, still dressed in his new uniform. He took one look at Drake and I could tell he knew something was wrong with him. Doc slowly walked up to where I was and knelt down next to Drakes head. Drake growled what sounded like a warning, but Doc kept still. 

“Drake, he’s a friend, okay?”

His growling quieted, but his eye kept locked on Doc as he slowly drew out what looked like a gun, but rather than a barrel, it had a long needle on the tip of it. A small vial was connected to the back with a hazy green liquid in it. 

“Hey ass-twat! What are you planning on doing with that?”

“Blanche, it’s okay. Like I said, he wants to help. You care to explain this to her Doc?”

“It’s quite simple really. Radiation poisoning is not uncommon, especially amongst the Guardians. Over the years I've developed and re-engineered certain chems to aid in the recovery of such sicknesses. From what Chief Valiant explained, it sounds like this deathwing here has developed advanced stages of it, but due to his unnatural physiology, it is not effecting him the same as it would a normal mammal or even a ghoul.”

“Wait, what do you _mean_ by ‘unnatural’?” the way he casually said it made me stop and think. 

“Oh, you didn’t know?”

“Know what Doc?”

“Keep in mind that most of the documentation was lost through time, but what little the Guardians have uncovered show that deathwings were not a natural form of evolution, or even a strain of mutation like some of the other creatures out there, but rather an act of genetic manipulation gone wrong.”

“You mean they were created? By who?”

“No clue. Like I said, most of it was lost to time, but from the sound of it, they were meant to be some kind of super soldier. Whether they were supposed to look like some kind of mythical creature or not is up to debate. No one has gotten close enough to one to try to find out.”

“Well you better not go and try to dissect him or anything you ass-twat!”

“I would never. He is such a unique specimen that it would be a shame to let him die like that. Plus, the way the Chief here talks about him, he’d probably dissect _me_ if I even tried.”

“Your damn right I would.”

“That’s very unprofessional of you sweetie.”

“So is calling me sweetie.”

“If you two wouldn’t mind not flirting with each other, I can continue my explanation.”

“Sorry.” Nate and I said it simultaneously. 

“As I was saying, since I had to constantly modify my radiation chem to adapt to different circumstances, I occasionally created a serum that would not perform the job, but rather aid in increasing the effects of the sickness, or even worse, outright kill the mammal. Despite these failures, I made sure to log them as to prevent me from accidentally duplicating any negative results. Due to this need to log even the failures, I have quite the extensive catalog of them.”

“Get to the point you ass-twat, what’s with the needle?”

“Yes, well, as I said, I discovered a few that would amplify the effects of radiation poisoning rather than cure it. One such failure I believe will actually be the key to saving his life.”

“What if it doesn’t? What if it makes him worse, or even kills him? How do you know it will even work?”

“I don’t.”

“Well you fucking ass-twat, you better go back to your little lab and find one you _know_ will work!”

“The only way to be certain this will work is to have a live subject to test it on, and since I highly doubt another deathwing will come walking into our base, it’s the only option.”

“I’d rather him die like this than suffer whatever is in that fucking vial! How many mammals have you killed trying to perfect this miracle cure? Huh?”

“None.”

“Then how the fuck do you know if it works then?”

“Because I test every single one, on myself.”

A stunned silence filled the small shack. Nate’s eyes were locked on him in horror, and even Blanche’s showed a bit of shock as well. I was caught by surprise as well, but oddly enough, by a bit of curiosity as well.

“How are you even still alive?”

“I may use my own body as a testing ground, but I'm not careless. For every chem I make, I create a counter to it, one that will instantly negate its effects. If it fails, I always have someone standing by to inject me with the counter-agent.”

“Wait, if you're testing anti-radiation chemicals, then does that mean you…”

“Yes. I submit myself to a controlled radiation exposure. That's the only way to know without putting another’s life in danger.”

Nate stepped up and placed his paw on Doc’s shoulder. “Doc, did Mister Lazlo know about this?”

“No. Only one person knew. Chief Lazlo cares about his Guardians too much, he would have never let me do it, but it’s my duty to save lives, and I must be willing to do anything to be able to, even if it’s putting myself in danger.”

“Doctor Jebediah Hedgeworth. You will not risk your own life over that of the others.”

“But Sir…”

“No exception. I will not risk losing one of the best doctors I know because of some foolish mistake.”

“This is my life Sir. You know how many Guardians, how many civilians that I would have lost if it wasn’t for my self tested medicine? At least half of the Guardians owe their life because of what I do to myself. Would you be willing to risk that over a single life?”

“Yes. Every life matters to me, and yours is no exception. You are hear by ordered to refrain from all self testing, and to give me the identity of your assistant. They will not be punished, and neither will you, I just need to know in order to speak with them regarding my decision.”

“I… I can’t give you her name.”

“I order you Doctor.”

I could see that this was starting to effect Doc. He was showing signs of concern in his face, something other than his typical sternness, and it just felt unnatural to see it. 

“Nate, we need to hurry up, the others are waiting for us.” I nodded towards Doc, and after Nate’s eyes met with his, I could see he saw the same concern that I was. 

“Doc, please continue with this. We'll speak again when I return.”

“Yes Sir.” He turned away from Nate and held up the syringe. “Now…” his voice cracked, another sign that what Nate had said was impacting him. He cleared his throat and spoke again, this time sounding more like his usual self. “This may sting him, do you mind keeping him still?”

Nate walked over to Drake. He bent down and stroked the top of Drakes head like I had been doing. His eye focused on Nate, and it almost looked like a smile formed on the deathwing’s face. 

“Drake, Doc is here to help, okay? You will feel a sting, but it’s okay, nothing bad will happen to you, I promise.”

I moved close to Nate and placed my hand on Drake’s head, right next to Nate’s. “And I'm here too. It'll be okay, I promise.”

“C-cu… B-Bun…” Drake tried to get the words out, but it almost sounded like it hurt him to do so.

“Shh, you don’t have to talk or move.” I moved my paw to his jaw and started to scratch. A very weak purring started. “Okay Doc, now's the best time.”

Nate and I kept our focus on Drake, so we didn’t know when, or where Doc injected him. Drakes blinked a few times and started to growl, but Nate and I kept there, trying to make sure he didn’t react negatively. His iris started to fog up. 

“Doc? Is this normal?”

Doc moved over to where we were and turned on a small flashlight, shining it in Drake’s eye. “Yes. A bit more sudden than I anticipated, but it’s not a bad sign.”

“How long will it take to work?”

“Hours, maybe even days, who knows. Like I said, I had no way to test it without another deathwing, so while I'm certain of its ability to heal, I'm unsure of how long it will take.”

Nate took a small box out of his pocket and set it on the ground. “I don’t have anything smaller unfortunately, but this is a direct communicator tied to my Pip-Boar. Blanche, keep me informed of anything, okay?”

“Yes…” Blanche replied with a sense of uncertainty in her voice.

“While I don’t like his methods of testing, I trust Doc when he says it will work. We should be going. Doc, can you make sure to check up on Drake here and there?”

“Yes Sir.”

“It was good seeing you again Blanche.”

“Yeah. You too. Though I'm NOT calling you Sir, or Chief.”

“Since you're not a Guardian, you can just call me Nate. It’s what my friends call me after all.”

“Yeah, well, don’t you ass-twats have something to do?”

That’s the thing about Blanche. If she's calling you names in that tone, you know she cares about you, even if it’s only a little bit. It’s her calmness that gets me concerned. With how she responded to Nate, I can tell that she at least trusts the Doc. With all the times he saved me from near death, I do too. I'm just not sure how I feel about his means of doing so.

***

We finally made it back to the hangar and after a small ‘discussion’ with Logan about Nate needing to be back already, we finally left. We told Mark and Holly what happened, well everything except the whole Doc issue. Nate wanted to work it out with him before mentioning it to anyone else. He had asked me my opinion on it, and I told him I was torn. On one paw, it was putting one of the best doctors in the Guardians in danger every time, even if he had an assistant watch over him, but on the other paw, Doc was right. His self-sacrifice has saved countless lives. I reminded him that both of us have put our own lives in jeopardy more than once in order to save another’s life. The only difference was, this was pre-meditated as opposed to spur of the moment. There was no rush of adrenalin and other chemicals altering his perception of events, Doc was doing this with a sound mind. I think all I did was confuse Nate even more on what to do with Doc. Thankfully, he didn’t mention it again the rest of the trip. 

The trip was rather familiar, taking the same path as we did to Precinct One the first time. That trip ended with tears, and it was making me a bit fearful as to what to expect. 

“You okay Olivia?” Nate placed his paw on my back and slowly massaged it. 

“Yeah. No. I don’t know. Last time we followed this same path, it ended up with Lazlo dying, along with many Guardians. It also ended with me nearly losing Onion as well.”

“ _I am still here Miss._ ”

“Yeah I know Onion, it’s just that, it feels different, you know? I was so used to hearing your voice and then seeing you floating nearby that every-time I hear it, I can’t help myself but look for you.”

“ _I do apologize Miss._ ”

“Don’t apologize Onion. You saved not only us, but part of the wasteland from turning into one big crater. I just… why didn’t I think about downloading you into my Pip-Boar?”

“ _I don’t blame you Miss. You were not in the right state of mind to do such a thing. Plus, I am uncertain I would have been fully decrypted within your Pip-Boar Miss._ ”

“What do you mean? I should have plenty of room in here.”

“May I?” Nate placed his real paw on my Pip-Boar screen.

“Sure.”

Without taking it off, Nate started to poke away at it. After a few moments he had a rather shocked face. “Your memory is at fifteen percent capacity.”

“You mean I'm using fifteen percent?”

“No, you have fifteen percent _left_. What do you have on this thing?”

“Nothing. Hell, up until I met you, I barely knew how to use the thing other than interface with my projects.” Thinking about my lack of knowledge on this thing still gets to me. How can I call myself a ‘genius’ if I can’t even figure out a device that has been attached to my arm for the past twelve years.

“Hmm… wow this is some deep level encryption here. Not saying it’s beyond my capability, but it would take time, but whatever it is, is taking up nearly sixty percent of your total memory.”

“What could it possibly be?”

Before Nate could respond, a voice cut into the Tac-Lifter’s radio. 

“ _Chief Valiant, come in._ ”

“Report Agent.”

“ _We have signs of Legionary activity at the Hall_.”

“How many?”

“ _At least a dozen Sir. All heavily armed_.”

“Thank you Agent, please inform me of…”

“ _We have a situation down here Sir._ ”

“Situation?”

“ _Yes Sir. The Legionaries look to be engaged with another group, but… no, wait. I have visual contact. Robots Sir._ ”

“Robots? What do you mean, robots?”

“ _Five large robots, they appear to be modified Ultra Sentinels, seem to be engaging the Legionary forces. Orders Sir?_ ”

“Do not engage. Keep an eye on them and we'll meet up with you shortly. Chief Valiant out.”

“Robots?” Images of the robot that attacked Hope, and the one that attacked Drake popped into my head. I haven’t seen too many out here, but all the ones I have seen have been trouble.

“Ultra Sentinels too. That’s the same thing that attacked Hope, right before we first met.”

“Yeah, I remember that. I also remember how you nearly blew up the town, sweetie.” I jokingly nudged him.

“If it wasn’t for that, I probably would have never gotten to talk to you, you know that?”

He was right. The only reason I had talked to him was because Mayor Swift wanted me to be there while she ‘interrogated’ him. If that had never happened, he, along with his brother and Holly would have probably left Hope behind for their bunker. It really is funny how an event such as a nuclear powered robot going critical can shape someone's lives like that. 

“Yeah. Of course, if I didn’t meet you, maybe I would have hooked up with Jessie. I mean, she _did_ seem to be hitting on me ever since I stepped foot in that place…”

“She wasn’t hitting on you, she was just making you feel welcome.”

“Well she _did_ give me a sexy nightgown. I mean, she _is_ into women, and I am one after all.” 

“Enough talk about who almost banged who. Sheesh.” Holly actually seemed annoyed. Still a little teasing, but also a little annoyed. 

“I hate to interrupt this… engaging conversation, but we're here Sir.” Zack interrupted before either Nate or I could respond to Holly. 

“Land us behind Precinct One. We'll escort the engineer team before moving on to our primary mission.”

“Yes Sir!”

“You really have been adapting to this whole leadership thing well Nate. I’m actually a bit surprised to be honest.”

“Honestly, it's something to keep my mind focused on. Not saying that I don’t think about you, sometimes that’s _all_ I can think of… ahem, but, it helps give me a purpose in life that I never thought I'd have. It’s all thanks to you Olivia.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m… I was not a very strong mammal, you know that. I was broken, and honestly, I still am, but you gave me the glue to help keep myself together, and this seems to be helping to further support it. If I never met you and this still happened, if Mister Lazlo died and made me leader? I don’t think I could have stood up to King like that, I don’t think I could have shown all those mammals what happened to me all those years ago. I wouldn’t have been able to refuse him, but I also don’t think I would have had the strength to do it.”

“I'm glad to have been able to help you. I really am. You have helped me too. When I left the Burrow, I felt like I was being compelled to save everyone, to be the hero that Hope called me. I've since learned that it's impossible to do that, at least not alone. You've shown me that I need to protect those closest to me first, and only by having a shoulder to lean on, having friends, and a family to support me, only then am I able to protect those around me.”

“Why can’t you have such touching things to say about me Marki!” 

“Um… I love you?” Mark seemed hesitant about what he was saying.

“Way to ruin the moment Holly.” I would have punched her if I didn’t have two foxes between us.

A hard shake informed us that we had landed. Almost as if by instinct, Nate switched back to leader mode.

“Alright, Defender Bronco, Stalker Jessup, make sure that those Engineers are protected at all times. We're dangerously close to an active combat zone, and while this area is still reported as clear, I don’t want anything to happen to them, or those nukes.”

“ _Yes Sir. Shall we wait for your return once they're done?_ ”

“Yes, await escort back to the base, but if for any reason waiting will endanger the transport of the cargo, alert me and Control as to the situation and high-tail it back to the base.”

“ _Understood Sir._ ”

“So, what now?”

“We walk.”

***

It was a long and slow walk. Based upon Agent communication, Nate had us take the long way around to prevent either of the opposing forces from noticing us. When we finally were able to reach a good vantage point, the entire battlefield was in front of us to see. Just as the Agent had said, there were five of those large three legged robots lined up and shooting at six Legionaries. From the corpses littering the ground, their force used to be much larger. 

“How are we going to face off against five of those? Taking one down was hard enough.”

“You got any of those remote bullets?”

“No, I haven’t had time to make more.”

“Hmm. Stalker Rothschild.”

“Yes Sir?”

“Do you have any armor piercing rounds for your rifle?”

“Yes, I… Yes I do.”

“Good. Now, give me just a moment… could you bend down a bit? Thanks.” 

Nate pulled a cable out of his arm and connected it to a small backpack like device that was adjacent to Jasmine’s gun. He did something with his Pip-Boar before detaching the cable.

“I uploaded the schematics of an Ultra Sentinel to your interactive display. You see it?”

“Yes. I mean, Yes Sir.”

“Target the round into the highlighted area on my signal. Reload and repeat as fast as you can.”

“Where did you get those schematics Nate?”

“Being Chief of the Guardians does have some perks, such as having access to pre-war documents like this. The Guardians don’t use robots anymore, but apparently shortly after the war, they were used quite often to access areas too hostile for a mammal.”

“What are you… please don’t tell me you're having her shoot the reactor core.”

“No! No, no, no. I don’t wanna blow up this whole area. Rather, I'm having her target their power distribution nodes. If I'm right, it should shut them down without any issues.”

“That is probably the only thing I hate about you Nate.”

“Um…” 

“You are so smart you make me feel dumb.”

“You're not dumb?” 

“Was that a question?”

“Um… Okay Stalker, fire when ready. Stalker Grant, Mark, Holly, Olivia, be ready for any retaliation.”

“You and I are gonna have a talk after this mister.” 

I know this isn’t the time to be messing with him like that, but it just kinda slipped out. I wonder if I've experienced so much trauma that my mind is trying to find new ways to shield itself from more? It’s not that I'm not scared. Every time I enter a combat situation, especially when it involves those closest to me, I'm afraid of something happening to take them away from me. Despite that present fear, I still can’t help to feel a bit of confidence that we'll succeed. The way he takes charge, maybe Nate was destined to be a leader.

I heard a quiet mechanical whirring as Jasmine’s helmet locked on and her gun situated over her back. She was laying prone on the ground, probably trying to make sure that she wasn’t seen after firing her gun. It wasn’t the quietest thing around. I started to ready my pistol, but seeing what we were up against, I changed my mind and took out the plasma rifle. If Nate’s plans didn’t work, my pistol would be useless against the giant robots. 

I waited, anticipating the gunshot next to me. When Jasmine fired her first round, it was almost deafening. Those rounds seemed to have made it louder. Maybe it was just my imagination. I watched as it impacted the first robot. Sparks flew as it stopped moving. It’s arms went limp and I saw the small red lights in its domed head flicker off. By the time that happened, her gun fired again, and the same thing happened with the next closest robot. If Doc won’t let me use B.A.T.S., maybe I can get Tuskgen to make me a targeting helmet like Jasmine’s. 

The other three shots made their mark as I saw the last robot power down. That was actually pretty easy. The problem is, easy is such a rarity in this world that it didn’t do a thing to help me drop my guard. Sure, I still felt like this was going to succeed, but the simple act of violence, even if it wasn’t from myself, caused my mind and body to get extra alert. 

“What about the Legionaries Sir?”

“Take them out as well. They’ve had their chance.”

“We can’t just kill them all Nate! How are we going to figure out who the hell keeps sending them if they're all dead?”

“Jasmine, cripple one. Make sure they can’t get away. Kill the rest.”

“Yes Sir.”

It’s not that I didn’t want Nate to kill them. I knew the second they saw us, they would try to do the same, but every time we encounter these fuckers, not one of them survives in order to question them. Of course they probably won’t tell us what we needed to know, but they definitely won’t be able to if they're all dead.

I watched as Jasmine’s gunfire tore the leg off of a tiger, and then killed the others. I wondered how much of it was her own doing, and how much of it was the targeting computer. She didn't seem like the type to enjoy killing, especially after everything she went through, but she also didn’t have to remain with the Guardians. I would've found her a safe place to stay if she wanted to avoid any violence. The Guardians really are the best place for her though. Besides trying to build confidence in her, it also will help protect her from any Reclaimer forces, and since I haven’t seen or heard of Red-Necks in the area since the attack on Hope, I think it was doing a good job. 

“Good job Stalker,. Okay, let’s move out.”

Nate led us to where the injured Legionary was. I slipped back to Mark and Holly.

“He’s really doing good, don’t you think?” 

“Yeah, he sure is ‘livi. We never thought he had it in him, but he’s right. It’s all thanks to you.”

“I’m sure mom would be proud of him, just like I'm sure yours would be proud of you Olivia.”

“Yeah. I keep wondering what she would think of him. I’m sure she’d like him. She wasn’t the hateful type, even when told to do something she didn’t like. That’s one thing I envied about her. I could never do that. If I didn’t like something, I was always so damn adamant about not wanting to do it. Sometimes I still feel like that.”

“Hate isn’t always a bad thing, you just need to learn to separate it from bigotry, and you ‘livi, are far from a bigot.”

“Thanks.”

We got close enough to be able to make out details of the fight. From the positioning of the corpses, they must have gotten ambushed by these robots before they could take cover. We were right below the steps of the City Hall building. The tall building cast a shadow over part of the area, but it was still light enough out to not be impeded by it. 

I heard some groaning coming from behind a fallen statue of a lion. It was the tiger that Jasmine had crippled. His one leg had been completely torn off by her shot, and when he saw us, he tried to scramble for his weapon, but he was slow. He must have already lost a lot of blood. Nate walked over and kicked the weapon from out of the tiger’s reach. 

“Going to make this quick. Who sent you?”

“F-fuck off.”

“Who sent you?”

“F-fuck off, fox.”

“We'll have to take him in for questioning. Stalker Grant, get something to tie him up with, and make sure to check for any surprises on, and in him.”

“Yes Sir!”

“Now, let’s head inside to make sure…”

A series of beeps and the sound of mechanical grinding stopped Nate dead mid-sentence. We all turned towards where the robots should have been powered down, but they were moving again. Their weapon mounted arms were pointing right at us, and minus some smoke and a few sparks, they looked completely operational.

“I thought you took them out Stalker?”

“I did! I followed your schematic and the targeting computer did the rest.”

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

The new voice bellowed from the top of the stairs that led to two large doors. At the top were some very recognizable raiders. 

“Fuck, it’s those damn Berserk-Kings. They were the ones who sent that robot to Hope, why didn’t _I_ think of that?”

This new voice, it sounded rough, and a metallic chime told me that it was reverberating through something metal. I looked for it and saw its origin. A hulking armored mammal slowly appeared between the other raiders. At first I thought it was a modified suit of Exo-Armor, but after a long enough look, I could tell it wasn’t. Rather, it looked like someone took a bunch of robots and crafted a suit or armor out of it. Despite its haphazard look, was intimidating. Although its nondescript design made it hard to tell what species was under it, and the metallic echo made it hard to even tell the gender. 

The unknown mammal then hoisted up the largest hammer I have ever seen. Wielding it between its two massive metallic gauntlets, it slammed it down on the ground in front of it. The impact was so great that I could feel small tremors even this far away. A large crack formed down the stone steps. 

“I am the Berserk King, and it appears you're trespassing. Normally I would want to have a nice chat with you, but I’m expecting company, so I need this place cleaned up. Alright Berserkers, it’s time to take out the trash.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Yeah. I’ll make sure everything is all set for Sunday. Mmhmm. Yes sweetie, don’t worry, I won’t forget. Now if only… wait, what’s that… Max! I thought I told you to wait until I was off the phone… radio… whatever this is. Gotta go, my show’s starting. Love you too. Ahem, let’s get this started correctly. 

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Now let me start off by saying this. After announcing that we had only eight more shows left, seven after this one concludes, many of you were, well, how should I put this, concerned over the fact that this is wrapping up. Yes, this story will soon be over, but I will say that _this_ story will soon be over. Max and I have, well, plans. They are in the pre-development stages, so they will not be brought into fruition for a bit, but do not fear folks! We are not going anywhere anytime soon. There may just be some… vacation time for the two of us as we pursue other projects until the next Fallout one is fully established. If you haven’t already favored or followed me on either site, be sure to in order to keep updated. 

“That said, I have another little thing I am thinking about doing. Everyone here came for the story, and I am sure there are some who skim over the After Show. I’m not mad if you do, the story is the meat of this, the After Show is simply the small mint at the end. This mint, however, has delusions of grandeur. Since there are some of you that enjoy the After Show and would like to have a nice bowl of mints at the ready… I gotta stop making the food comments, it’s making me hungry… let me just tell you this. I am considering having a stand alone After Show, or rather, Stripes in the Morning. While it’s not set in stone, I want to have the show keep track of the goings on in the world until things pick up again. The stand alone show, however, will be a couple times a week, as opposed to the current schedule, but even that may not pick up until after the new year. I will keep you all informed. 

“Now, let’s get to today’s episode. Everyone already knows the radioactive effects on ghouls, deathwings, and everyday mammals. Even insects, those tiny little creatures that often serve for meals for many predators, they can become much larger, and much more dangerous when exposed to the right amounts of radiation. Now, I know some of you have expressed your thoughts on how and why such high levels of radiation can still exists centuries after the nukes went off. Now the simple explanation is just to say that this is all a story, that in a story you can do what ever you want to. That’s what _normal_ mammals would say, but as we all know, I am not normal, nor am I simple. 

“It all started back after nuclear fission was discovered. Now, I already went over a bit of this in an earlier After Show, so I will not bore you again with the details, but when nuclear energy started to power homes across the world, there were entire branches of research dedicated to not only improving nuclear energy output, but to also make it more efficient. Radiation is a side effect of the energy production of nuclear fission, but under normal circumstances, it decays at a fairly fast rate, so by that, there should be no residual radiation within the wasteland, but we all know there is, so why is it?

“Power. I am not talking about energy production, but rather control. With the onset of the war, even in the early stages of it, there were many mammals who wanted to exert their own power in order to take control before things went south, and some wanted to put that control in the paws of specific mammals. What is the best way to tear control a mammal? Fear. 

“Before the war, nuclear weapons were created, but they were created as a symbol rather than a weapon. A few public tests of their power kept everyone at bay, all sides afraid that if they pushed the button, the others will retaliate causing the world to end. No one wanted that, so just by showing off their deadly weapons, it was enough to keep everyone in a relative peaceful state. The problem with fear is that it is not constant. Like a virus can mutate to adapt to new vaccines, fear can change to adapt to the situation.

“Have you ever been deathly afraid of something but then later in life you realize that that fear was so much more benign then it actually was? I am sure most of us have, but did that suddenly make us immune to all fear? No. It just meant that the fear had to return in another form. That’s what began the development of the nuclear weapons that ended the world as we knew it. 

“These new nukes were not just more powerful, but they had a special capability. You see, bombing a city, or a country is one thing, but after a while, people will move back in, rebuild, and start again. This has happened in the past where a city was destroyed only to rise again more powerful and take their vengeance back upon the destructors. The military, and I will not say which one because there were so many spies throughout the world that no one really knows who came up with it first, started to play around with the idea to make a place inhospitable long enough to allow for the opposing forces to slowly decay. Thus was born what was called the Blanket Nuke. 

“As I said, normal radiation usually decays over a short period of time. It may take months, or even decades depending upon the initial dosage, but after two hundred years, it would have been gone, or at least gone enough to have no residual effects on any living organism. However, the Blanket Nuke was different. While the science behind it has long since been forgotten, the scientists figured out how to allow the radiation initially emitted by the explosion to, well, replicate. This in turn created a weapon that not only caused physical damage, but also could poison an area for an unforeseen period of time. 

“This radiation was also hydrophilic, meaning that it loved water. The radiation was able to bind with water molecules, causing the water to become saturated with radiation. This is also why many living creatures underwent severe and rapid mutations. Most living things are made up mostly of water, and that allowed the radiation to spread rapidly. With how strong the radiation within stagnant water is today, I am certain that the radiation is also feeding off of the water somehow.

“The strongest source of radiation in the wasteland is surprisingly not Darkwater, but rather a place we call The Mist. The Mist is located north of Bunnyburrow and is so over saturated with radiation, only ghouls and deathwings live there, along with some of the most dangerous mutated creatures the Wasteland has ever seen. Thankfully, they are so adapted to the high radiation, they tend not to wander outside The Mist too often because they need that radiation to survive. A word of warning to anyone listening. Even the strongest raider or the bravest Guardian won’t traverse The Mist, and I don’t even think Olivia Springs would. She may be attracted to danger, but even that place is way out of her league. 

“That wraps up this episode. I have a date on Sunday, so will be a bit too preoccupied for the After Show, and Max is still recovering from earlier incidents so is not in the best form to take on the show, so I have reluctantly agreed to allow Celeste to host it. I really am hoping I do not regret that decision, but if we skip out on a show, we skip out on a paycheck and I need to restock my coffee supplies after some _otter_ decided to toss it all away. That was _not_ all instant either!

“Ahem. Now, before I officially end today’s episode, I want to extend once again my hoof towards any and all writers out there. This world I have created is huge. Way too huge for even the After Shows to cover. There are places that I haven’t even touched upon yet, and some I may never talk about, especially those places beyond Bunnyburrow and the Medowlands. I extend an invitation for anyone who even has the remote inkling to expand upon this world. I want to see _you_ out there exploring the Wasteland. While they may not all become canonical, I am not above expanding my world to allow others to stake their own claims to. I am always open to hearing ideas, and if anyone wanted to tackle their own adventure and want to know more details about anything in the world, be sure to hit up my Tumblr. Just look for ciderstripes over there and drop me a message. There may be some details that are off the books, but that is mostly due to the fact that they may be utilized in a future project and I want to keep them clean. Other than that, the world is large. So, until next time folks, take care and remember, you are always your worst critic. Never be afraid to show your work, you may be surprised, I know I was. Take care!”


	76. Cleaning House and Standing Ground

We were surrounded. The robots, while still not showing any signs of attack, moved to form a blockade behind us, preventing any of us from retreating or finding someplace to take cover. Six Berserk-kings were in front of us, on top of the stairs. It was a very wide set of stairs, and it went up a good hundred feet or so, over a gradual incline. Despite being in imminent danger, it made me wonder who the hell designed this? Some fitness nut?

“Stalker Rothschild, how many rounds you have of armor penetrating rounds?”

“Um… ten I think?”

“You think?”

“My helmet is on the fritz Sir. It’s… I’m getting some kind of interference.”

I took a look at my Pip-Boar. The screen was flickering in and out. “Yeah, my Pip-Boar is acting up, what about yours Nate?”

“It seems fine, but then again this arm has a specialized insulation to prevent EMP discharges from effecting it. Or at least that’s what Tuskgen told me.”

EMP? What could… the robots. That sparking I saw was not because of the damage, they had an EMP Field Generator! Fuck! It was a trap. Those robots must be interrupting communication with it. Was the trap meant for the Legionaries, or someone else? I _did_ kinda piss off the last group of Berserk-kings I ran into.

“Nate, these robots are generating an EMP field, _that’s_ why Jasmine and I are having issues. It must be short range, I didn’t have any issues before.”

“That means no backup. Defender Shackleford, make sure these robots do not attack, if they do, you are the only one who can withstand their attacks.”

“But Sir, what about the other aggressors?”

“We have them covered. Stalker Rothschild, stay with the Defender and keep us covered with your gun.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Stalker, is there a problem?”

Defender Shackleford was an elephant, but what I didn’t realize until now was that his armored trunk also doubled as a flamethrower. I saw the small ignition light kick on at the tip of the trunk upon receiving Nate’s orders. Paring up Jasmine with a fire user? That’s not a very good idea.

“Crap, sorry Jasmine, but we need your fire support. Defender, please avoid using your flamer unless it is absolutely necessary.”

“But Sir.”

“That’s an order. Please remember Jasmine, he is on _our_ side, he means no harm to you. I know it’s hard for you to be around fire, I’ve seen how even the smallest flame affects you, but remember, we are relying on you, and you need to rely on us as well.”

“Y-yes Sir.”

“Hey Nate, you notice something?”

“What is it Olivia?”

“They still haven’t attacked.”

That armored mammal had given the order for the six Berserk-kings to attack a few minutes ago, but they were still standing there. A few of them were visually shaking. Were they scared? Maybe our reputation has proceeded us and they'll just flee, leaving it eight against one. Of course there were the robots as well. 

All six of them were having the same tremors going through their body when they all started to remove their helmets. There were two tigers, a wolf, a bear, and two lions. All of them were shaking, but upon removing their helmets I knew it wasn’t from fear. Foam was falling from their mouths, their eyes were bloodshot and wide. They weren’t scared, they were rabid. 

“Guardians! Hold your ground!”

The moment those words came from Nate’s mouth, the six started to charge us. They were fast, faster than I anticipated. I tried to activate B.A.T.S. but the EMP was strong enough that the command wasn't able to process. Fuck! I raised my plasma rifle and fired. A bolt hit square in the chest of one of the lions, but he seemed completely un-phased.

Jasmine’s gun sounded, but I saw no sign of impact. With her targeting computer down, she must be having difficulties aiming that thing. She tried again, but it only grazed the arm of the other lion. Zack, Holly, and Mark were all firing, and they were having a much better time hitting their mark, but they were still unable to make much of a dent in these charging mammals. Even after Mark crippled the wolf’s leg, it still came rushing in. It was a matter of moments before they were upon us. 

“Onion, you got my back?”

“ _Yes Sir._ ”

The bear made contact with Nate, but not before his robotic fist made contact with the bear’s chest. Onion must have overpowered the arm again, because the bear went flying backwards. Blood spilled out of its mouth, causing the foam to redden, but he still got back up and continued the charge. 

“That punch should have knocked him out cold. They're all unarmed and trying to enter melee range. Our firepower has kept them back, but we can’t hold out forever! I’m… I’m sorry Jasmine, but we need time. Defender! Lay down a wall!”

“Yes Sir!”

The Defender pushed his way through us and was now in front. I saw the small flicker of flame at the end of the trunk brighten as he stretched it out. Heat filled the area as a stream of almost liquid looking fire spewed out onto the ground a few feet in front of him, creating a large wall of fire. I looked behind me and Jasmine was laying on the ground, shaking in fear, trying to cover her eyes. 

“Mark! Go see to Jasmine. Nate, you sure about this?”

“No, but it should buy us time to think, these guys are too doped up on drugs for us to beat easily.”

I really hope Jasmine will be okay. I can tell that Nate didn’t think of this lightly. When the Defender was done with his attack, he stepped back. The robots still were'nt responding to any of this, so I wonder if maybe Jasmine did succeed in shorting out their weapons? Either that, or that Berserk King was keeping them as a backup of their own.

“Stalker Grant! See if you can slip by those robots. They don’t seem to be doing anything, maybe they aren’t functioning after all. We need to get a signal out to base. If there are more of these mammals, we'll need backup.”

“Yes Sir!”

Zack pressed a button on his arm and he suddenly faded out of existence. He must have had a Stealth-Boar on him. That was smart. Even if they don’t respond, they may be sending a signal to their leader showcasing us all. No sooner than he turned invisible, there was a loud electric jolt and Zack flew backwards, smoke emanating from his body. I turned and rand to him.

“Zack! Are you okay?”

He coughed a few times. “Y-yes. Ow that hurt. They’ve got some kind of a wall of their own. The moment I touched it, I felt my body surge with electricity.”

“Damn it! That’s why they're not moving! Mark, tend to his wounds, keep him and Jasmine together.”

“Fuck, what are we…”

I was interrupted as one of the tiger’s suddenly leaped through the wall of fire. Her fur was burning, and her armor had traces of fire still attached to it, but it didn’t affect her as she grappled onto the Defender’s armor. He tried to shake her off, but she kept scratching his armor with her large clawed gauntlets. 

“Get off of me you bitch!”

Defender Shackleford wrapped his trunk around her neck and pulled her off, tossing her to the ground. She got up, completely unaffected and leaped at him again. The other tiger and the wolf jumped through the flames and into the melee. The wolf charged me as the tiger went after Nate. One punch from his arm sent the tiger back through the flames. I did the only thing I thought of. I fired my gun at point blank. When the green bolt hit the wolf, he let out a painful howl just before vaporizing, leaving a glowing pile of ash where he was standing. Okay, I did NOT see that coming.

“Fuck!”

“One of the perks to a plasma gun ‘livi!”

The bear charged through and grabbed hold of Holly. I went to fire upon him, but hesitated. What if she got caught in the blast and that happened to her as well? Fuck. I dropped the gun and ran to the bear. Pushing myself off of the ground, I leaped up and landed on his back. I pulled out my pistol, pressed it against his head and fired. 

I know for a fact that I just put a hole through his head, but minus a scream, he was still alive somehow. He let go of Holly and tried to claw at me. I fired a few more rounds in his head before he finally dropped. I put another two in his head for good measure before needing to reload. 

“Thanks ‘livi, but was those last two really necessary?”

“I shot him point blank in the back of the head and he was still alive, so yes, they were.”

The wall of fire was starting to die down, but we had only managed to kill two of them. There were still four more left. The two tigers returned, the one that Nate punched was barely able to stand, but he kept on moving forward, the other one charged Nate. As she approached him, Nate went to punch and she dodged it, sending a claw to his side. 

“Nate!”

I grabbed the plasma rifle from off the ground and charged after the tiger firing. It took three shots before the tiger turned to glowing dust. I dropped it again as I reached Nate. 

“How bad is it?”

“Heh, it’s fine. See?” He lifted his paw from his side and I saw metal under the fabric. “This isn’t just for show, it has both ballistic fabric and a metal lining. Logan insisted on it. Guess I should thank him for it later.”

“You damn fox, you had me worried.”

“Sorry.”

Three down and three… no make that two to go. Holly unloaded her shotgun into the other tiger and it collapsed onto the ground in a bloody mess. The two lions slowly walked through the half dead wall of fire, but they weren't unarmed like the others. Both of them had a large hammer very similar to their boss’s. One came at me and Nate with it, but the other, he went straight for where Jasmine, Zack, and Mark were. 

“Mark! Look out!” 

I tried to get between them, but that lion was covering more ground faster than I could. I yelled and warned Mark, but he was too slow to react as the lion lifted the hammer for the attack. I reached for the plasma gun but before I could aim, a darkened figure dropped out of the sky and plucked the lion from the ground, causing him to drop his hammer only feet from Mark. I looked up and saw Drake grasping each arm in his feet, just before tearing them off and causing the body to fall to the ground. The lion was dead on impact. 

“Drake!” 

I felt something hit my shoulder. 

“Sorry we took so long Olivia. Whatever that doctor gave to the big lug worked, he’s almost normal now.”

“Blanche! I am so glad to see the two of you!” 

“Likewise, now if you'll excuse me.”

The last enemy was starting to charge us, and Blanche, wielding a sword in each paw, leaped off of my shoulder and was flying to its face. However, her aim was off and as the lion was roaring, Blanche flew right into his mouth. He stopped, and I saw him swallow. 

“Blanche! You fucking spit her out now!” 

I rushed the lion, forgetting to grab my plasma gun, so pulled out my pistol and started to fire. Fuck! I forgot to reload it! I went to punch the mammal instead when I saw his chest start to expand and glow green. What the… I stopped in my tracks moments before the lion… exploded into a green goo. 

Blanche flew out of the lion’s corpse and I managed to catch her. She was glowing slightly, and my Pip-Boar started to tick. Figures that would be the only thing that worked. 

“Blanche! What the fuck just happened?”

“I don’t know! Without my tail my aim is off, and when he swallowed me, I just got… very angry and then he exploded!”

Drake landed near us and I could've sworn he had a bit of a smirk in his face as he fanned away the rest of the fire. That smirk left him fast as we all looked towards the building and saw the Berserk King, along with a dozen more Berserkers, and all of them were showing the same signs of trembling as these six did. 

“Hah! So you _are_ worthy of a fight after all! Good, good! Tell you what, how about you join me and I won’t kill all of you? Not that zebra or giraffe though, they didn’t show off their strengths which tells me they probably don’t have any. They will die, but you all can live if you accept my offer!”

“Fuck you and your gaudy armor!” 

“Gaudy? GAUDY?! You know what? I take that back. Kill them, kill them all!”

“ _Mister Valiant? That subroutine you asked me to create is finished._ ”

“Subroutine? What the hell is he talking about Nate?”

“Remember when I… accidentally made that robot’s core go critical in Hope, despite the fact my programming was flawless?”

“What about it?”

“Well, since that same malicious programming was in one of the Berserk-king robots, I wondered if it was in another, so… hit it Onion!”

What was he talking about? Please tell me he isn’t going to blow them up! I thought we already had this conversation! I turned to the robots as I saw them move. My Pip-Boar started to function again as they started to roll to our sides. 

“What are… Onion?”

“ _Yes Miss. Surprised?_ ” Onion’s voice emanated from ALL the robots at once. 

“Nate… did you?”

“Get Onion to hack into those robots? Yes, yes I did. He’s controlling them from my arm, so don’t worry if they get damaged, he’s safe with me.”

I know we were in the middle of a war-zone, but I didn’t care, his ingenuity may have just saved us so I just had to hug and kiss him. 

“I told you that you were smarter than me. I would have never thought of that.”

“It’s _your_ robot doing this after all, you can take most of the credit. Onion, attack!”

Once all five robots were in front of us, and they all opened fire upon the charging raiders. They were armed with both machine guns and beam weapons, and despite the raider’s apparent immunity to pain, they were taken down one by one. We all joined in on the attack, and between all of us, we managed to take out the attacking aggressors. 

“My Berserkers! My robots! You fuckers will pay!”

The Berserk King pushed a button on its gauntlet. Suddenly all five robots started to smoke and spark, and not in a good way. 

“Onion! What’s going on!”

“ _That… mammal has activated a hidden override and it is causing the system to short out, there’s nothing I can do to stop it Sir._ ”

All the robots suddenly stopped firing and from the looks of it, were deactivated for good. At least they didn’t initiate any the robot’s self destruct mechanisms, but then again, whoever's under that armor probably wouldn’t want to get caught in that either. 

The Berserk King hefted the massive hammer and charged us without saying anything else. We started to fire but it did nothing against that armor. I grabbed my plasma gun, but that armor just seemed to shrug it off. Defender Shackleford charged, spraying flames from his trunk, but the massive hammer made contact with him and sent the Defender flying. If that hammer could do that to a fully armored elephant, we stood no chance. 

Nate took off his jacket and dropped it to the ground before charging the attacker. He dodged the first swing, and it seems that he or she needed a few seconds to ready it again, so Nate took that opportunity to punch the attacker right in the chest, leaving a large dent in it. The attack didn’t damage it any further, but the shock was enough to catch the Berserk King off guard, stumble backwards a few steps, and most importantly, drop the hammer. 

“Drake! Pry this tuna can open!”

Drake swooped down and with his feet he sliced through the chest of the armor. Nate used his extra strength from the arm to pull back the armor. We all gathered around to see what kind of monster inhabited that suit, but I was shocked by what I saw, and from the look of it, so was everyone else. 

There, lying on the ground was a female deer. Her face was haggard, and it looked like she had never eaten a day in her life. Her bones were acting as if they would pop out of her skin at any moment, and there was no sign of any muscle mass. Blanche jumped on top of the armor and stared at the weak looking deer.

“You're Impotent Doe, aren’t you?”

“No… one calls… me that!” Without the helmet on, her voice matched her look, it sounded weak and sickly.

“Impotent Doe? Never heard of her.”

“Yeah, not much is known about this ass-twat, yet she has a bit of a history. Apparently she was born with some kind of sickness that ravaged her body, making her weak. Somehow she survived and was sold into slavery, but no one wanted her. That’s not what made her infamous though, one day her slavers all died a horrible death and she went missing.”

“How… do you… know so… much… rat?”

Blanche walked down to the deer’s face and punched her. “First, I am NOT a rat. Second, when I was trying out for the Legionaries, I saw the report. Apparently the slavers were paying good money to find you. Not sure why someone would want a bag of bones like yourself.”

“This… bag of… bones started an… empire!” She coughed, and I saw blood dribbling out of her mouth. “My Berserkers, I was… going to… rule this… wasteland!”

“Well, the only thing you're going to rule is the inside of a cell. Watch her, I need to signal a cleanup crew.” 

Nate went off as he opened a channel to the base. Impotent Doe wasn't moving, and her breathing was very shallow. I wasn’t sure if that was due to her sickness, or if she was on the verge of dying. I went to call Mark over to take a look at her when I heard a whistling noise. I looked up and saw… missiles. Fuck!

“Everyone, get down!” 

We all moved away, taking cover behind the downed robots. The missiles impacted the ground, but the odd thing was, they didn’t explode. Instead they started to produce a thick black smoke, encircling the deer. Since there wasn’t any sign of an explosion from those projectiles, I started to run over towards the smoke, but was stopped by a hail of machine gun fire. 

“Above us!”

There, hovering above the smoke was some kind of flying vehicle. At first I thought it was a Tac-Lifter, but its design was different. It looked similar to a pre-war helicopter than a Guardian aircraft. On either side were mounted large machine guns, but the smoke was thick enough that it was covering the identity of whoever was operating it. 

Everyone who could, started to open fire on the helicopter, but every time one of us poked our heads out to shoot, the machine gun suppressed it. We couldn’t get a clear shot and only managed to nick the aircraft’s metal shell. After a few moments, it lifted off and flew beyond our sight. 

“What the fuck just happened?” 

“I didn’t recognize it Olivia. Stalker Logan, come in, we have an update on our situation.”

“Um, Nate? She’s gone.”

“What do you mean ‘gone’?”

"The deer and that armor of hers, the helicopter must have been here to rescue her. Have you ever seen a raider with something like that?”

“No, I haven’t. Stalker, I need that backup, now.”

“ _They're en route as we speak Sir. Stalker Logan, out._ ” 

“Who do you think rescued her Nate?”

“Not a damn clue. I’ll make sure our patrols keep an eye out for a pre-war helicopter. In the mean time, we need to make sure that this area is clear. Defender, are you alright?”

“Yes Sir. My Exo-Suit is a bit banged up, but the absorption system took most of the blow. Not sure if I can take another one without an engineer looking over it however.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, report to Engineer Tuskgen when we head back. Mark, how are they doing?”

“Well, Zack has a few electrical burns, but nothing too bad, Jasmine is more psychological than anything. I’d advise against having him using a flamer around her though, too much mental shock can kill someone.”

Nate walked up to Jasmine. She was breathing heavily, and still curled on the ground, but she wasn’t in tears anymore. 

“I’m sorry I had to do that Jasmine, but it was needed.”

“T-that… I… u-understand…”

“I’ll have the cleanup crew take you back, you and Zack can have some time off if you want. I’m not mad at you, I know all too well what an uncontrollable fear can do to someone. You take it easy, okay?”

Jasmine started to get up, but Nate put his paw on her arm. 

“N-no… I can… I think I can go on…”

“Are you sure? I'm not going to make you do something you don’t want to.”

“No… I-I… I need to get stronger… I… I can’t let that keep hurting me.”

“She reminds me of you Nate.” I put my paw on his back.

“Yeah, that’s why I don’t wanna strain her, I’ve been broken by it, and I wouldn’t want to see that happen to another mammal, especially one with such a good heart as hers.”

“Th-thank you. That means a lot to me… I’m sorry I'm not a better soldier…” Jasmine’s voice showed that she was slowly recovering from her panic attack. 

“Stalker Grant, are you okay to continue?”

“Yes Sir!” 

“Keep close to your girl, okay?”

“Um… yes… Yes Sir!”

Nate looked at me, and his expression changed. “What? If I'm going to convince Logan that our relationship won’t detriment my role in the Guardians, I can’t sit by and tell others they can’t have one. I think it’s good to have someone to fall back to.”

“No, it’s not that, it was the fact that Jasmine didn’t react the way she normally did when you said he was Zack’s ‘girl’.”

“I… I'm getting used to that…” Jasmine was slowly rising to her feet, with the help of Zack and Mark.

“Yet I still can’t kiss her in public without her nearly fainting.” Zack said it in a very joking manner.

“I’m sure Logan'll still give you two the evil eyes.”

“We try not to show anything around him. He’s… he really needs to get laid.”

“Stalker Grant! That was… actually that was kinda funny. Don’t tell Logan I said that or he'll have _both_ of our hides, Chief or not.”

Defender Shackleford was standing behind me and I heard a deep groan come from his helmet. 

“Better get used to it when we're all together big guy.”

I couldn’t see his reaction under the helmet, but he simply grunted again and turned away, heading towards the fallen Legionaries. Once we were all situated again, we joined him. From the looks of it, the robots were the only ones who met with this small force. We spent a few minutes going through their stuff, but there was nothing that was helpful. The one tiger that we had left alive was dead, more than likely bled out during this fight. 

“Nothing. Not a single clue telling us why these fuckers are so dead set on trying to capture me.”

“Maybe there are more inside?” Holly shrugged.

“Or maybe there are more Berserk-kings in there.” 

“Well Mark, there's only one way to find out. Everyone reload, we're going in.”

***

The inside was trashed. Everything that wasn’t bolted down was piled in the center and from the looks of it, was used as some kind of fire, as everything had scorch marks on it. All the fixtures that were bolted down, had graffiti all over it. From the looks of it, this wasn’t the Berserk-kings doing. 

Messages such as _The end is near!_ , and _It was the Predators_ or _It was the Prey!_ were scribbled over one another, as if two mammals were having a written dispute. A few skeletons that were scattered around told me that whoever tried to make this place a shelter after the war, didn’t succeed. 

We took our time going through the building, looking for any signs of Legionaries or Berserk-kings, but so far there wasn’t any. Did we take on her whole force? I doubt it was _all_ of them, but maybe we caught them before they could establish a base? Nate’s look told me that he was thinking the same thing.

“Stalker Logan, I need you to put together a team to post in the area of City Hall. It is possible that more raiders may attempt to move in. We can’t have them setting up a base this close to Precinct One.”

“ _Right away Sir!_ ”

“Think those Legionaries were to blame?”

“Possibly. I am guessing that both forces were looking for a new base. This place is huge. It puts Hope to shame, too bad we can’t move them here.”

“Hmm.” Nate started to scratch his chin.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing, just had an idea. So far it looks good and… what’s this?”

We stopped at a wall that had either caved in, or been demolished, but I could see why he showed such an interest in it. The rest of this building was made from wood, marbled stone, and other materials to give it a bit of a sophisticated look to it, but not here. Here there was a wrecked wall with a set of metal stairs leading down to a large metal door. The whole thing looked industrial, completely changing the entire building's motif. 

“What do you think is down there?”

“No clue, but my curiosity is getting the better of me.”

“Mine too, so, let’s go quell that curiosity, shall we sweetie?”

Nate and I took the lead. The door was large enough for most of us, but Defender Shackleford and Jasmine were too big to fit. 

“Since you two are unable to follow us, Defender, take Stalker Rothschild and Stalker Grant and patrol the rest of the area. I want you to check in every fifteen minutes, and Defender, avoid using your flamer, that’s an order.”

“Almost out of fuel anyways, Sir.” He sounded a bit spiteful. 

When they were gone I turned to Nate and whispered, just in case. “Is it a good idea to keep him with Jasmine?”

“He’s one of the few Defenders that doesn’t care about me being a fox or her being a Red-Neck. It seems there are more Guardians who oppose her history than my species, although none of them seem to show it.”

“Then why is he acting like that?”

“They don’t call him Hot Head for nothing. If he was a giraffe, I think he would have been a Red-Neck. He likes fire a bit too much, but he’s never shown himself to be a danger to any of the Guardians. I think he just resents her fear of fire is all.”

“Just as long as she’s safe with him.”

“He is loyal, he wouldn’t ever let anything happen to another Guardian. I just wish he brought an actual weapon with him. From what I know of him, he either uses his fists, or his trunk to fight.”

“I really hope that was the last of them then.”

The door was old, and there was a small access computer attached to it. I beat Nate to it and used my Pip-Boar to hack into it. It wasn’t the hardest thing to crack, but it did take a little longer than I had hoped. When I finally got it, the door unlatched and swung in-wards. 

Inside was a long hallway with a series of perpendicular rooms. It was very reminiscent of the halls in Precinct One’s bunker. I took a look at my map. 

“Hey Nate, look at this.” 

“It looks like… yes, I think this connects to Precinct One!”

“I wonder why the recon teams didn’t find the other end then?”

“Um, I think _that_ is why.” Holly was pointing towards the end of the hall.

It was dark, but there was enough light to show a couple of large, tiger sized machines parked in front of a wall. Upon closer investigation, we found that the machines had powered down in the middle of constructing the hallway, a large wall of dirt and rock was all that was there. 

“It looks like they were tunneling and then stopped.” Nate was paying much closer attention to the robot then the rest of the area. 

I turned on my Pip-Boar’s light and we saw it much better now. From the looks of it, there must have been a team building the infrastructure while the robots dug the tunnel. Support beams, pallets of building materials, and tools scattered the area. There was no sign of skeletons or other bodies, so they must have high tailed it out of here and locked the door behind them. 

“You think they stopped when the bombs went off?”

“Most likely, although you’d think this would be a safer place to hide then anywhere else.”

“Hey ‘livi, look at this.”

Holly was bent over a small crate and picked up a memory chip. I took it from her and popped it into my Pip-Boar and played it.

“ _This message is for Foremammal Steward. We have received multiple reports that the ongoing construction between City Hall and the ZPD Station has been causing problems due to the caverns below. We sent some surveyors to the Nocturnal District to see if there is any way to increase support, but until we hear back from them, I am suspending the project. We have already lined up new work, so don’t worry, you will still be payed for your services._ ”

“Nocturnal District?” I haven’t heard of that one before.

“Yeah, it’s actually within a large cavernous system below the city. It was home to many of mammals who are more active at night, but other than a few pockets of fresh water, like the one below Hope, no one has heard from, or even set foot in the Nocturnal District for centuries. All the known entrances had been sealed.” Mark had chimed in at the onset of new knowledge. 

“From the sound of it, this project almost made a new one. You think anyone is still alive down there?”

“No one knows. I have heard of attempts to breach the entrances, but then those mammals were never heard from again. I heard they have been marked as danger zones by the earlier Guardians, so no one is allowed to go there.”

“Yeah, even Mister Lazlo kept it that way. It’s one of the few places not even a Guardian is allowed to go, but patrols are sent close enough every so often to make sure it stays clear. I think its reputation makes it something that even raiders want to avoid.”

“Why does that make me want to go visit it then?” Curiosity always seems to get the better of me.

“I _will_ tie you down to your bed if you even try.”

“Sounds like Nate is starting to get a little kinky, what _else_ do you two do when you're alone?”

“Holly!”

“Just asking a question ‘livi, no need to yell my ear off.”

“ _Chief Valiant, come in._ ”

“Yes Stalker?”

“ _We have arrived and a team is now scouting the area for any threats._ ”

“Thank you Stalker. When the Engineer team is done with Precinct One, let me know. I have one last job for them before they head back.”

“ _Yes Sir_ ”

“One last job?”

“I want them to check this place out, maybe it’s safe to continue constructing the tunnel. Having this place connecting Precinct One can come in handy.”

“Makes sense. Hey Mark, you got any books on the Nocturnal District? It’s piqued my curiosity.”

“Yes, but you better not be thinking about trying to go there, it sounds way too dangerous.”

“Me? Never.”

Everyone looked at me, and I could tell they didn’t believe me. It _did_ pique my interest, and yes, if I ever found the opportunity to explore it, I would, but not alone. I’ve still got an entire life ahead of me, and even when we end this Legionary threat, even if I return to Hope to start fixing it up, after all I have been though, I have the feeling that I will always be up for a little adventure.

So maybe one day, but not today.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Celeste]**

“So… Hello Zootopia. I… Honestly have no idea what to really say today. Cider is off with his new girlfriend and didn’t really leave any hints or notes behind here so there’s nothing to go off of from him. And Max he… He’s just come out of his third surgery in a week. I’m not even trying to disturb him right now and Chief Valiant has been amazing to the two of us since Max came back here. Even gave me this office to work out of for now. Max should be alright in a few weeks but… the good Doctor here has informed me that he can’t… He won’t be able to make large trips anymore. The damage to his lung was far more severe than they initially thought. So Max is sort of relegated to desk duty from now on. He’s still out right now and I don’t even know if I can face him with this news. It’s… Well it’s not like he enjoyed being put in danger. Not by a long shot. He enjoyed the outdoors though, walking around and just seeing the world for what it is. He’s not going to be able to enjoy that as easily as he used to now. Chief Valiant has been kind enough to offer him a position here though! So there’s that potential future for him. Otherwise I don’t really see where he could go, or what he could really do anymore.

“The situation just kind of really sucks for him right now and it’s got me bummed out. Still, there’s hope for a future for him. He’s been talking about moving on to a new vocation and a position with the Guardians couldn’t hurt… Huh? Hey who ar-”

**[Gary]**

“Gaaary… ”

**[Celeste]**

“Gary… OH! You’re Max’s little friend from the Caller!”

**[Gary]**

“Gary! Gaaary.”

**[Celeste]**

“Huh… ? What’s… ” _(sounds of shuffling paper)_ “… Well… Isn’t that just a _great_ how dee do. Is this how that incontinent boss of his does business now?”

**[Gary]**

“Gaaaaary..”

**[Celeste]**

“Sorry Gary… Well it looks like Max is no longer employed by this station for, and I quote, ‘Gross absence without notification, undue charges relating to injuries which the station cannot justify paying, and… Gross negligence in properly handling the vital commodity that is Cider Stripes…?! Oh… Oooh well this has made it so much easier for me folks. Good bye Caller, hello Guardians! I know Max won’t entirely like me jumping the gun on this, but after reading this little snippet. I’m all for him staying right here and doing what he does best. Letting you all out there know you aren’t alone anymore and that you don’t have to be afraid. Sorry for such a short show this time around but Max and I have some planning to do and I’m gonna have a heck of a time waking him up!”

_(Sounds of rapidly retreating paw steps.)_

**[Gary, In a deep baritone voice.]**

“Well now, don’t that just beat all. What… You all thought I’d just sit here and say my name? That’s just an act I put on for the new kids I meet. Max an’ that lil otter lady of his is good mammals so I ain’t gonna keep the act up much longer, so for now. Good night Zootpian Wasteland. I’m going to go check up on a few friends here… And probably send all of my brothers after that Zebra one more time… Just for kicks! You all stay classy out there, and don’t let those raiders bother you none. Show ‘em you ain’t afraid to lay a little lead about anymore. Good night, good luck, and by all means. Enjoy your weekend.”


	77. All Bad Things Must Come to Pass

“You’re keeping something from me, aren’t you Nate?”

It's been a little over a day since we returned from City Hall. Nate has had his teams scouring the area, checking for where that Impotent Doe had vanished, or rather, who it was that rescued her, and trying to find any more signs of Legionary activities, but so far they've fallen short. It’s like these guys just appear out of thin air and then vanish just as fast. 

“It’s a… little project I'm working on.”

Nate had been sneaking off every so often, and I even woke up in the middle of the night and he was gone from our room. I know that he has duties he needs to tend to, and that I'm not ‘important’ enough to be privy to much of it, at least that’s what Logan said, but I've known Nate long enough to know when he's keeping something from me.

“Is it something Guardian related?”

“No… not really. No.”

“Then why keep it from me? I’m not mad or anything, just a bit… curious.”

“It’s, well…” Nate seemed very hesitant to even say anything.

“It’s fine sweetie. Just please, for the love of all things living, let it not be anything nuclear related for Holly. That girl needs to stay far away from things like that. When the team returned with them, she was downright drooling.”

“Don’t worry, I made sure to double security around that area, and Mark was planning on informing her _why_ she can’t have any.”

“Good. So, what are your plans for later?”

“Plans?”

“There any important Guardian things you need to take care of? Bo and Mark are gonna throw together a little ‘welcome back’ dinner for Blanche and Drake, although Doc says that we should give him a few more days to make sure the effects of that chemical he gave him isn’t temporary before allowing him in here.”

“As much as it pains me to say it, he’s right. I gotta put the safety of everyone here first. I’m just glad he’s okay, I was very worried about him.”

“Me too sweetie, me to. So, you good for dinner then later?”

“Of course Binky. Gotta pass a few things by Logan, have a talk with Doc, and tie up a few loose ends, but I'll be there.”

I kissed him. “I think Holly wants me to do some more target practice with her today, and I promised Tuskgen I would help her with a few things as well. I know you're a call away, but it feels weird being separated like this. You… you don’t think I’m too… clingy, do you?”

“No! Not at all. Honestly, I wondered the same thing too.”

“Heh, at first you were to be honest, but I don’t know. Maybe part of me liked it or something because it never really bothered me to the point that I wanted you gone. Now that you have new responsibilities, I'm kinda missing that.”

“I have a few plans to work out with Logan, and if all goes well, we'll be able to settle down together without it affecting either of our jobs.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well Binky, you know how you still want to help fix up Hope?”

“Yeah. That place needs it and sometimes I'm not sure if anyone else is qualified, other than you, of course.”

“Well… I had already talked with Logan about eventually moving the primary Guardian operations to Precinct One. Not only is it closer access to, well, everything, it also will help to push our image out to the residents of the wasteland. We're way too secluded under here, and other than a few patrols here and there, the Guardian presence is very understated. I want to bring back the Steel Guardians of old, the Guardians who were a peacekeeping force, to finally bring law and order back to Zootopia. In order to do that, I need to show the world that the Guardians are done hiding, that we will be actively pursuing these goals. This was Mister Lazlo’s dream, and Precinct One is the stepping stone in that direction. I want to honor him by making his dream a reality.”

“But what does that have to do with Hope?”

“Remember when you said that it’s too bad Hope can’t move to City Hall?”

“I was just kidding, what? Do you want to move the _entire_ town?”

“Yes. Yes I do. You're right. It’s larger, with so much more room to expand. It’s also more defensible, and with a major Guardian presence in the area, it'll make it a new hot-spot for trade without fearing raider intervention. With the tunnels connecting both City Hall and Precinct One, along with nearby access to the old underground railways, we can have protected transport of goods and supplies. I've already sent a message to Mayor Swift outlining my idea.”

“That… that sounds like a lot of work. What about where Hope is now?”

“It’s up to the Mayor. It still belongs to her family, but I was hoping to convince her to allow the Guardians to turn it into a recruitment center, and training facility for new recruits. We would still maintain the base here, but it will be for secondary operations, and a secure place for vital equipment. I’ve even talked to Holly and Mark about turning our bunker into a place that patrols can use to rest and resupply, especially when we take the fight to the Red-Necks. Once the Legionaries are out of the way, they're the biggest threat to the wasteland right now.”

“You make it sound like it'll happen overnight.”

“No, this will take years to get all of this situated, but I can’t just sit back and concentrate on the present when the future is so uncertain. I need to give the Guardians, and myself, some certainty for the future.”

“You have been thinking about this a lot haven't you?”

“Yes I have, among other things.”

“Now, be honest, the whole thing regarding moving Hope _and_ the base so that they're close to each other, it’s for me, isn’t it?”

Nate grabbed me gently by the arms and looked right into my eyes. “It’s for _us_. I've already told Logan, I can’t just abandon you for the Guardians. Yes, they're important, and yes they need a reliable leader, but _I_ need _you_. I told you that there's nothing in this world that can come between us, and I'm standing by that.”

“Oh sweetie.” I let him pull me in closer as we hugged. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. I just hope that things don’t become a… problem in the future.”

“If it does, then we'll face it together.”

We stood there in the hallway, arms encircling each other for a while. Even with his new uniform, I could still hear his heart beat when I pressed my ear against his chest. It was one of those times that I wished would never end, this feeling of comfort and security. The sound of a mammal clearing their throat ended that feeling abruptly.

“Stalker Logan, you need something?” Nate was still holding onto me, but was acting as if he was simply doing something routine. I probably would've jumped and nervously acted like nothing was going on. Either that or returned the same glare back at him that he was giving us. Depending on my mood.

“Yes Sir. We have… visitors.”

“Tell them I'll be there momentarily.”

“Actually Sir, it’s for… her.”

“Me? Who’s here to see me?”

“A ghoul going by the name of North, and an ocelot named Letty.”

“North?!” I was so surprised and a bit excited that I yelled a bit too loudly, especially since it seemed to echo in the hallway. I spooked Nate and I think I did Logan as well, but he was much quicker to hide the fact. “Sorry, just… a little surprised is all. Where are they?”

“Still outside. I needed to inform the Chief about their arrival first and perform a security check to prevent any issues with their sudden arrival.”

“Let them in Stalker, I vouch for them. They're no threat.”

“Sir I…”

“That’s an order Stalker.”

“Yes Sir. I'll have them escorted to the common area.”

Logan seemed a bit irritated, but he didn’t show any other signs of it before saluting Nate and then leaving to carry out his orders. 

“Is he always going to be like that? I mean, if he will eventually do what you tell him, shouldn’t he be a bit more… expecting of it?”

“Eh, I think it’s just who he is. Mister Lazlo told me a few times that Logan was the same way around him. It'll take some getting used to, for the both of us. Anyways, I got some stuff to take care of and need to have Tuskgen look over something for me. You go meet your friends.”

“You don’t still harbor any negative feelings towards either of them, do you?”

“I… I don’t know. There are still some things that bother me, especially his relation to Wild Times, but I'm not mad at either of them. Letty showed genuine regret for her actions, and if it wasn’t for North being at Wild Times, you wouldn't be standing here right now. I'm not going to avoid them, and as long as you trust the both of them, I will trust them as well. I just need to learn to stop connecting the past with their present. I’ll be along shortly, I promise.”

“Okay sweetie. I love you.”

“Love you too Binky.”

We gave each other a quick kiss before parting ways. I really do hope he's not still upset at them. Yes, I can see from his point of view how he could be, but what if this whole thing with Hope really does pan out? That would mean that we would be seeing the two of them a lot more often. One day we'll all have to sit down and have a little talk in order to work out everyone’s feelings towards each other. 

Until then, let’s go see what they've been up to.

***

The common area as Logan referred to it was simply a large vestibule that connected the entry tunnel to the surface. There were rooms leading to decontamination chambers, storage areas that were currently filled with crates, and small room where one of the quartermasters was currently residing in. There were also two large turrets mounted in the wall, and despite none of us being recognized as hostile to them, it still felt like they were watching me. I've had bad luck when it came to turrets. 

“North! Or… should I call you Nick?”

“North. I… I’m sorry, about before. I didn’t want to remember my past, but at the same time, I wondered why I even wanted to forget. Sure, there were bad things that happened, things that no mammal would want to remember, but there were so many good things, so many good mammals. I… I miss them.”

I grabbed North and hugged him. He seemed a bit hesitant about it, either he wasn’t a hugger, or he didn’t expect it. When I continued to feel that hesitation, I let go. 

“Not a hugger I take it?”

“No, it’s just that… I'm not used to that anymore. I mean look at me, most mammals won’t even look at me, let alone touch me.”

“Yeah, well I’m not like most mammals. What brings you here Letty?”

“Trying to get Mr. Mopey here to cheer up, and when I found out Jezzie needed a letter delivered here for the new Chief, I figured what better way to get him to cut the crap than to get you two talking. He told me what happened.”

“Trust me Letty, I felt really bad after that happened as well. I really wanted to go after him and apologize but…”

“Yeah, yeah, saving the world and stuff. I get it. North doesn’t blame you, right you rotting bag of bones?”

“No. It was just… if it happened gradually? I would have been fine, I think. Everything came flooding in at once. It was overwhelming. And if you call me a ‘rotting bag of bones’ again, I'll make sure your girl follows up on that threat.”

“You wouldn’t” Letty seemed shocked at what North said, but in an almost joking way.

“So, you finally found yourself someone Letty? Please don’t tell me you bought some strange chemical from an even stranger mammal.”

“No! I'm over that. I still get nightmares about what happened… How's your boyfriend anyways? I heard from Jezzie he’s the new Chief. Pretty impressive.”

“He’s doing good, despite everything going on. He’s really trying to turn this place around, to make the Guardians into something greater.” Something in my brain clicked. “Wait… Jezzie? Do you mean… Mayor Swift? Sounds a bit informal to be calling someone who from what I remember has the power to cut you off from your new gig. Didn’t that Bucksworth fellow send you to Hope to work off your debt?”

“Well… yes… things kinda…”

“She’s screwing the Mayor.”

“NORTH!” Letty’s face and ears just turned all shades of red.

“Screwing? You mean trying to pull one over on her or… oh… Oh! Oh. Really? You and Mayor Swift are a… thing? Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting. I want to hear every juicy tidbit, but first… I have no idea when I ate last. Wanna join me in the mess hall? I know you don’t eat anything North, but this doesn’t seem to be the most… pleasant of places to talk.”

“Not really hungry, Jezzie has been… well, let’s just say she had a tab at Petunia’s, all the caps in the world wouldn’t be enough to pay her back, but yeah, my legs are a bit sore. It was a long trip.”

“Wait, you two _walked_ here?”

North chuckled. “Not like we could have hailed a cab nowadays. Really makes me miss Finnick’s van.”

“Who?” That name didn’t register in my head.

“Nothing, just a friend from bygone days. Sitting down would be nice on these old bones.”

“Well then, let’s get you two off those legs. Mind if I ask some of the others to join us? Things have been a bit busy around here and we never really get to be in the same room these past few days. ”

“Sure, North has been a bit anti-social recently. Be good for him.”

“Anti-social like hell. It’s hard to sell things when half my patrons think I’m one of those damn savage ghouls.”

“Well with an attitude like that, you may as well be one.”

North just grunted and crossed his arms. Letty bumped her hip against him and I saw him crack a bit of a smile. I'm glad that both of them have found a place in life and other mammals to lean on, especially North. He didn’t really seem the type to make friends, but maybe that was before his memory returned. He said he missed his friends, ones that I'm sure are long gone, so maybe that feeling is helping him find the capability to make new friends. 

As for Letty and the Mayor? I guess it wasn’t too surprising, I mean Letty _did_ say she liked strong women and Mayor Swift is definitely up there, especially when it came to her own people’s safety. I sent out a message to Nate, asking if he can find where the others were and if they could join us in the mess hall. I know Bo has a big dinner planned for tonight, but it wouldn’t hurt to have nice sit down with everyone now. Plus, now that I realize how hungry I am, I’m not sure I can wait.

***

“Um, that’s fish. You're a rabbit…” 

“Just… don’t try to think too hard about it Letty, you might fry something.” Holly had a half smirk as she nodded her head at Letty’s reaction to my eating.

The first thing I did when I got to the mess hall was find some food. Holly was already there, but we were waiting on the others. Some canned tuna and dried carrots were quick and easy, and despite being hungry, I really didn’t want to fill up before tonight. Letty sat there just staring in disbelief.

I finished the food before my brain could even process that my stomach was now full. After a moment it settled and I felt a lot better. 

“Sorry, I was hungrier than I thought. So, where are the others?”

“Mark will be here shortly, Nate said he will join us after he takes care of something, and Blanche… she _was_ right here. Where did she…”

The sound of shattering glass interrupted Holly and drew our attention over to the next table. Underneath it was Blanche, surrounded by broken glass. The strong odor of alcohol started to fill my nose. 

“Blanche? You okay?” I got up knelled down, picking Blanche up and bringing her to the table we were at.

“Sorry, it’s just… fuck. One of the Guardians said this was the strongest thing known, it was a high enough proof to put an elephant into a coma. I can barely fucking taste it, yet alone feel a buzz. I’m glad to be alive, but not sure if it's worth not being able to get drunk.”

“Radiation.”

We all turned towards North. Blanche gave him a hard look. “What're you talking about prune face?”

“Look who’s speaking, raisin. I was never really a drinker, but I've learned a few things from those who are. While ghouls can’t get drunk off of normal alcohol, no matter the strength, add a bit of radiation during the fermentation process? I hear it's an even better buzz than a non-ghoul could ever get. Of course, if a non-ghoul drank the stuff, they’d be dead in an hour.”

“Oh, I need to get my paws on some of that!”

“I got some back in Hope, I can sell you a bottle real cheap… wait, did she call you… Blanche?”

“Yeah, what about it ass-twat?”

“You’re… what the hell happened? Olivia told me you died!”

“I did… almost. Let’s just say whoever was supposed to quality check those nukes did a horrible job. So, how many bottles we talking about, and how much?”

“I… how about two bottles, on the house. A way of saying sorry for joining the eternal life sucks club.”

“If it's as good as you say it is, It’ll make me wish I got ghoulified ages ago!”

“I know a brewer who specializes in that stuff. Never really had a reason to keep too much in stock, but as long as you got the caps, I can keep it coming. I might even be able to get you a discount on it as well.”

“Buddy, you just made a friend. Well, what are you waiting for? Get your ass back to Hope and get me some bottles!”

“Whoa there Blanche, they just got here. I’m not about to kick them out so you can get drunk.” 

“I’ve been sober for nearly two weeks! I can’t stand it!”

“Well you can wait a few more hours, okay?”

Blanche grumbled to herself, but otherwise made no other comment to me shutting her down. 

“Wanna bet that’s her, what did you call it North, her tick? I bet as long as she’s drunk, there’s no fear of her going savage.” 

I know Holly was just joking, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some truth to that. It seems that all Blanche lives for is drinking, fighting, swearing, and drinking some more. 

“There’s the boys! About time you fuzz butts showed up!” 

“I was busy helping Doc with something. Floppsy.” Mark was carrying a small bag that he set down in front of Holly.

“Ohhhh, is that?”

“Yup.”

“Those better not be radioactive Mark…”

“Don’t worry Olivia. I already had that talk with her. I had to promise her these to get her to shut up about it.” 

Holly pulled a small box from the bag and opened it, pulling out a black tipped bullet from it.

“What is that Holly?”

She had a huge grin on her face. “Explosive rounds. Hehe.”

“Does she always giggle when handling dangerous ballistics? It’s a bit… unnerving, even for me.” 

“Yeah, she does. Nice to see you Letty. How’s Hope treating you?”

“Eh, it’s okay. Better than singing for all those lowlife raiders that only want to get lucky with me. There are sure a lot of pervs out there.”

“Says the kitty who showed up half naked at the Mayor’s place hoping to get lucky herself.” 

“I was drunk you rotting bag of bones! I can’t help myself when I'm drunk, and frisky, and lonely, and…”

“Okay Letty we get it! Sheesh. At least ‘livi is quiet about her sex life.”

“Holly!” I felt my face start to heat up. I looked at Nate who was still silent, and I saw little bits of red forming in his ears, but his face was much more serious. Then I saw something in his paw.

“Hey, what’s in your paw sweetie?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s for you Holly, it’s from Doc he said it was urgent. Is… is everything okay?”

“From Doc? Oh, gimme!” Holly jumped up and snatched it from Nate’s paws. His expression turned from concerned to puzzled.

Holy unfolded the letter and read it to herself. From the way her eyes kept bouncing back and forth, I think she was re-reading it over a few times before she finally lowered her arms, leaving a massive grin on her face.

“Um, Holly? You’re scaring me…” Mark tried to grab the letter, but she just moved it away. 

“‘Livi! We’re twins!”

I nearly choked on the dried carrots I was munching on. “WHAT?”

“Let me see that.” Mark finally pried the paper from her paws and read it, his expression gradually turning into confusion. “Wait, this is… Holly? What… what is this?”

“‘Livi, remember just before that Legionary showed up and the power went out? I said I could see just fine despite it being so dark?”

“Yeah? What does that have to… no…”

“Yes! It turns out, I'm part fox as well!”

“WHAT?! How is that even possible?!” I was _not_ expecting that! 

“I had Doc run the same tests on me as he did you. Apparently when I got blasted by that plasma weapon, its radioactive residual particulates, as he put it, triggered the same dormant genes that you had, it just took longer because I didn’t decide to go swimming in it.”

“It wasn’t by choice! I got shot! So, you're telling me that we're _both_ hybrids?”

“Yup!”

“Doc said there were only, what? Six subjects that were known? Does that mean we… we're related?”

Holly’s excitable expression turned downwardly. “No. I'm afraid not. I asked Doc to also do a genetic comparison between mine and the ones you have on file, and no, neither the rabbit or the fox genomes match up. Not surprised though, we're both from different Burrows, and Doc said there may have been many more than the six that were either undocumented, or the documents got lost or destroyed.”

“Wow, just… wow. Did you know anything about this Mark? Nate?”

“No! It’s… well, it’s a bit of a shock to me. What about you bro?”

“… that’s… really?”

“Yup!”

Mark and Nate looked at each other, then looked at the both of us, then did something unexpected. They both broke out laughing.

“What’s so funny about this, huh?” Holly seemed taken aback by it.

“Two rabbits, with two foxes, and they're _both_ part fox? What’s _not_ to laugh about the complete and utter hilarious coincidence? Maybe it really was meant to be.” 

“Laugh it up fuzz butt. Laugh it up. ‘Livi, you think we should ‘punish’ our boys?”

“Hmm… I think they’d enjoy it too much. It really does seem odd, doesn’t it? Wait… what if we're _related_ to our own foxes?”

“Even if we are ‘livi, we're generations apart, I doubt anything bad would happen. We can get them tested too, if you're that worried about it.”

“Don’t worry about it Holly. Nate, you’ve been awfully quiet about this, other than the whole laughing hysterically thing.”

“I’m just remembering what you told me about how you wondered if everyone was controlled by some hand of fate. Makes you think that all of us managed to get together for a reason.”

“Mark and Holly were in the same place, it’s not too hard to see that, but us? Maybe there's something to it. Um… Letty? What’s with the face?” I had just noticed Letty sitting there, her jaw open wide.

“You… two… are… two different species? That is… wow.”

“Yeah, wow is a common thing with us it seems. Weren’t you wondering how I was eating meat and not throwing it up?”

“I just figured you adapted to it out of some desperation. I’ve seen it before, but it usually resulted in…”

“Cannibalism?”

“Yeah…”

“Trust me, I will _never_ go that far. Especially after… let’s just say, no.”

“You should have seen the first time we all saw ‘livi accidentally eat some of Nate’s fish. Let’s just say that the other Guardians took it a bit more… I have never seen so many confused mammals before. I think some of them were actually a bit… frightened to see it. If I only had a camera.”

“Last time you had a camera, Olivia almost shot you, so maybe it’s a good thing.”

“I can’t help it Marki!”

“If all you ass-twats would cut out the comedy routine, I’d like to have a little talk with North about my booze, I can tell by the way he-"

“Huh? Oh, sorry, think I zoned out a bit. I… I just remembered something. A long time ago, before everything went to shit, there was someone special to me, someone who I was afraid to lose.”

“It was your partner, Judy, wasn’t it?”

“How… how did you know?”

“I saw your memories, remember? I saw how you looked at her. Inside your memories, I could _feel_ how you felt about her. You don’t have to hide it.”

“It’s still hard to think about it, to think that she’s… that she’s…”

I walked over to where North was sitting and hugged him. This time he wasn’t hesitant about it, but rather seemed to accept it. 

“She was the reason you wanted to forget, wasn’t she?” North simply nodded. “I don’t think that’s right. You should cherish your memories, the good and the bad. If something ever happened to Nate, I wouldn’t want to forget him. I wouldn't want to let those memories slip, no matter how bad they were. It’s both the good and the bad that define you, that make you memorable.”

“I didn’t know then why I kept… why you seemed so… different. Now, seeing you here with a fox of your own? I know it’s because deep down, I still remembered her, and somehow, you reminded me of her. It sounds stupid, I know.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“You said you were from a Burrow, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, why?”

“That’s where I lost her. She was investigating rumors that Burrow-Tec was working with whoever was responsible for the war. That company had put so much money into protecting us from the horrors, that no one, including myself, believed it, but she… she was just so damn adamant about getting to the bottom of it. The Burrow had rabbits in it, so she decided to go undercover, to try to find something from the inside. That’s… that’s when the first bomb in Tundratown went off. It must have triggered some emergency protocol because Burrows all over Zootopia were starting to close. I tried to rush there, I tried to get to her before it was too late. I didn’t make it in time. I…”

If ghouls could cry, he would be drowning in tears. I had to help comfort him, the memories seemed to be causing him a great discomfort. 

“You did everything you could.”

“I could have been there! She was my partner, she was my wife! She was… I never got to tell her, that it worked.”

“What worked?”

“She… she was pregnant. Pregnant with… with my child. Our child. I… I never got to meet my own kid.”

“The cross-breeding program?”

“Yeah. We were one set of couples that were accepted into it. How did you know?”

“When I found out I had foreign DNA in my body, the doctor here told us about recovered records about it. That Burrow… do you remember what number it was?”

“I… I don’t… seventy something?”

“Seventy… six?”

“Yeah, that’s it. Why?”

“Because… that’s where I came from.”

North turned and I saw his eyes become wider than I thought possible, and on a ghoul it made him look very… well, unnatural. 

“Are you saying…”

“I… I think… I’m your decedent.”

North slowly got up and turned to me, his eyes still wide. “You… do you really think…”

“There were no predators in my Burrow, let alone foxes. It’s too much of a coincidence to be otherwise.”

Faster than I thought a ghoul could move, he grabbed me and hugged me. He hugged me as if a long lost friend was standing right before him. I hugged him back.

“Ow! What was that for Holly?” 

“Just making sure we weren’t dreaming Marki. This is something, isn’t it? Hey Nate, what you think now that you're standing with your future great, great, great, great, great…”

North stopped hugging me, a visage of both joy and embarrassment crossed his face. “I’m not that great.”

“You never got to meet your child, but will the descendant of them suffice?”

Nate walked up to us with an unidentifiable look on his face. 

“Nate? You okay?”

“Mr West, Sir. When I found out why you were at Wild Times that fateful day, I wanted to kill you for even having any part of that horrible place. The fact that you were the one who told us where Olivia was, was the only saving grace. I tried to hide it, the fact that despite everything, that I still blamed you. I wanted to hate you, but Olivia couldn’t, so in turn, I tried to hide it. To find out that she's descended from you?” Nate surprised us all by grabbing North, and then hugging him. “Without you, I wouldn’t have her, and not just from Wild Times, but without you, she would have never existed. I forgive you, and I thank you.”

“Y-your… you’re welcome. I forgive you too. You… you can stop hugging me now…”

“You didn’t seem to push _me_ away North.” 

“It’s a bit more awkward hugging another guy…”

“Wait till Jezzie gets a load of this.” 

I had forgotten Letty was here this entire time. “Um, sorry.”

“I remember hearing about things like this from before the war, they were called Soap Operas I think.”

“Heh, Carrots hated those things, but her mother was addicted.”

“Carrots? Isn’t that what you called me?”

“Oh, yeah. That was Judy’s nickname. I kinda… forced it upon her.”

“I know the feeling.”

“She eventually got used to it.”

I gave him a smile. “I know the feeling. Though, if it’s too weird for you, you don’t have to call me it. It just grew on me, from you at least. Or I should say I don’t wanna shoot you when you call me that anymore. Just… no more with the ‘sweetheart’ please, it'll feel very… awkward I think.”

“Don’t worry, I think it will for me as well. She’d be proud of you. You're everything she wanted in a child. Strong, independent, someone who was willing to put others before themselves. That’s what she was, and that’s why I loved her.”

“She’s mine, so don’t try anything.”

“Don’t worry, Chief, I won’t be taking your girl. I’m too old for this stuff anyways. So, you two planning on having kids of your own?”

“What?!” Nate and I had similar reactions.

“I mean, that was the entire point of doing that procedure, to produce viable offspring. If there's fox DNA within the female, then it should allow for reproduction… but I’m not a doctor… I think I’ll shut my mouth now. Hey Blanche, you wanted to talk about that booze?”

“About fucking time! I _hate_ this mushy gushy stuff!”

“Marki…”

“Um, Holly, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, you know why.”

“Oh, I know that look… now? Really?”

“I want to have babies!”

She just went there, didn’t she? “North, you have no idea what you started, do you?”

“I don’t want to know. Oh, and I think you can call me Nick now. I wanted to put that behind me once again, but after this? I don’t think I'm ready. It’s not what she would have wanted me to. So, no more North West. From now on I'm Nicholas Piberius Wilde.”

“Well, Mr. Wilde. Welcome to the family. Now, I’d go and settle your stuff with Blanche. She has that ‘I will kill everyone if I don’t get booze’ look in her eye. And thank you. For everything.”

“You're welcome, carrots.”

Holly had yanked Mark out of the room, off to do stuff that I don’t even want to think about, while Nick and Blanche went off to talk about getting a fresh supply of radioactive alcohol. That left Nate, Letty, and I.

“So Letty, what are you gonna do while you wait for Nick?”

“Nick, I just got to know him as North. Oh well. I don’t really have much, probably just sit here. Not looking forward to the trip back.”

“I’ll arrange a Tac-Lifter to take the two of you back.” Nate’s face was still beaming.

“Really? You sure? I don’t want to be any trouble.”

“It’s no problem at all.” Nate’s Pip-Boar beeped and he looked at it, doing his best to prevent me from seeing what was on it. “I gotta run, let me know when Nor… Nick is done with his business and I'll get a pilot ready.”

“Thank you. Oh, before I forget, here.”

Letty handed a small envelope to Nate. He took it and carefully opened it up to read its contents. 

“What is it?”

“Mayor Swift agrees to the move and most of the town council agree to. I’ll let Logan know so we can get working on a plan. But first, I have a surprise for you. If you'll excuse us Letty.”

“Yeah, thanks again for the lift. My legs appreciate it.

Nate lead me out of the mess hall and eventually into a part of the base I had never been to. We passed Tuskgen who simply nodded and winked at us, or rather, at Nate. What was going on? Eventually he lead me to a locked room, one that not only had a digital access, but also needed a physical key. He unlocked the door and inside looked like a workshop, tools and parts scattered all over, with a large object in the center of the room, hidden under a blue tarp. 

“What… is this?” My feet started to leave the ground as Nate scooped me up and held me rather romantically. I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye and noticed it was his tail, wagging back and forth. “What are you doing? Let me down mister!”

“No.” He kept me there, held in his robotic arm as he took the other one and yanked back the tarp.

Under it was a rather familiar looking robot. It was the same construction robot as we found under City Hall, but it was heavily modified. It had the triple wheeled feet like an Ultra Sentinel, four arms, two on each side, and a large spherical head, that looked a lot like Onion, but I could tell it was from an eye-bot. 

“What… what is this?”

“A gift, for you. Say hi.”

The head of the robot lit up, from behind the ‘faceplate’ of the eyebot head the blue lights made it almost seem like a face. It rolled forward a few inches, rotated the head, looking around the room before focusing on us, and flexed each of the arms before a voice finally sounded from its body.

“Hello Miss. Miss me?”

“O-Onion?”

“In the flesh, metaphorically speaking.”

“ONION!”

Nate dropped me and I ran over to Onion and encircled him, taking in the body with much greater detail. 

“How did you…”

“Mister Valiant has been working on this non-stop. He just recently uploaded me into this chassis, so I haven’t had time to acclimate myself to it yet Miss.”

I turned to Nate. “You… this is why you've been so secretive, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. All my other surprises had either been ruined, or prematurely spoiled. I wanted to make this one count. I spent most of yesterday and all of today working on it. Logan wasn’t too happy having me flake on my duties, but then I remembered, I’m _his_ boss. Plus, I promised to make it up to him… he’s a real hard ass when it comes to doing your job, even if I _am_ Chief.”

I ran back to Nate and gave him the biggest hug and kiss I could manage. I almost knocked the two of us over, but Onion, with his many arms, caught us. 

“That is going to be hard to get used to Onion, you having arms that can actually do something. And a face. Was the face your idea Nate?”

“Actually Miss, it was mine. I never knew why you never added one to me.”

“I never really thought of it, to be honest.”

“Did Tuskgen help you? Is that why we saw her heading from this direction?”

“I did this whole thing by myself. I had to borrow some of her tools, get some parts from her, and since I was half asleep during some of it, I wanted to have her make sure it didn’t blow up, but otherwise, it was all me.”

“Thank you sweetie! This is the best gift you could ever give me!”

“I can think of something else…”

“What are you…”

My thought was interrupted by Nate’s Pip-Boar.

“Chief Valiant, come in.”

“This isn’t the best time Stalker.”

“Sir, it’s important. We have sightings of the Slave Prince and… you need to see this yourself.”

“Slave Prince? I'll be right there. Sorry Binky, I got work.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Shouldn’t you stay with Onion a bit? Help him adjust to his new body?” 

“No offense Onion, but you can wait. Where there’s the Slave Prince, I bet my tail that fucking boar isn't far behind. I may not fear him like I did, but I still hate him and I want to make him pay for what he did to me.”

“So do I. Okay then, let’s go.”

“I’ll be back later Onion, I promise.”

“Yes Miss. I will use this time to adjust to my new body. It feels… Strange.”

Nate and I left and rushed towards the command center where Logan was waiting. There were Guardians, all dressed in their armor rushing around. Logan must have already started to gather the forces. All that I could think about was what I'd do to that boar when I find him, what I will say to him. He doesn’t deserve anything from me, except for bullet in the head. I just wonder how I will be when I'm finally face to face with him once again. 

Logan, the lead Agent, and a few others were inside the command center all huddled around a table. When we got to them I could see a digitized map with flashing red X’s scattered around it. Logan looked very concerned, which was disconcerting being how this was so much different from his normal sternness. 

“Are there any signs of Baird?”

“No Sir. Just the Slave Prince and a small army. Our Agents say he's gathering a force, and have seen some mammals with slave collars. I think he's trying to establish a new base of operations.”

“Where Stalker? Where is he?”

“He’s at one of Chief Lazlo’s danger zones.” 

“WHERE Stalker!”

“It’s… see for yourself Sir.”

Nate looked to where Logan was pointing, and upon seeing it, all emotions melted from his face. Horror, confusion, hate. They took on a new visage, a scary visage. One that was making me nervous.

“Nate… what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Burrow.”

“Burrow? He’s… at a Burrow?”

“No, not _a_ Burrow… He’s at _the_ Burrow.”

“I don’t…”

“This is the place that I never wanted to see again, a place I never wanted to _think_ of again. Burrows are evil, but this… this one… I never wanted to go back, but now… Stalker, gather every mammal you can. We leave in an hour.”

“Nate, where are we going?”

“Burrow… Ninety-Three.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Been a while since we had a nice calm and relaxing chapter hasn’t it? Unfortunately, this will be the last one until the very end. The proverbial shit is about to hit the fan and it won’t end until the last chapter, but I won’t spoil anything. 

“That said, I should comment a bit on the last show. Yeah, that was a bit out of the ballpark for me. I knew that Max wasn’t doing so good after the last… incident we were in, but to no longer be able to do field work? That’s a shame. Despite all of the back and forth bickering we do, he is a great co-host and assistant, especially for putting up with me for this long. After today, we have four chapters and an Epilogue left. Yup, you heard right, five more to go after today. It feels weird doesn’t it? So many loose ends, so few chapters left. I won’t lie, there will be loose ends. I could have included so many more adventures in this story, but then it may not have ever ended. Yes, I am sure many of you would love it to go on eternally, but things can happen and I would rather have a complete story like the one I am presenting here, than to have it abruptly stop with no future. However, even as the last chapter is posted, that will not be the end. I have SO much to give you all that sometime early next year I will start work on multiple spin offs. Some will be side adventures to wrap up loose ends involving side characters, and others will be continuations of what happens after the story ends. I will not give you any details on it yet, mostly due to it all being on the writing block and I don’t want to get hopes up, but this is where I also need your help folks. After I post the last chapter, I want you all to tell me what loose ends you think there are that still need to be wrapped up. Just like with books, movies, and video games, often a plot is created that the designer never realized it would be important enough to need a conclusion, and I am sure that is still the case with myself. The past seven or so months I have lived and breathed this story, and that breath of life is not fading anytime soon. It will however, need a break, but not until after this is finalized. 

“Now with that out of the way, let’s get on to today’s show! There is so much to cover, but so little time. First I want to say this. I know some of you are going to be a bit… well, something after hearing that not only is Olivia part fox, but Holly just so happened to be as well. This was never planned, but then again Holly was never planned either. So, if anyone has any questions, concerns, or complaints, direct them to Max, he’s the brains behind it. 

“So, today’s chapter marks the point where not only does Nick finally accept who he is, but also that Judy is no longer alive. Yes, I could have kept her alive somehow, but I felt that it was best this way. I for one like Judy better over Nick (sorry Nick!), but I felt that Nick would have made a more interesting impact to the story than Judy would have. Sure, there could be some way that a pre-war Nick or Judy could exist _cough_ synth _cough_ , but that is not for me to add to this world since it is outside my own head cannon. You talented writers can do what you will. Though, that little coughing spurt? Yeah, that’s an idea I already hinted at for a curious reader. Yup, talking about you. You know who you are. 

“Wow, I keep getting sidetracked, don’t I? Sorry folks. So, where was I? Oh yeah. Nick and Judy. Olivia is descended from the two of them, that is now fully revealed. Sure, there hasn’t been any DNA testing between Nick and Olivia, but trust me, it’s a done deal. Holly’s relation? Well, yes, she has some fox DNA in her, but it isn’t as pronounced as Olivia’s, which is why she doesn’t seem to have as much of a handle on it right now. Plus, Olivia _did_ go swimming in a radioactive pool, so there’s that as well. I won’t tell you who Holly is related to, unless Max wants to spill the beans, but let’s just say it’s not just some random fox, and no, it’s not Nick. I can assure you one-hundred percent that Olivia and Holly are not related. Nor are Mark and Nate related to Holly or Olivia by blood. 

“Now, why I did tell you a bit about it through the story, let me delve into it better. Before the war, Nick and Judy were in a committed relationship. They even got married. However, it was a bit weird for them at work. While there was nothing against a workplace relationship within the ZPD, it was often looked down upon due to potential interference with daily work life and ethics. However, Judy and Nick both remained very professional about it when on the job. Or at least in the precinct. Out on duty and alone? Well, sly fox has many different meanings. 

“When the talk of war broke out, this changed. Yes, they were still happily married, but Judy took her work even more seriously than ever. Stopping robberies and solving homicides was one thing, trying to protect an entire city from an invisible enemy? It was more than most of the police could handle. Up until days before the end of the world as every mammal knew it, Judy was barely able to have a life outside of her work. She was consumed by trying to find out who was behind the war, to find a way to stop this at its root. Nick however, was growing tired of this. Yes, he did care about the city and the people within it, and yes he wanted this war to be over as soon as possible, to finally have things return to the way they used to be. He loved Judy, and he knew that Judy still loved him. There was nothing in the world that could ever change that. Nothing, except for a massive steel Burrow door, but I am getting ahead of myself.

“Nick and Judy had been working undercover for a while, trying to track down mammals that might have been involved with Burrow-Tec’s upper echelon. Every single time Judy made an investigation on the war, Burrow-Tec’s name popped up. Two months prior to the bomb in Tundratown going off, Burrow-Tec expanded it’s operations over seas, including in countries that had openly expressed a dislike for cities like Zootopia and their special tolerance. With some help from their mutual friend Mr. Big, Judy had the lead of a lifetime. However, there was one thing that kept splitting the fog of work. Children. 

“About a year prior, the first waves of public testing sign ups for the new interspecies reproduction experiment began, and Nick and Judy were at the forefront of it. A little over a month before the Burrow doors closed, the couple had their names drawn and took time off to undergo the procedure. The problem was, two out of the five couples before them failed to show any signs of it working. It was completely harmless to the parents, but it wasn’t a guarantee. Despite this knowledge, Nick and Judy still attempted. That folks, is why Nick was not with Judy that fateful day. 

“Nick wasn’t good at grand expressions of love, though to Judy, he didn’t have to be, but this, this was special. Any mammal can get married despite their species, but to have a kid? That was something that only same species couples could experience and enjoy. The day they had the procedure done, he told the doctors that checked up on Judy’s weekly blood tests to tell him before telling her. Nick had been planning a huge surprise event for his wife, he wanted this to be something that they would always remember and treasure. That is why when the doctor called him up with important news on the blood test Judy submitted the day before, Nick told her that he would meet her there. He wanted to set up the surprise so that when they got off of work, he could pop the news to her. What he didn’t know was that Judy had a change of plans. 

“Nick and Judy were supposed to be on a simple stakeout. Chief Bogo had explicitly stated that no one was to enter that Burrow without backup, that they were to watch for any suspicious activities and report back to the precinct before taking action. Nick always was the level headed one, keeping Judy from doing some stupid mistake. Without Nick there, Judy decided it wouldn’t be a problem to take a small peak inside. It was mostly a rodent occupied Burrow, but there were a bunch of rabbits who were mainly working construction within the Burrow, so Judy stole a uniform and snuck in, but not before sending a report to Nick. He was so busy planning the party with Finnick and Clawhauser, that he missed her message. By the time he got it, Tundratown was gone. 

“He moved faster than a cheetah, faster than I think any mammal would be able to. He had received the message, but she wasn’t answering his calls. He knew something was wrong, but by the time he got to the Burrow, it had already been sealed. Judy was trapped inside, and he was trapped outside in a poorly protected tunnel. The rest, well, you already know the rest. 

“Sorry for a bit of a sorrowful episode, but I felt that now was the best time to tell you how everything happened, why Nick lived as a Ghoul named North West, while Judy lived for another thirty years in the safety of the Burrow. Not a day went by that Nick wasn’t on her mind. For the first few years, she stopped at nothing to get the doors open, but eventually she learned it was futile. She was trapped inside, and she had a child to take care of now. A rabbit who’s grey and orange fur made him stand out from every other rabbit in the Burrow. A rabbit she named Nick. Unfortunately, Judy’s genetics never produced a fox child down her family tree, and eventually, Nick’s memory faded with time. But Judy, she never forgot.

“Well folks, that’s it for today’s episode. Need to work with Max on planning out the last few episodes. So much to cover, so little time, but until next time, take care and remember, never forget those who you care about. Take care folks!”


	78. A Boar of His Words

“What’s with the urgency Nate? Marki and I were just getting… comfy.” Holly looked as if she had gotten dressed in a hurry.

“Yeah, what gives…” Mark abruptly stopped talking. He probably noticed the very serious look on Nate’s face. “What’s wrong? Something happened, didn’t it?”

“We're leaving in forty minutes. Get your stuff ready.” Nate sounded calm, but I could tell that he was doing his best to hide his real emotions. I could also tell that Mark was picking up on it.

“Sir, this is a Guardian mission, civilians shouldn’t…” 

Nate turned towards Logan, his calm visage already showing signs of breaking. “No. This is more than a Guardian mission. I don’t care about policies and regulations this time, and nothing you can say will stop me from this. I don’t want to, I _really_ don’t want to, but I have to. _We_ have to.”

“Nate, _what_ is going on? I can tell there's something wrong.”

“I… the Slave Prince has been spotted and we believe that Baird might be close as well.” Nate was obviously trying to skirt around the real issue. 

“See? I _told_ you I should get a Nuke Tube. Oh, I really wanna shove a mini-nuke right up that boar’s ass.” I could see the evil smirk forming on Holly’s face.

“Did anyone actually _see_ him?”

“No, but it’s the first time we've had a lead. There’s… something else as well. The Slave Prince has been spotted near… a Burrow.”

“Oh. I… I can see why you're acting like this.” Mark walked up to his brother and placed his paw on Nate’s shoulder. “Are you sure you want to do this? I know our experiences with Burrows haven't been the best.”

“Nate, tell them.” It was painful hearing him avoiding it, I had to step in.

“Tell us what? Olivia, do you know what’s going on?”

“It’s…” Nate stopped and took a deep breath. “It’s ninety-three, he’s near _our_ Burrow.”

Mark and Holly’s faces instantly expressed both fear and hate at the mention of their old Burrow. Holly started to move over to Nate and I took a step back so that she could be closer to him and Mark. It wasn’t until then that I realized Nate had been holding my paw. I tugged it gently and he glanced at me. I smiled, and hopefully it told him that it was okay that I wasn’t going anywhere. 

“How… are you taking it?” 

Nate sat down, leaving Mark and Holly hovering over him. “Hard Mark, very hard. If this was the old me, I would probably be curled up and crying at the very thought of going back there. I… I-I don’t want to, I never wanted to look back.”

“You’re not that kind of mammal anymore sweetie.” Since he was low enough, I placed my head on his, and spoke softly.

“That’s why I've got to go there and face it. I've got to show myself that I'm no longer the coward I was. Otherwise, how can I lead the Guardians? There are countless Burrows out there, and I know I won’t be able to escape from all of them. I need to try to bury this, to make sure it won’t come back to me in the future.”

“We might not even _have_ to go there. You said he was spotted near it, right? Can’t we just do this without involving the Burrow?” Holly seemed just as reluctant to return as Nate did.

“No. We've run from our past for too long. You heard your father, he couldn’t care less if every pred vanished from the face of the planet. What if he ever got out? What if he started to spread his poison. There are already too many mammals who hate us preds, what if that turns toxic? I know he's your father Holly, but I don’t think I can sit back anymore while that place still exists under his control.”

“Nate, you know how little love I have left for my father. To be honest, I'm not sure how I'll even be if and when we finally meet again. Part of me wants to just punch him in the face, but another part, a very, very small one, wants to try to reason with him, show him how much predators and prey really are alike, and how far they can go. After everything that happened to you Nate, look at where you are now. That's got to count for something.”

“You know he won’t Holly. He was already beyond redemption when we were children. If your mother couldn’t change him, I don’t think we can.”

“My…” Holly’s face melted into that of sorrow. “My mother. She’s really the only thing I miss about that place. Do you… do you think she’s still alive after all this time?”

Mark wrapped his arms and tail around Holly. “I'm sure she is. She's a strong mammal. Where do you think you got it from?”

“Thanks Marki. That means a lot. But… but what are you going to do about my father? Kill him?”

“Oh how I would love to, but I have to be stronger than that. I'll hold him accountable for everything he did, and everything he has done. I want him to suffer, but not through physical pain. I want to have everything he holds dear stripped from him.”

“You want to toss him in a jail cell and throw away the key, don’t you?”

“Yes Holly, but only after a in impartial trial. Rotting in a cell isn’t as great of a punishment than doing so after facing your own atrocities.”

“But what about when we find Baird? What then? You just going to throw him in a cell? I know what the Overseer did to you and your brother, along with your… mother, but knowing that Baird is still alive and just rotting away in a cell? I’m not sure if I'll be able to _not_ kill him when the time comes.” 

Nate looked into my eyes awash with sternness and sympathy. “Overseer Kerrigan has no allies in this world, his only ‘friends’ lay within the Burrow, so no one will care that he’s rotting in a cell. That boar however, he has who knows how many friends out here. I'm not sure it would be safe to keep him alive.”

Holly, Mark, and Nate all huddled around me. “Whatever happens will happen ‘livi. Just remember, no matter _what_ happens, we'll be there for you.”

“Just as I'll be there for you guys when the time comes. And thank you.”

“No, thank _you_ ‘livi. We’d be facing an entirely different Nate right now if it wasn’t for you. I mean, he's barely stuttered this whole time!”

“Har-har Holly. Just so you know, I'm scared shitless at the thought of going back, but I can’t let it take control of me anymore. Just as you said Holly, I'm not sure how I'll be when the time finally arrives, but if I don’t try then I'll never know.” Nate kept a hold of me but turned towards the rather unamused wolf standing a few feet away. “Stalker Logan. I want a detachment of Guardians with us after we deal with the Slave Prince and Baird. I want to have our presence felt when we open the Burrow, so due to size restraints, make sure that you pick the best mammals tiger size and smaller for it. I want Defenders to guard the entrance to make sure no one leaves until we're ready. After you pick them, brief them on the situation.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Looks like it's now or never. Mark, Holly, you two go get ready, and Holly, you are _not_ allowed to bring any mini-nukes with us.”

“Why not?!” Holly had a look that was a cross between disappointment and anger.

“While I would _love_ to just bomb the hell out of that place and be done with it, there are still innocent mammals in there, mammals that probably hate the Overseer just as much as we do. That includes your mother.”

“Yeah, yeah. Plus with my luck, my father would survive as some immortal ghoul.” Holly over exaggerated shivers down her body.

“Olivia?”

“Yeah Nate?”

“Could we talk, in private?”

The way he said it was disconcerting, but I simply nodded my head as he led me back to our room. He then closed the door behind him and locked it before turning towards me. His eyes displayed a worried emotion to them as he grabbed me and kissed me after whispering “I love you.”

“I love you too sweetie. You had me worried for a moment, I thought something was wrong.”

“There is, I think. I'm not really sure to be honest.”

“You can talk to me about it. Here, let’s sit down. What’s wrong?”

“Between potentially facing that… boar, going up against one of the most powerful slave owners the wasteland has seen, _and_ facing my greatest demons all in the same day? What if something happens and we don’t make it? What if one of us… dies?”

“I won’t say that won't happen, because I always have the same fear. This world is so chaotic who _knows_ what will be awaiting us around the next corner. It’s that very reason that I've found the will to keep going, to do whatever it takes for me to survive. For _us_ to survive. Just remember sweetie, no matter what happens, I'll always be by your side.”

“And I'll be by yours too Binky.”

“How long do we have before we leave?”

“Um, ten minutes or so, why?”

“There’s more to this than simply one of us dying. You said it yourself that you're scared about visiting your Burrow again, but I'll be by your side the whole time. I think we both need to… release some of this stress before it gets the better of either of us. Plus, I want to… feel you, just in case it’s our last time.”

“Feel me? What do you…” I interrupted him with a kiss. “Oh. That… I'd like that.” Nate lifted up his arm and I saw his Pip-Boar appear from under its hidden panel. “Stalker Logan, what’s the status of our departure?”

“ _We're ready to depart momentarily Sir._ ”

“Some… last minute preparations came up. You lead the advance squad and set up base at a safe distance. Make sure Agents are tracking the Slave King’s movements at all times. Inform my team that I'll be ready to depart in twenty minutes and we will meet you to make our final preparations on site.”

“ _Sir, I think you should really…_ ”

“Twenty minutes Stalker, that’s all I need.”

“ _Yes Sir._ ”

“Are you _sure_ he doesn’t hate you sweetie? He never seems to be very happy with your orders.”

“I’m not sure he even knows what happy is. He’s just still adjusting, we all are. It'll be fine. So, you think twenty minutes will be enough?”

“Let’s stop wasting time and find out.”

I started to take my shirt off but before I could pull it over my head, not wanting to fuss with the buttons, I felt Nate push me onto the bed. He finished undressing me, all while my vision was blocked by my shirt. I never realized that being ‘blind’ made it feel so much… more. I felt the rest of my shirt slip off as he climbed on top of me, already naked himself. 

I know this isn't the best time for this, but at the same time, it also feels like _the_ best time for it. Feeling his body against mine, knowing how deep this intimacy goes beyond just the physical limits. We are as one, body, mind, and soul. This feeling of being complete is my everything. It is my life, my fire, it is the one driving force that keeps me going. 

Without Nate I would be lost and empty, so I need to keep this feeling fresh in my mind. That way, no matter what happens today, no matter how many times I get thrown around, how far I get beaten down, I can continue to cling onto this feeling, because as long as I do, I can never fail.

***

We were a few minutes late as we hurried down to the hangar. Neither of us wanted to stop, but eventually the risk of a sudden, and angry message from Logan interrupting us made us finally finish up. That wolf really knows how to ruin the mood. Plus, the longer we wait, the more we risk losing our chance at getting at Baird. Ever since he escaped Wild Times, he's been off the radar, despite all the Agents looking for him. Makes me wonder if the Stealth-Boar was named after him…

“About time you two got here! Marki was just about to go and fetch you.” 

“Sorry Holly, we were… caught up in something.”

“Yeah, well, Zack has the bird all warmed up, let’s get… what… what’s that smell?”

“What do you mean Holly?”

Holly moved up to me, her nose twitching like crazy as she sniffed me and then Nate. “Why does that smell… you… you two snuck off to have sex, didn’t you!”

Nate started to nervously rub the back of his neck. “Well, I…”

“Did we sneak off to relieve our rapidly growing tension? Yes, yes we did.” I gave Holly a half smile as I grabbed Nate’s free paw and yanked him towards the Tac-Lifter. 

I heard Holly whispering to Mark. “And I thought _my_ hormones were bad.” 

“Wait! What about Onion?”

“This thing can’t support all of us along with his new body. I already informed him of what's going on. I gave him access to a few parts of the base including the firing range and the garage so that he can test out and run some self diagnostics on his new body.” The Tac-Lifter took off with a little shaking before it steadied out in the air. Nate lifted my Pip-Boar and entered some commands into it. “I meant to give you this earlier. It’s a secure link directly to Onion. Try it out.”

“Onion, can you hear me?”

“ _Loud and clear Miss. I do apologize for not being able to accompany you._ ”

“Guess that old ball of scrap of yours was good for something. How are you doing in that new body?”

“ _Well Miss, it’s still… odd. I never realized how confined and limited I felt in that old body. These four arms are flexible enough, and I have more of a direct control of their fine motor skills, I do believe I could perform some basic neurosurgery with them._ ”

“Well don’t tell Doc that, he’d take offense to it. He never cared for robotic doctors. Said they were too… impersonal.”

“Doc said that? Well, takes one to know one I guess.” 

“Don’t be so quick to judge, Holly. I had a little… discussion with him earlier regarding a few recent events. While I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone else, I learned a bit from him to tell that he has so much more emotion than he shows.”

“Sorry, I… I didn’t mean anything by it. You think it’s the same with Logan?”

“No, I don’t even think _Doc_ could remove that stick up his ass. Wonder how Mister Lazlo felt about his lack of emotion.”

“As long as he's a trustworthy and loyal mammal, I don’t think it really mattered to him. Everyone has their own quirks.” Saying that made me look towards Jasmine who was quietly sitting in the back. It looked like she was lost in deep concentration, a look that I usually don’t see in her. “Hey Jasmine, you’re awful quiet today.”

“Huh? What? Oh. Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. Everything okay with you?”

“Yeah. Everything is o-kid… I mean okay!”

O-kid? “You sure?”

“I think that baby I haven’t had enough sleep.”

“Did you say… baby?”

“Oh! I…” She went to cover her mouth but ended up slapping her hoof against her metal jaw, causing her to reel back in pain as she shook her hoof.

“It’s been like that ever since we ran into those two earlier this morning.” Zack pointed between Mark and Holly before returning his attention to flying.

“Why us? What did we do?”

Jasmine’s face was turning red and she was mumbling quietly instead of talking. Zack sighed. “She’s probably too embarrassed to tell you, but she overheard you guys talk about Holly _also_ being part fox and how that Mister West fellow made mention of interspecies reproduction.”

“You were… eavesdropping on us?”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to. We were going to get some food but she didn’t want to intrude on your guys little get together so she asked to wait until a better time, but I think she was a bit too curious to just leave.”

“I’m not mad at you Jasmine, you're always welcome to join us you know?” I maneuvered over so that I could sit next to her and placed my paw on her leg. 

“I… It didn’t feel like my place.”

“If we need some private time, we'll go someplace… private. The mess hall is fair game for anyone. Okay?”

“O-okay.”

“So, what’s with the slip of the tongue?”

“I… I-I… it’s too embarrassing…”

“She wants kids.” Zack said it very bluntly.

“Zacky!” 

It was hard not to chuckle. “Zacky? That’s cute.” 

Jasmine shot upright and smacked her head on the roof of the aircraft. 

“You gotta stop that or else you'll be brain dead long before you can even have kids. So… Is this sudden interest in having offspring due to a certain… zebra we all know?”

“I… I… y-yes.” She spoke very softly.

I turned to see what kind reaction that got out of Zack but I'm not sure if he heard or not. His face was pointing out the forward window, so I couldn't make out his face, although I'm sure if he heard, he would have a huge grin on his face. He _was_ the first to get smitten with Jasmine after all.

“What’s the likelihood that _three_ of us just so happened to be descended from mammals who all underwent the same experiment?”

“I… I already checked…”

“Wait, what do you mean by that?” 

“I… afterwards I went to Doc and had him… he had already finished with Holly’s blood work, so I figured it'd be a good time… it was… I'm not. I-I'm just a normal giraffe.”

“I’m sorry Jasmine.”

“There is a way actually.” Zack’s voice startled me. “I've gotten to know Jasmine enough to tell when something is bothering her, she's pretty bad at hiding it too. After she left Doc’s, I went in and had a little talk with him. Between the blood samples he has of Holly and Olivia, plus some new medical machinery we recovered from Precinct One, he thinks he can replicate the original process.”

“R-really?” From the sound of it, I think this was the first time Zack had told her. 

“Now don’t get your hopes up Jay-Jay, but he's almost certain he can.”

“Ohhhh!” Jasmine made the most joyful noise I had ever heard her make. For once her excitement has taken over her normal bashfulness. 

The rest of the trip was mostly Jasmine and Holly talking about baby names. It made Mark seem a bit uneasy and Zack was focusing, or at least pretending to focus, on the trip ahead. The talk of babies, and the fact that Nate and I might be able to have children of our own was very intriguing, but part of me kept thinking about how unkind this world must be to children. I mean, it’s not impossible for their survival, or else there would be no mammals alive outside the Burrows, but it just makes me wonder, is this world ready for a new generation? Or am I unsure if _I_ am ready. I don’t seem like the… motherly material.

“ _Do_ you want children?” Nate asked that as if he was reading my mind.

“I… am I a good mammal?”

“What brought that up?”

“I just… yes, the thought of bringing a new life into the world, to raise them and give them everything that had been taken away from us sounds like a dream come true, but… I’m not sure I'm fit to be a mother.”

“My mother said the same thing.” Zack seemed to have a knack for finding the right moment to interject. “My mother was a scrapper, a mammal that specialized in finding metals that could be melted down and reforged. She worked out of the Forge.”

“The Forge? What’s that?”

“An old gold mine in the Canyonlands that was turned into a metal foundry shortly after the war. My mother worked there for most her life. Her mother was a slave, but was able to buy both her and her daughter’s freedom, but apparently my mother got so used to the work she didn’t want to leave. Especially after the Sandbacks took it over and kicked out all the slavers. My father was a hired gun for one of the caravans that helped transport the scrap, so my mother ended up getting to know him. She told me that he was the first to bring up having kids, but with living how she did, and only knowing the dangers of the world, she didn’t want to, at first. Apparently it took a year of him nagging her before she finally committed to it. Now, I know I ran this long, but long story short, I didn’t turn out bad, did I?”

“The way you didn’t judge Jasmine’s past, and how you've followed your new Chief without questions? No, you didn’t. Thanks. That… actually makes me feel better.”

“You’re welcome.” Zack raised his voice. “We're about to touch down at the base camp. Prepare to disembark.

The aircraft landed with a solid thud as we all grabbed our stuff and jumped out. We landed near water and in the shadow of a very large building. A large sign read: _Prairie Jane's Mega Mart_. There were small tents set up around the clearing with Guardians moving around the area in a hurry. Logan walked up to Nate as the Tac-Lifter’s engine died down.

“Stalker, report.”

“I've had Agents staged near the Burrow and at strategic points, but there's been no sign of any mammal other than a few scavengers in the vicinity of the Mega Mart. There's the possibility that they were simply passing through Sir.”

“No. I can’t believe that of all places, _this_ would be where they were spotted. The Guardians have been tracking that boar for a while with no luck, and if the Slave Prince is really a friend of his, then whatever sorcery he's using to stay hidden, he would have given that slaver as well. No, they're here someplace.”

I heard flapping noises as I looked up and saw Drake landing. I'm glad that Blanche was able to get him here. I was unable to check up on him like I promised before everything happened. I saw the small form of Blanche resting upon Drake’s head as he walked over to me and shoved his muzzle into my chest. I started to stroke the fur on top of his head as he purred.

“Hey Drake, nice to see you too.”

“Drake. Happy. Drake. Remember.”

“You're back to normal? I'm so glad. You had me worried you know?”

“Drake. Sorry. Drake was lost.”

“Did… did you just say a sentence without pausing?” 

“Drake. Learn. Try to learn. New ways. New ways to. Talk.”

“Drake!” Nate returned from talking to Logan and ran over and hugged the deathwing. 

“Cub safe. Drake happy to see. Cub.”

“Nearly whole sentences? Who are you and what did you do with my Drake?”

“Drake. Here. Drake is me.”

“Relax, it’s just a joke.”

“If you ass-twats would stop making cutesy with the deathwing, although I admit I'm loving the looks on some of those ‘hardened’ Guardians over there, I got some news.”

“What?”

“There's a large gathering of mammals to the east of here, probably about a mile or so.”

“How many?” Nate switched back into Guardian mode at the mention of this.

“I dunno, two, three dozen? Maybe more. It’s a hodgepodge of banners too. I see some Quills, and at least four or five Berserk-kings with some more of those tin cans they call robots, some ragtag mercs, no Legionaries though. Fuck, they even have some Red-Necks! Those fuckers normally don’t play nice with anyone. Hell, I'm surprised all these raiders aren't at each other’s necks. It’s either got to be a shit ton of caps, or maybe it’s those shellbacks. Those things give me the creeps.”

“Shellbacks?”

“What, you never heard of them? I'm surprised we didn’t run into any while trying to rescue Jezzie in Darkwater. They're massive creatures with a jaw so powerful it can snap a Defender’s armor in half with no effort. Plus they have a shell that nothing short of a nuke will break. Don’t let their size fool you though, they're fast fuckers when they want to be. There's got to be at least five or six of them, along with half a dozen deathwings, although given the two of them, a shellback would wipe the floor with a deathwing given a fair fight. They all should be dead with that menagerie.”

Deathwings? Things more powerful than a deathwing? There's only one mammal I know who could have control over such creatures. “He’s here.”

“Who?”

“Baird. He had deathwings under his control, remember? And unless they all suddenly turned into Drake, it has to be the only explanation.”

“Stalker! How did our Agents not pick them up?”

“I don’t know Sir.”

“That’s because you ass-twats are worthless. Between your noisy machines patrolling the sky, and the fact they're in a large warehouse and the only reason I saw them was due to following a stray deathwing, I'm not surprised. I think…”

Blanche was interrupted as the ground started to shake. It wasn’t very powerful, but it was strong enough to collapse a couple of the tents. 

“Agents have been reporting small tremors throughout the area.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me this Stalker?” 

“An oversight, Sir.”

“You think this could be a problem Nate?” I have personally seen what a tremor can do.

“Possibly. It could be nothing, but it could also be leading up to something bigger. I’ll have Logan call in a survey team to keep tabs on it. Now we need to prepare. We know where they are, so I say we bring the fight to them. Stalker! I want you to split the forces up into three units. Send one in from the north, one in from the west, and we'll take the east. There's nothing but water south of their position, so we should be able to prevent them from retreating.”

“Yes Sir! There's a patrol north of here, I'll call them in and add them to the northern squad.”

“Perfect. Now, let’s move out!”

***

Logan might be a bit of a downer sometimes, but he knew exactly how to do his job. It only took thirty minutes to get all three teams split up and briefed, and another forty to get our team and the north team into position. The west team took Tac-Lifters the long way around over the water to avoid being detected. An hour after we arrived, we were ready. Good thing too, from the looks of it, we only had a few more hours of sunlight left if that.

“Stalker Logan, report.” 

“ _Western team in position Sir. Awaiting orders._ ”

“Stalker Amaranth, report.”

“ _Northern team in position Sir. Wait. We're detecting movement. Agent, go and… we're under attack Sir! I repeat, we're under attack!_ ”

“Damn it! Logan, move into their position, now! We're en-route. Okay Guardians, move out!”

We all left in a hurry to meet up with the other teams. Logan had been very careful about how and where he had the teams move that I'm surprised that their position was compromised. With deathwings at the enemies disposal, I'm sure that it was a matter of time before they were found. Were they even warned about potential aerial threats?

It’s been a while since I have done this much running over such a long distance that my legs were sore by the time we reached the battlefield, and it was a real battlefield. Thick plumes of smoke told me that they were attacked by Red-Necks. The smell of burning flesh soon permeated my nose. I had to stop for a moment to clear my head. I had gotten over so much, why does this still haunt me?

“It’s the smell, isn’t it? I can smell it too.” Nate sounded very concerned. 

“Yeah, but don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, I just need to…” Nate handed me a white mask, just large enough to cover my mouth and nose. 

“Soon as I heard there were Red-Necks, I had the field quartermaster dig up a mask. It’s not very high grade, but it should help to keep out the smoke and hopefully the smell.”

I put it on. While it didn’t completely negate it, it did help tremendously. “Thanks sweetie.”

We caught up with the rest of them as the battle commenced. It was chaos. Guns, grenades, and streams of fire were everywhere. I turned my thought on Jasmine. This would not be an easy place for her to be. I looked around but didn’t see her, the only giraffes I saw belonged to the enemy. Then I heard the crack of her gun as I looked behind me as saw her head popping up from the roof of a nearby building. She was keeping far enough away, yet was still able to be effective. A sniper really is an ideal job for her. 

I was so caught up with making sure that I was okay, that I didn’t see the large tiger with a massive javelin charging me. I went to roll out of the way but Drake swooped down and lifted the tiger with ease and flew off, leaving the large spear clattering to the ground. I felt something on my shoulder. 

“You ass-twat! This is a fight, pay more attention!”

“Sorry. I had to make sure Jasmine was okay. Hey, is that a… tail?”

“Yeah. Your lover boy gave it to me, and installed it _without_ the painful brain stabbing too.”

“I won’t lie, he’s a bit better than me in some departments.” 

Blanche leaped off of my shoulder and attacked a rhino coming at us. Despite her being a ghoul, she was just as quick as ever. Also as brutal. Normally she would've gotten the jugular, but with a rhino’s thick skin, it would be impossible with her tiny toothpicks. Instead I watched her jump into his _mouth_ , only to jump out moments later, leaving the rhino coughing up blood as he died. She returned to my shoulder, soaked in his blood.

“What happened to quick and painless?”

“I was in fucking pain for two whole days. Nonstop burning and jabbing pain while my body adapted to… this. I’ve had enough pain to overwhelm his measly few seconds of it. Plus… he ate me.”

“I thought you did that on purpose?”

“I was aiming for his eyes. Damn tail is a bit more sensitive than my last one. Still getting used to it.”

Drake landed next to us, his claws and mouth dripping in blood.

“Drake, go look for Baird. I know he’s here somewhere.”

“Boar. Evil. Drake. Eat.”

“No. He’s mine.”

“What are you planning on doing to him?” Blanche had genuine concern in her voice.

“I don’t know, but whatever I do, it still won’t be enough.”

“Just… don’t go berserk. It never ends well.”

“I'll try, but I make no promises. I have more hate for that mammal than I thought was possible to possess.”

Blanche jumped off to attack a hedgehog approaching while I had two wolves and a mongoose start to charge me. Without thinking or hesitating, I jumped into B.A.T.S. and took them down before they could get close enough. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss this rush. I ran deeper into the thick of it, using my plasma rifle when I was out of B.A.T.S. and switching to my pistol when I was in it. I admit, that little bit of training with Holly helped. I took down an otter and a tiger with my pistol when they caught me reloading my rifle and B.A.T.S. was down.

I suddenly felt my surroundings getting warm as I turned to see a Red-Neck charging me with a stream of fire. I dodged out of the way and started to fire my rifle. The target was large enough I didn’t need any chemical assistance, and with the stopping power of this gun, my target was obvious. I aimed at the normally armored fuel tank, and three shots later the giraffe was engulfed in flames. Baird was the only one I truly wanted to suffer, so I ended this mammal's suffering with a bullet to the head. 

Then I suddenly found myself in the air. At first I thought it was Drake but I soon realized that it wasn't him, this deathwing’s brown fur was a dead giveaway. I tried to struggle free, but the razor sharp claws just dug into my skin as I did. I shouted for help, but I don’t think it helped. Then, just as fast as I found myself in the air, I was falling, a powerful impact knocking me out of my captors claws. 

I saw the brown deathwing slam to the ground, his wings torn as another set grasped me.

“Bunny. Safe.”

“Thank you Drake. You find Baird?”

“Evil. Boar. He is close. There.”

I scoured the ground and wasn’t sure where he was talking about until I saw three of what must be the shellbacks, a large moose with gold and silver jewelry hanging from his horns, body, and well, everywhere. He looked like a walking jewelry store. Then my focus turned to the mammal who had not one, but two golden tusks that caught the light of the setting sun. That fucking boar _was_ here.

“Drake, go back, we need to tell the others.”

“Evil. Boar die.”

“Yes, but I promised to have my friends, all of them, by my side when it happens.”

We swung back to the outer area of the fight and found Nate and a Defender breaking up a small skirmish that had separated from the rest of the fight. 

“Nate! It’s Baird, he’s here.”

“Where?”

“Over that way, him and some gaudy moose is in an old playground.”

“The Slave Prince.” Nate turned on his communication. “To all Guardians who are not currently engaged, we have our targets identified. Proceed north west of the combat zone.”

A bunch of voices came over the radio confirming his order. After finding the others and letting Jasmine know what’s going on, we moved out, skirting the battlefield as we did so. A few outlying raiders got our attention, but the bulk of the Guardian forces were keeping the rest of them at bay. 

We finally reached the others, our small ‘army’ thirty mammals strong. From the air, there were only the three creatures and the two of them, and that was still the head count when we approached them. One of the Stalkers suggested we take them by surprise, but Nate responded by saying he wanted to do this face-to-face, so we moved as a team into the playground’s clearing. 

“Eugene Baird! I'm Chief Nathanial Valiant of the Guardians and you are hereby under arrest!”

“Arrest? You think he'll buy that?”

“No, and then our actions against him will be justified.”

Baird slowly stood up from the bench he was sitting on. He had a small bottle in his hoof that he downed before tossing it on the ground. The bottle bounced a few times before coming to a rest. That seemed… odd for some reason. The Slave Prince remained still. Baird started to clap.

“ _Chief_ Valiant is it? My how the worm has wiggled his way to the top. I do say that is one little tidbit that I was unfamiliar with. Then again, I have been working so very hard to do my work while trying to avoid those ghastly Steel Guardians of yours. You can’t seem to kick a rock without running into one of them now a days. And you brought your girlfriend with you. Tell me Olivia, did he drag you into this sorry excuse for a police force with him?”

I didn’t want to give him the luxury of an answer, so instead I just glared at him.

“What? Fox got your tongue? I wouldn’t be surprised, I mean most of history's most infamous thieves have been either a fox or accomplice to one. I mean take your pick. There's Johan Wilde, also known as the Thief-Taker who pretended to be a victim all the while playing everyone else for the victim. Then there was Steven Blum, who made a fortune off of stealing valuable books, and even literature has been filled with them, such as the most famous of them all, Robin Hood. They said he only stole from the rich, but it was still thievery in the end. What did all these mammals have in common? All foxes. You can’t trust any of them. One day you'll learn when your lover over there betrays you. They always do.”

“Lies! I would _NEVER_ do that!” 

“Oh, hit a button did I? I am so good at that. Let’s see if I can press any more. That Burrow nearby, it’s your home, isn’t it _Chief_.

“How did you…”

“Very simple actually. I was having such a hard time trying to figure out that rabbit of yours, I will tip my hat to you dear, you are as hard to follow as I am, and ran into a local Burrow who had both fox and rabbit residents. At first I thought that maybe I got lucky, but after following some leads, I learned that two foxes and a rabbit were spotted leaving this Burrow in a hurry a while back, and I just put two and two together. Or should I say, three and one? No? Little math humor, history is more my thing honestly.”

“Shut your mouth boar! Why does it matter whose Burrow this is?”

“Well, my good friend here the Slave Prince needed a new base of operations after his old one was so regrettably destroyed, and I figured, what better place than a Burrow, one that has plenty of pure blood mammals to help regrow his assets. Plus, what better way to get _her_ here. Oh, I do miss our little time together. It was rather… invigorating.”

“You fucking boar!” I pulled out my plasma rifle and shot him, not even thinking. The problem was, the plasma bolt went right _through_ him. “It’s a hologram! It’s a trap!”

Everything faded, everything but the three shellbacks. Then a voice echoed from nearby.

“Kill them my pets!”

The large shelled creatures, with massive jaws and claws to match, charged at us. I fired a few bolts but it didn’t even slow them down. Everyone else started to fire, but their shells were too strong and they were too fast. They finally reached us as we fought to keep our distance from the shower of claws and jaws. Then a shadow appeared overhead.

Six deathwings, including Drake, flew down and snatched up the armored creatures, two deathwings a piece. It wasn’t until I saw each the duos struggling to lift the creatures that I saw how massive and powerful they were. Claws were slashing at the deathwings legs, and the creatures necks started to extend, viciously biting at the deathwings, but they still lifted them up. Once they were high enough, they let go as the three shelled creatures slammed to the ground. The shells were intact, but from the blood and slime exuding from the shells, their bodies didn't survive the impact. 

The other deathwings landed and started to feed on the corpses as Drake landed near us. 

“Brought friends.”

“Thank you Drake.” I scratched his chin. “You haven’t seen the boar, have you?”

Before he could answer, a series of explosions surrounded us, filling the area with smoke. It was so thick I could barely see a foot in front of me. Then I heard yelling as two golden tusks cut through the smoke, aimed straight at me. I managed to duck, but not before one of the tusks tore at my shoulder. The pain hurt but I could still move my arm, so I had to focus past it.

I heard his voice booming angrily from the smoke. “First you steal my pets, now you use them to kill my new ones? Enough games. You will die now.”

“Bring it you fucker!”

Gunfire filled the area, but I was solely concentrated on a single enemy. Baird tore through the smoke again, cutting at the same arm, but I was ready. I grabbed one of the tusks and pushed myself off the ground, landing behind him. I was hoping to snap his neck, but he was quick and righted his body before that could happen, tossing me off. 

“Clever rabbit. Too bad I am even more clever.”

“At least I’m not fucking insane!”

“I am a GENIUS!” 

Baird came charging again, but the direction of his voice and where he actually appeared didn’t match up, and he sent me flying. His tusks didn’t pierce me, but it still knocked the air from my lungs. How was it he was able to track me but I couldn’t? Did he have a… before I could piece these images in my head together, the boar came barreling through the smoke again, just grazing me as I dodge out of the way. This fucking smoke was too thick. 

“Stop playing games and face me you fucker!”

“Language, and I told you, I am done with games.” 

Baird split through the smoke lifting me up with his tusks. Thankfully he didn’t manage to impale me with them, but he was still able to send me flying. He had to have been on some chemical high, his speed, reaction, and strength were too far beyond what his frail body should be capable of. 

“Olivia! Where are you?” Nate’s voice cut through the smoke, but I was so disoriented I couldn’t tell what direction it was coming from.

“I’m… I don’t know! He’s able to track me…” 

Baird shoved me to the ground as he disappeared again. “This is a one on one affair, no outside help. I’m playing fair, so I expect you to as well.”

“If you want fair then cut off this damn smoke and face me!”

“And give you the upper paw? No, I think not.”

I stood there and tried to concentrate on the boar’s movements. I heard his hooves shuffle, and I caught glimpses of his shadow, but every time I lashed out, all I connected to was smoke. The battle that still waged around us wasn't helping much. Then I saw a glimpse of Baird as he rushed towards me from the smoke. He was wearing some sort of goggles. Was that how he was doing it?

“I thought you were playing fair! I bet anything those goggles of yours are giving you an advantage!”

“I will take them off if you cut off your ears, I mean, don’t _they_ give a rabbit an advantage over other mammals? I am simply leveling the playing field.”

That fucker. Always finding some way to make him seem like the more downtrodden of the two of us. My legs were getting sore and from the drops of blood at my feet, I knew he had gotten a few strikes on me. I've been on the constant defense, I needed to find a way to make my own move. My Pip-Boar beeped but before I could check it, the boar charged at me.

I was about to dodge out of the way when something shiny cut between us, making contact with the boar’s side, sending him flying into the cover of smoke. Nate stepped out of the veil. 

“Nate! How did you…”

“Your Pip-Boar.”

I took a look at it and saw a rainbow of colors, with reds and oranges highlighting two shapes. It was Nate and I being projected in some kind of thermal image. 

“How is this…”

“Jasmine. I’ve linked her thermal detector with our Pip-Boars, we can use this to track that damn boar.”

I wanted to hug him, but a third image was picked up, and I knew exactly who it was. Nate saw it as well and we both jumped back as the boar rushed right through where we were. 

“How the hell did you… no matter, I can see you're above playing fair. _You_ have made this choice, not me!”

What was he… I heard a roar, no a scream, but not one of pain, but of anger. The image picked up on the thermal again, but it seemed… bigger, what the hell did he…

Baird cut through and tossed me to the side before Nate or I could react. I heard something pop, followed by an intense pain. There’s no time for this Olivia. Get up! 

“You all call me a monster, so I think it’s time that I lived up to that!” His voice sounded deeper, more like a growl than a normal voice. 

I tried to pick myself back up, but every time I moved, a pain shot through me. I watched my Pip-Boar as I tried to force myself up. I saw the image of Baird, who was now on all fours and moving faster than ever, and Nate dodging each other. Nate’s arm made contact with the boar’s face as I heard a scream of agony. Despite slowing down, it seemed to make Baird faster, but his movements were starting to get erratic. Nate must have broken his only means of tracking us!

“You may have blinded me, but I can still _smell_ you!”

Baird turned straight towards me. I touched my side and it was wet. I was bleeding, and he could smell it! Fucking savage! I felt adrenaline start to course through my body as I forced myself up. There was pain, but if I remained on the ground, I would be as good as dead. Then I heard flapping above.

“Drake! Down here!” 

There was no response, could it have been one of the other deathwings? I tried again but no luck, so I focused my attention on Baird. I found where he was an I charged _him_. I may not have an iron punch, but I can still make it count, plus I already broke his tusk once already. 

Unfortunately, even in his current state, he was still one step in front of me as he ripped through the smoke. Blood covered his face and bits of his goggles were impaled in it, but he didn't seem even a bit slowed down by it. His eyes were red with rage and blood. He was moving too fast, I didn’t have time to…

I grabbed him by the tusks and tried to force him down. He shook violently but I held on. Nate cut through the smoke from behind the boar and tried to grapple him, but was instead kicked back by Baird’s rear legs. The boar wasn’t even talking anymore, whatever chemical surged through his body had reduced him to an animal. I saw his mouth frothing as I tried to knock him down, but he was too strong. He lifted his head and threw me clear out of the smoke. 

I laid there on my back again, my body wracked with pain as the boar slowly walked out of the smoke towards me. His foaming maw was snapping as his eyes darted back and forth. Then he saw me, but rather than charge, he approached slowly, as if trying to savor this. I wanted to shoot him, but I had none of my weapons, only some shock grenades, but at this distance, it would affect both of us, and I wasn’t sure if I would make it through something like that. 

Baird stopped a few feet from me and jabbed his golden tusk into the ground, snapping it off. What the hell was he doing? He then bit down on the end of it as I saw the rage in his eyes start to fade away. 

“I… I wanted to…” his growling voice started to dissipate, being replaced by his normal one, but his voice showed how weakened he really was without a chemical high. “I wanted to make sure I could savor this, and not be hidden behind a shadow of myself. You have caused so much trouble for me. Looks like rabbit is back on the menu.”

He reared up, ready to trample me as I tried to move out of the way, then the ground started to shake, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards. He tried to get up, but not before Nate charged through the smoke. 

“You leave her alone you bastard!”

Nate rushed towards Baird as he finally got up, but he froze for a second, long enough for Nate to make contact with him and punch the boar so hard that his body flew through the air and landed a few feet behind me. Then I noticed the cracks in the ground between me and the boar as he slowly got up. Nate’s punch should have killed him!

“Damn under-dwellers. They are the cause of this you know? Spending so much time digging away at their subterranean paradise, not giving a care about how it affects us up here. Now let me finish what I started before these injuries claim my own life. I will die happy knowing your existence on this planet has ended. Say good bye.”

As Baird was trying to step over the small crack in the ground, one more quake shook, causing the crack right below him to expand, swallowing that bastard down into it. I tried to pull myself closer, to make sure that the boar was finally dead. My whole body hurt, but I willed myself past the pain. I saw something grasping the edge of the opening in front of me. I started to push myself onto my feet.

I was finally able to get myself up again, despite the pain as I started towards the opening in the earth. I saw Nate moving towards me out of the corner of my eye, but I was still slowly walking towards the newly created chasm. A strong smell hit my nose and I nearly gagged from the sudden onset of it. Nate stood by my side as I reached the large hole and looked down into the blackness below, broken by the body of a boar struggling to keep his grip on the edge. 

“Need some help?” I gave him a crooked smile.

“I know you. You wouldn’t let someone die like this. They call you a hero, so why don’t you live up to that? Save me and I will call this whole thing off. Boar’s honor.”

I reached my paw towards Baird. 

“Olivia! You’re not really going to…”

“I know what I'm doing Nate.” I locked my eyes with Baird’s. “You’re right, you do know me, but I also know you. You are a cheat, a liar. You are a rapist, a murderer. You are scum, and scum like you doesn't deserve to live.”

“No! You can’t! You're the hero! Heroes don’t let mammals die like this!”

A smile filled my face. “You like chemicals, right? Let me ask you this. What happens when you take an environment filled with highly flammable natural gas, and introduce a rather… shocking element to it?” I opened my paw and held the grenade out for him. His hoof slipped, now he was dangling on a single one.

“Save me and I will give you anything! I will pay those Legionaries to leave you alone! I have a fortune hidden away! I will never cross paths with you or any of your friends again, I swear on my honor!” 

“You lie. I know you lie, you know how I know? Your own face is betraying your words. I just have two words for you.” I dropped the grenade into the hole as I slammed my foot down on his hoof. “Fuck. You.”

Baird started to plummet into the black abyss as I turned around and shouted for everyone to take cover. No sooner than the words passed my lips did the grenade detonate, causing a massive pillar of fire to erupt from the ground. I heard screaming, and then, silence as the fires finally died down. 

I pulled myself up from the ground and moved to the hole. Lights flickered deep within it, and I could still feel the heat, but there was no sign of that boar. I turned back, and I suddenly felt weak as my legs gave way and I crumbled to the ground. Nate ran over and hugged me, followed by Holly and Mark. 

“We thought we lost you ‘livi!”

Mark didn’t say anything, and instead started to look over my wounds, but the way Nate was still holding me, it was hard for Mark to do so. A beep from his communicator forced him to draw back. 

“ _Chief. We captured the Slave Prince._ ”

“Thank you Agent. Keep him guarded, I don’t want him escaping.”

“ _Yes Sir, but there's another issue._ ”

“What is it Agent?”

“ _That last quake has damaged the surrounding area. Parts of it are collapsing into the underground, and dangerous levels of natural gas are leaking up through the open fissures. I already have reports of sickness due to it amongst both the Guardians and our prisoners. Agent Malloway also reports that the nearby Burrow is experiencing issues. While she cannot get the door open, she believes that the infrastructure might be compromised, and due to the large number of gas deposits, she thinks it is possible that the deadly gasses are leaking through into the Burrow. What are your orders?_ ”

“Thank you Agent. Keep me informed of any changes.”

“Nate, what are you going to do?”

“First, Mark is going to patch you up, then, against my better judgment, we are going to enter Burrow ninety-three. There are innocent mammals in there, ones that do not deserve to die like that. Mark, Holly, are you two okay?”

“We… yes. We need to do this. My… if my mom is still alive, I can’t let her die like that.”

“I couldn’t care less if they all suffered, but… I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I actually let it happen.”

“Olivia, you’re injured, you should…”

“No, I'm going with you. You need me there, and… I can’t let you do this alone.”

“But I'm not alone.”

“You’re damn right. Give me all you got Mark. I’m going with you guys.”

“But…”

“Don’t make me shoot you.”

“She'll do it Marki.”

Mark sighed. “Fine.” He injected me with something that made me feel a lot better. I still hurt like hell, but I could move and think clearly. “Just… don’t make me regret it.”

“I will. Trust me.”

“We’re all dead.”

Nate sent out a communication to have everyone assigned to his team to rendezvous at the Burrow entrance. “Jasmine, since you're too big to fit, can you, Zack, and Drake keep watch out here?”

“Y-yes. I’m… I’m sorry I can’t go with you…”

“It’s not your fault Jasmine. And you did good.” I gave her my most comforting smile. 

“T-thank you.”

“Well then, it’s settled. Holly, Mark? Time to go home.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Ding dong the boar is dead! Err… oh, sorry about that folks. Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning. Yes, this chapter didn’t actually have them go into the Burrow itself, but I am sure many of you have had that nagging feeling that Baird was out there someplace. Well, he was but he is no longer a problem anymore. I do hope you are satisfied with how things wrapped up. Max actually did not like the original conception so we spent a while working it out. Now that that’s out of the way, time for today’s episode! 

“Let’s turn back the clocks a bit, shall we? Our guest today is someone who I had interviewed earlier before all hell broke out. I had wanted to do this interview before, but Max kept telling me it was a very bad idea, and after that incident with King’s interview, he outright forbid me from dragging him into this, but since he is unable to join me, I figured that it would be safe. I brought with me a pre-war robot called a Torus Sentry Bot, or as the folks back in the ZPD liked to call them, Cruller Bots due to their donut like shape. I found one pretty well intact at a merchant bazaar and had to have it. The ZPD used these during the war as spy-bots, able to float in and out of dangerous areas and transmit both visual and auditory data back to their command to be relayed out to who needed to know. A certain donut loving cheetah was actually in charge of their operations for most of the war. This one has a bit of damage that kinda makes it look like it has sprinkles, so I lovingly call him Sprinkles. I know, I know, it’s not a good replacement for Max, and Celeste is taking care of him, and my girlfriend is still a bit too shy to be live with me, so it will have to do. Say hi Sprinkles.”

**[Sprinkles]**

“Beep, beep, boop, bzzzt” 

**[Stripes]**

“Yeah. Still working out the kinks on this one. Well then folks, I know you are eagerly awaiting todays show, so without further ado, may I present the dead, yet not at this moment in time because of my magical time traveling powers… ahem… Eugine Baird! I would say good morning to you, but honestly, I am not sure you would even call this a good morning.”

**[Baird]**

“And why not my good zebra? The sun is shining, the skies are clear, and I am just about to see all my dreams finally come to fruition. I think it’s a rather fine morning myself.”

**[Stripes]**

“Won’t be for much longer.”

**[Baird]**

“Hmm?”

**[Stripes]**

“Never mind. Just talking to myself. So, Mister Baird, I have to ask. Why the obsession over this one rabbit?”

**[Baird]**

“It is most certainly not an obsession. More of a hobby really. I do so love my hobbies.”

**[Stripes]**

“That rabbit seems to have a knack for ruining your hobbies.”

**[Baird]**

“Yes, she most certainly does. That will change soon however.”

**[Stripes]**

“Oh? Do tell.”

**[Baird]**

“I am afraid that the best plans are those that are kept secret until the grand reveal. What do you take me for a comic book villain?”

**[Stripes]**

“I think I will refrain from commenting on that. Ahem. Since you won’t tell me your plans, may I at least inquire as to how much time and effort you have put into it?”

**[Baird]**

“Oh, a tremendous amount, I assure you. I have been living and breathing this hobby of mine for quite some time. I tend to get rather fixated on a single hobby, but this one, this one takes the metaphorical cake. It’s not without merit however. I promised my good old friend the Slave Prince a nice new home, and in return, he is giving me all I need to make sure that ‘hero’ is finally put to rest. An… eternal rest if you will.”

**[Stripes]**

“Highly unlikely.”

**[Baird]**

“What was that? You are mumbling, and if it is one thing I hate is mumbling. All mammals should let their words flow with eloquence like mine.”

**[Stripes]**

“That brings me to another question. Why are you so… well, you? This world isn’t exactly a prime breeding ground for sophistication.”

**[Baird]**

“And that is one of the reasons that this world so desperately needs someone like myself to change it. Everyone is just so… uncouth. Yes, most of them live in a squalor, and even I do not live in that much better conditions, with me always working there is really no need to have a mansion when a simple laboratory will provide me with everything I need, but just because they live in squalor, don’t mean they can loose their civility. My parents, rest their souls, always believed in civility first and foremost. However, their stance on it was to simply ignore those who don’t meet their standards. I learned at a very early age that it is impossible to teach most mammals how to be civilized. That is when I got the idea for my plan. It might sound cruel to force civility on mammals at first, but when everyone sees how much better this world will be, they will thank me for it.”

**[Stripes]**

“I… Never mind. If you think this way, then why not simply ‘change’ Olivia? I mean, she would be a great ally you’d think.”

**[Baird]**

“That rabbit doesn’t deserve to… Sorry, I nearly slipped. What I meant to say was, that rabbit is an unnecessary variable. An uncontrollable one as well. Not every mammal will be fit for my world, even if they are properly subjugated. That rabbit is one of those mammals. Even under complete control, I will need to remove the weeds here and there, but unfortunately for me, that weed spreads to rapidly to keep unchecked.”

**[Stripes]**

“What if you fail? What if she wins? What then?”

**[Baird]**

“That will never happen. My plan is fool proof. I have planned every single possible variable, every smallest outcome. I planned everything. The place, the distractions. Every little piece is falling into place as we speak. It may seem foolish of me to not have a backup plan, but I am confident in my abilities to not need one. Plus, I have escaped unscathed from much worse. Why do you think I brought a massive army with me? Oh. I didn’t mean to spoil the surprise.”

**[Stripes]**

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

**[Baird]**

“Hmm? Oh, I think my company has finally arrived. I do apologize, but I will need to be going now. I did rather enjoy talking to someone about this. I have been told I am a bit egotistical, but with my ego who can’t help but be? Tell you what zebra. Once I am king of the Wasteland, I will appoint you as my primary broadcaster. I can’t be everywhere at once, and I need to make sure that all my subjects are able to hear my wisdom.”

**[Stripes]**

“Yes, well, um… just send all that to my boss over at the Savannah Caller. I am _sure_ we can work out something after today. Well folks, you know what happens next, and of course I would never bow before a maniac like that. There is enough mania in my head as it is. Only got a few more episodes left and I am hoping to make them count! Until next times folks, take care!”


	79. Down the Rabbit Hole

“Are you sure about this Nate?”

“No. But there are innocent mammals still in there. It’s wrong to just ignore them.”

We were standing in front of a Burrow door that was a bit larger than that of seventy-six’s. Nate was standing at the external access panel, but he wasn’t moving. I wondered if is mind is playing tug-of-war with the concept that he was going back. Everything that he told me about that place made me hate it almost as much as he did. For anyone to have to be put though that for as long as he had? I just wanted to walk right up to that Overseer and put a bullet through his head. I walked up to Nate and put my paw on his. 

“I know this is hard for you, but you’re not alone. No matter what happens, we will be there for you, you know that, right sweetie?”

“Yeah. I… what if being back there… what if all my memories and feelings come flooding back? What if everything I've been through that's made me stronger… what if it all falls apart?”

“A while back I told you that I would always be here to help pick up the pieces and put you back together again. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is the glue that binds those pieces together. It's stronger than ever, and it’s not just me. It’s your brother, it’s Holly, and those Guardians who believe in you. It’s Drake and even Blanche, if you can believe it. All of us have been through a lot together, and we're not going about to back down now.”

“T-thank you. That… I never thought I would ever have anyone else who cared about me other than Mark and Holly. It’s nice being told I was wrong.”

“You just needed the right mammal to come along, and now that I'm here, you won’t be getting rid of me that easily.” 

I placed my paw on his real paw, the one holding his Pip-Boar’s direct access link. I looked at him and simply smiled, and he returned it, and while it didn’t seemed forced, it still hid his apprehension. Together we guided the connector down to the terminal until it snapped in place. He hesitated once more before typing madly at the screen. 

“I never wanted them to open this door. I was afraid that he would send someone after us, that he’d find a way to punish us for leaving. To prevent anyone from doing so, I put layers upon layers of encryption on it.”

“You did this all while escaping? I barely had time to seal my own door.”

“Well… yes, and no. It was something that I fooled around with, something that kept me sane in those dark times.”

“Were you planning your escape then?”

“… No. I just. A mammal can dream, you know?”

A familiar click occurred as lights started to flash in the underground tunnel. A chill ran down my spine as I remembered the last time I was greeted in this fashion, when a Burrow door opened into a lair of horror. If I see a single cannibal rabbit, I will probably freak out and shoot first and ask questions later. 

“Drake, you and Blanche come up front with the Stalkers. I want to make sure your presence is noted, just in case things turn… bad.”

“What are you expecting Nate? I mean, what’s the worst that can happen, they tranq us?”

“Ninety-three didn’t just have tranqs and shock batons, they had real ammunition.”

“Wait… are you telling me that this Burrow had _live_ ammunition? What? Were they _planning_ for a division among the population like that?”

“Mister Lazlo had some records from abandoned Burrows. I've only glanced over them but it seems that most of them were designed for different things, and thus had different supplies. I think… the way hate spread so easily through this place, it's possible.”

That just made my utter dislike of Burrow-Tec even more deep rooted. I understand non-lethal weapons, not everyone will want to follow the rules, and not everyone will enjoy being trapped in a tin can hundreds of feet below the ground, but live weapons? That just, just… it’s actually starting to make me wonder. I never knew about the presence of tranquilizer guns in my own Burrow, not until security tried to use them against me when I escaped. My Burrow was so much more subdued than his, so maybe seventy-six just didn’t have any reason to use them? Gah! I need to concentrate on the here and now. 

“You okay?” Nate must have noticed my internal dialog because he was looking at me with a concerned look on his face.

“Yeah. Just thinking about stuff I shouldn’t. Like I normally do.”

“We can turn back if…”

“No. We're here, and we're seeing it through to the end. I have a feeling while this will be hard, it will also be good for you.” I turned to Holly and Mark who were huddling close to each other, paw in paw. “To all of you.”

Holly looked as if she was about to say something, but a voice ran out that caught all of our attention.

“Halt! Do not take a single step into this burrow.”

The voice belonged to a cream colored rabbit dressed head to toe in an armored security uniform. There were four more dressed similarly next to him, and all of them had very lethal looking weapons in their paws.

“Who goes…” he hesitated, his weapon wavering for a second before focusing on us again. I turned and saw Drake hovering over Nate and myself. If looks could kill, I think they’d all be dead. “… Never mind, just… turn around and leave. Now!”

“I'm Chief Nathan Valiant of the Steel Guardians and former resident of Burrow Ninety-Three. You may have noticed the quakes. Our scouting party has informed me of natural gas leaks within the Burrow. I'm hereby ordering evacuation of the Burrow.”

“N… Did you just say…” he slowly pulled out a radio. “Overseer Kerrigan, we have a situation… I already told them… the Burrow, it’s open and… but it’s… you really should… yes Sir.” He put it away and turned his attention back to us. “You are to leave or else we have permission to open fire.”

“ _I_ order _you_ to put down your weapons and surrender peacefully. We will not hesitate to force a comply out of you.”

“I… I won’t tell you again… by order of the Overseer, I…”

“Fuck the Overseer! You follow him blindly, but do you really know him? I do. You've probably heard the stories, been told about how us preds are at the bottom of the ladder, always the first to be stepped on. The only reason you have any freedoms is because of your species. If I were born a rabbit, I would've probably never left, I would've been living in luxury as I joined everyone else in stomping all over the predators. Why? It’s because of the _Overseer_ and his corruption spreading like a plague. I'm _glad_ I was never born into the lap of luxury, that I was born a predator, that I was born a _fox_. Now, you have two choices. You either surrender peacefully, or I order my Guardians to disarm you by means of forceful action.”

“T-the Overseer will have our hides if we…”

“What’s your name?” Nate started to talk more calmly, taking a step forward and addressing who appeared to be in charge of this security dispatch. 

“Matt G-Grubbins.” The rabbit was getting nervous, but he also showed no sign of backing down.

“Okay, Matt. You see this strapping fellow?” He pointed to Drake who had just stepped between me and Nate. “He is what the outside world calls a deathwing. Big and nasty creatures. Their talons can slice through the hardest metal, they're faster than a cheetah and more agile than a mongoose. He could easily swallow you and all your friends here whole, and still have room for seconds. Normally they're vicious hunters, only out to maim, kill, and devour any mammal that it sees, but Drake here, he’s different. He’s calm, calculating, and very friendly. Aren’t you Drake?”

“Drake. Hungry.”

“Not sure if he’s ever had rabbit before, especially not some who have never been exposed to radiation. That'd make for quite the snack I’d think. So I say again, you have two choices, _rabbits_. Put your guns down and I promise you your complete safety both here and up there, or else Drake here will make a horror film look like a cub with finger paints. What will it be?”

All five of them hesitated, but one by one they started to put their guns down and put their paws into the air, shaking the entire time. The only one that didn’t was their leader, Matt. He stood there, his gun quivering in the air. One of the rabbits behind him told him to put the gun down, but it seemed to startle him, because Matt’s gun went off, right into Drake.

Drake let out a roar that echoed in the enclosed area. The bullet had pierced his leg, but already his fast healing was patching it up as Drake jumped up into the air and landed in front of the mammal who had fired. In a panic, the other five grabbed their guns and started to fire wildly.

“Drake stop!” Nate and I both yelled out after him.

“No. Hurt cub. Cub friend.” 

The deep growl of a voice seemed to drive them into a further panic as the bullets soon started to ricochet towards us. From personal experiences I know that it will take more than this to hurt Drake, but none of us were so lucky to have regeneration abilities. Nate must have realized this as well. 

“Guardians! Take them by force and disarm them, now!”

We all ran down the metal walkway to where the main room was. Drake had lifted up one of the rabbits shooting at him and thrown him against a nearby wall. I heard bones break as he impacted and slid down, unmoving. We had reached Drake who had another rabbit in his feet, and we were just about to get him to drop the mammal when the door slid open and five more armored rabbits entered. Upon seeing what was going on, they opened fire. 

“Guardians! Flank and disarm! I want casualties kept to a minimum!”

The Stalkers and Agents with us split off and using what little cover they could, slowly moved around, only shooting when they had to, and targeting non-vital locations. I could tell this wasn’t the first time they've had to do this. I wanted to join the fight, but I knew once I shot my first round, the thoughts of what this place put Nate through would flood my mind and I wouldn’t leave a single mammal alive. Places like this don’t deserve kindness. They deserve to burn.

Drake had killed two rabbits before Nate had gotten him to stop. The rest of the Guardians had either subdued or crippled the security forces enough to disarm them and the fighting died down. Of the ten rabbits, six were still alive, but only two were uninjured, the only two who had the foresight to stay out of the rather one-sided fight.

“Mark, see to the injured. Stalker Logan, Agent Meyers. Start the evacuation process. The rest of you, we're going to start the process in here.”

Nate walked over to a computer, as I pondered something. “But what if they _don’t_ want to leave?”

“They're all going to die if they stay. All of the Guardians are armed with tranquilizers in addition to their normal gear. They have orders to dart anyone who does not cooperate. I’d rather them live and hate me, than for them to die with no chance for a future.”

“How big is this Burrow? We don’t exactly have an army here. Almost half the Guardians were too big to even fit down here.”

“When I left, there were around 170 mammals. I don’t plan on hunting them all down. I plan to have them come to me.” Nate pressed a button on the terminal. 

“Attention residents of Burrow Ninety-Three. My name is Nathan Valiant, and I'm Chief of a group of peacekeepers known as the Steel Guardians. Some of you may be familiar with the name from textbooks, and even more might remember my name. I was a resident here once, but I left years ago. I didn't want to come back, but you have to have felt the earthquakes. The latest one has ruptured areas of the Burrow, letting deadly gasses into the structure. I am here to evacuate you all, to save you from certain death. I have a team ready to escort you all to the surface and will be waiting at the entrance. Failure to do so _will_ lead to your imminent death.”

“A bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“Consider it extra motivation. Okay everyone, follow me!”

I ducked back to Mark and Holly. They had mixed feelings on their faces, feelings that I'm sure would be much more obvious in Nate’s face if he wasn’t already trying to keep them at bay. Despite everyone telling me to never suppress them, I think he has to, in order to show how strong he is. Not to us, to everyone he left. 

“How are you two doing?”

“It’s… it’s painful to be back ‘livi.”

“Yeah, I… I never thought I would ever come back. I never thought I would have a reason to.”

“‘Livi, do you… do you think he’s making the right choice? After everything we told you happened here, happened to him, he seems to want to give them leniency.”

“Want my honest opinion? If I was in charge, I would have saved your mom, and anyone else who supported her, and then sealed it up and let the rest die. When I left my own Burrow, I thought that there was still good in the world, and don’t get me wrong, all of you are proof there is, but I also thought that there was good in everyone. Mammals like Baird, your father, King, the Red-Necks, and every other deviant fucker who lives only to cause others misery, they showed me that some mammals are beyond redemption. I shouldn’t have to risk my neck to save those who don’t want to be saved, not anymore. I am not saying I won’t try, to try to find the good in others, but I don’t think I have the strength to try as hard as Nate is. He’s grown to be the better mammal.”

“You're still good ‘livi, and if you think otherwise then I'll slap you upside your head. You’re right though. He has become someone better, and maybe he really has surpassed us in ways that we never imagined, but if it wasn’t for you, I doubt he ever would have.”

Holly and Mark have told me countless times how much of an impact I have made on Nate’s life, but sometimes it’s just so hard to understand how and why. Yes I love him, and I express that to him all the time, and I'm sure that is part of it, being a mammal who cares for him, especially one who couldn’t care less about his species, which from what I have learned is in actuality very rare. Sometimes though, I wonder if there is something else, some kind of unspoken, or even unseen bond between us, a bond that was destined to bring us together, even when we were both locked away in our respective Burrows. We both escaped due to situations where we no longer fit in our homes, and we both have wandered this wasteland searching for a place to call home, where we can stretch out our legs and imagination, where we can have the freedom to do whatever our hearts desire of us. 

Mammals can change, this I'm sure of, I have even seen the changes within me, although many of them have been for the worse, it is the worst in life that makes the better times seem that much more enjoyable and received. I look upon my friends, companions, allies. I look upon a family that I never knew I would have, and I wonder, if all of us can see past our own differences to come together, to cast away whatever clouded our minds from days long past, then maybe, just maybe that Overseer will see how much he has changed, how all three of them have survived this horrid world, and he too will come to find the inner mammal within him that seeks for a better life.

“It _is_ you! You were not to return. Leave now, or else I will finally have that new rug.”

A cream furred rabbit dressed in a blue and yellow Burrow jumpsuit had just stepped through the door, causing all of us to turn our attention to the new voice. He was accompanied by at least eight rabbits in full security armor, and all of them had their guns pointed at us. I glanced over to Nate and he had his fists balled up at his side.

“We're here to save your 'residents', something _you_ never could do.”

“You arrogant pup! I tell you once more. LEAVE or else I'll be sending you to the crematory like I should have done when I sent that troublemaker mother of yours there.”

“You leave her out of it!” Nate shouted that angrily, before starting to breath. “Your Burrow is damaged, toxic gasses are leaking into the structure. If we do not evacuate all the mammals here will be dead in a matter of days.”

“I already have teams patching it up, Pelt.” He turned towards the nearest rabbit. “If they're not gone in sixty seconds. Open fire.”

“Sir, our last security detail, they…”

“Those are your orders.” He turned back to us, back to Nate. “I hope to never see you again. Unless it’s stretched out on my floor.”

“You would kill your own daughter?” Nate said it calmly, but I knew the anger was building up in him. I placed my paw on his, to remind him that he isn’t alone.

“I HAVE NO DAUGHTER! She died the day she decided to shack up with one of you filthy predators!”

“Oh thank GOD! I was almost worried you'd still wanna call me your offspring. Uuugh… Glad that's out of the way though.”

“One. Last. Time. Inform your residents that they are to be evacuated, immediately.”

“How DARE you give _me_ orders!” At first the Overseer seemed calm and collected, but now his anger and impatience is starting to break through. “You come into _my_ home, and tell me what to do with _my_ people? You can have your filthy predator friends, but the rest of us, we’re not going _anywhere_.”

“Stalkers! Take them by force.”

“Damn you, you arrogant pup! Kill them, kill them all!”

Both sides opened fire, but unlike the last time, this new security force had the benefit of a large metal wall to act as a barrier between them and us. The door was small enough that Drake wouldn’t have been able to easily fly in there, but Nate had told him to stay back for the time being. 

This time, I made sure to join in on the action. I took cover myself behind the nearby terminal and was using my plasma rifle to try to wear down the metal. If it could burn through an Exo-Suit, I'm sure it'll be good for a metal wall. Plus, I needed to release a bit of anger myself. Not only was I mad at how that Overseer was treating Nate, how he used a normally playful word like pup in such a derogatory fashion, I felt like I had to avenge him somehow. What I think irked me the most though, was how hateful he was against his own daughter. His flesh and blood. How could a parent be so cold to their own child? 

One of the security rabbits popped their head in at the wrong moment as a bolt of my plasma gun hit him square in the face, turning him into a pile of glowing remnants. I heard screams of horror coming from the other side before one of them shouted to hold their fire. A small rabbit, looking only a few years younger than myself, slowly walked out, paws in the air. She started to speak, but then I saw her face melt into a bloody mess as her body crumpled to the ground. Another rabbit ducked out as I could pick up her talking on the radio.

“Overseers orders! I repeat, any prey that abandons their Burrow to join the intruders is considered an enemy of the Burrow and is to be killed on sight. All predators are to be rounded up for processing as per Overseers orders!”

“Nate! I heard her say something about gathering the predators for processing, what is that?!” It was bothering me to realize how far this mad-mammal is willing to go in order to keep his Burrow.

“Fuck! He’s gonna kill all the predators, we gotta stop him! Guardians! Split up and gather everyone! Defend those who come along peacefully, tranq those who don’t, and only resort to violence when necessary!”

“Yes Sir!”

“How are we going to get by them Nate? They have a better vantage than we do.” Holly had her gun out and was not looking as nervous, but her eyes told me that it was far from gone.

“Leave that to me. Oh, and sorry.”

“Sorry for what? Are you… I thought we were over this ‘livi!”

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

I knew they wouldn't be happy about me using it, but to be fair, I haven’t been as reliant on it, and Doc didn’t tell me to never use it again, but rather to use it less, so… this counts, right? Once the chemicals were fully in effect I darted towards the door. One of the rabbits started to poke their head around the door when I blasted my plasma gun right into them. It didn’t gooify them, but rather just the head. I slammed the butt of my gun on another as I turned to shoot another, that’s when I realized that there were many more than just the six we saw. Some of them weren’t even dressed in security uniforms, but rather, casual looking clothing. They were branding sparking batons and guns of various sizes. These were residents taking arms against us. Security was one thing, but this? This was…

A pain ripped through my head as I fell to the ground. In a moment of distraction, one of the security rabbits had butted their own gun against me and now stood above me, their gun pressing into my chest. The chemicals were wearing off, but I was still uninjured, though the world was still spinning from the cranial impact. I tried to kick the rabbit off, but before I could, a flash of metal and fur raced by, pinning the rabbit on top of me against the nearby wall with his real arm. With a swift movement of the robotic one, he punched the rabbit in the chest and blood fell from his mouth before Nate let go and the rabbit slid down, writhing in pain.

“Anyone _else_ want to follow his orders? _ANYONE_?” Nate belted it out so loud I could hear it echoing through the hall. 

As Nate helped me up, I saw most of the remaining rabbits slowly put their guns down and paws into the air. A few turned and ran but most seemed to decide that it wasn’t worth dying over. Nate wiped off his paw as he ordered Agents and Stalkers to disarm the rabbits and escort them outside. Mark and another medic ran over to the injured to start patching them up. 

“T-thanks.” It took a moment before I could stand up straight without Nate’s assistance. “Ugh, I'm going to have a headache, I know it.”

“Why did you rush in there like that?” 

“We weren't in a good spot, even Holly knew that. I knew I had to do something to give us the room to maneuver. I just didn’t think I would get distracted like that.”

“What happened?”

“There were rabbits, and not the security ones. I saw… they were normal residents in their standard jumpsuits. They weren't security, they were just… mammals. Are you really that much of a threat to him?”

“It’s not me, it’s what I am. A predator. He has taught everyone that preds are scum, that they're worthless. Prey are the superior species, that they hold all the power and all predators want to do is take that away from them. I'm not surprised that there are normal residents who are taking arms against us. Hate runs deep in Ninety-Three.”

“I don’t know why, but I was kinda hoping that they would… I don’t know, _want_ to be saved.”

“To them we are the enemy, an enemy that wants to take this place for our own. That’s why I equipped everyone with tranquilizer rifles, I knew not all of them would come willingly, but some of them just need to see things for their own eyes. Once they are free from this place, it will be their own choices on what to do or where to go. I simply want to cut their chains and give them that freedom.”

I looked down at the rabbit bleeding on the floor. Mark looked up with worry, but it wasn’t directed at me, but rather at Nate. He then shook his head as he passed his paw over the rabbits eyes, closing them for good. He allowed them multiple times to surrender peacefully, never taking the first shot, but still these mammals are willing to die rather than lose the grip on the reality created for them. It was nothing more than slavery disguised as a society. It wasn’t their fault for this, that fault lies within a single mammal, the one who has kept the flame of bigotry and discrimination burning bright for all these years. It wasn’t these mammals to blame, and it wasn’t them I should be taking my aggression out on.

“We need to find that Overseer and make him pay for everything he has done. Not just to you and your brother, but to every predator here, every prey who had the guts to stand up against the oppression.”

Nate grabbed my paw and squeezed it. “For the first time I have faced my demons that lay here, and I'm not scared, I'm not helpless. I was afraid of what might happen when I finally saw him again, afraid that his tendrils would start to creep into my brain again. I know now how far I've truly come. Guardians! You have your orders! Move out!”

***

This place was very similar to my own. Everything seemed to be where I remembered it, everything except the Overseer’s office. We both knew that was where the coward was hiding, using the Overseer’s terminal to spy on us, to direct everyone who was against us, but I didn’t realize was that was where our two Burrows stood out from one another. In my Burrow, the Overseer’s office was close to the main entrance, separated by only a few rooms and halls. Here, it was located at the very bottom, supposedly to mimic a rabbit's habitat from before civilized times. To design the Burrow to be so prey friendly, despite there being a predator population? Why do I have the feeling that this discrimination was planned out? That makes me hate the mammals who designed this even more. 

We continued to meet resistance as we traversed the Burrow. Fewer and fewer mammals were dressed in security jumpsuits, and it showed by the ever increasing lack of weapon training. Those who did fire upon us either missed or in a few cases, injured one of their own. The Stalkers with us had to use their tranquilizer guns a few times, but most of them surrendered with ease and allowed the Agents to escort them out from the Burrow.

I caught the occasional whiff of natural gas and that told me when we were near some of the damaged areas. A few mammals, both predator and prey, were coming down with signs of toxic poisoning and Mark had to stop and stabilize them before they could be escorted. We ran into two cases where mammals had died within their enclosed rooms, their lives cut short by the ever encroaching gasses.

From how the predators reacted to our arrival, it showed how much they had been suffering. They surrendered themselves the easiest, some even broke down crying that they were finally free from their suffering. There were even a few prey species that showed the same reactions, that were glad we had come to free them all. It actually made me feel better knowing there were other rabbits who opposed the Overseer’s rule. Gave me hope that some of these people aren't beyond saving.

One such rabbit, who’s silver and sagging fur and showed signs of his old age, actually hugged Nate. 

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

“I’m sorry but no. I've tried hard to forget this place.”

“Your mother was a good soul. Too good for this place I'm afraid.”

“How did you know my mother?”

“I was one of her teachers back before you two were born. Your mother was good friends with Holly’s mother…”

Holly pushed herself from behind the other. “Is she… is my mom alive?”

“Yes, she is, child.”

“Ohhhh! I can’t wait to see her again, and for you to meet her ‘livi!”

“Way to one-eighty your emotions there Holly. Sir, you were saying?”

“Yes, well like I said, they were friends for most of their childhood. I always hated how the Overseers seemed to divide the ranks between predator and prey, so I tried to teach everyone how similar we really are to one another. Your mothers were some of the few mammals I was able to reach, most of them, such as your father, held onto those ancient beliefs like their lives depended on it. When he became Overseer, the first thing he did was not only widened the divide, but encouraged hatred towards predators. I'm glad to see you not only alive and well, but seeing the truth behind the hatred, that under the skin, we were all created equal.”

“Thank you Sir. Can you tell us, where is Mrs. Kerrigan?”

“Maintenance. Seems she has gathered the support of not only many of the predators, but many of the prey as well to combat the Overseer’s prejudice. It hasn’t gone as far as we all would have hoped, but she's determined to see it through to the end.”

“Guess it just runs in our blood. We should probably go check up on my mom and the others, get them to safety before my _father_ , does something stupid.”

“When you get to the door leading to maintenance, say ‘blood is thicker than fur’, that'll tell 'em you're a friend. Otherwise you'll never get that door open from the outside. Oh, and speaking of blood… there's something very important I need to collect before leaving with you, may I…?”

“Agent Smith, escort him to his quarters before evacuating. Take Stalkers Roland and Proff with you. Gather any other mammals you see and escort them as needed as well.”

“Yes Sir!”

“I can tell you're not the same Nathan as before. Your mother would be proud of you son.”

“Thank you.”

The three Guardians escorted the doddering old rabbit as we started towards where this Burrow’s maintenance area was. I turned to ask Nate something and saw Mark’s face show a deepening sadness. Nate must have seen this as well because he stopped and placed his paw on his brother’s shoulder.

“You’re thinking about mom, aren’t you?”

“Yeah… I… I miss her.”

“So do I. I wish there was some way to bring her back, but all we can do is to continue to leave her legacy, to do what we can to make sure mammals aren't treated the way she was, to create a better world, a world that she always dreamed we would be part of.”

“I bet it’s raining out right now.”

“Why do you say that Mark?” His comment which was accompanied by a slight smile confused me a bit.

“Because our mother is looking down on us, crying tears of joy for everything we, everything Nate has become.”

That sounded… well I really wasn’t sure how it made me feel, but it did remind me of something. “When I left the Burrow, when I first saw the horrors of this world, I broke down and cried for I can’t remember how long. I thought this world would be better, be someplace I could have started a new life, but after nearly being killed only moments after leaving? After seeing how dilapidated everything was? It got to me, hard. That was also the first time I'd seen and felt the rain. Do you… is it possible that was because of… my mother watching me? Seeing how hurt I felt?”

“You have the freedom to believe what you want, but yes, I believe with all my heart that was the case.”

I don’t know what to believe to be honest, but mom, if you really are up there somewhere, watching me, please, help them through this. I sure as hell know they need it more than me. I felt a tear coming on and quickly wiped it away as I started to walk, triggering everyone else to continue as well. I wasn’t trying to hide how I was feeling, but rather focus my attention elsewhere. I needed to be sharp and focused, because I had no idea what else that rabbit would try to throw at us.

***

The closer we got to maintenance, the fewer mammals we saw. When we did run into a mammal, Nate gave the same response, how we were here to help them, and that we would have them escorted safely to the surface. A few tranq darts were fired, one at a mammal who tried to lunge at Nate with a knife, and another who seemed more afraid at the notion of the surface than of their rescuers. Oh, and one who literally crapped themselves after seeing Drake. That fox was so scared that he was unable to move, despite Nate and I’s reassurance that he was harmless. There were plenty of mammals who Drake freaked out, but this one was the first to defecate themselves over it. 

We finally reached the door to maintenance. Nate went to knock on the door and recite the password, but Holly interjected, asking if she could do it, since it was her mother in there. Nate agreed and she knocked. There was no response, but Holly said the pass-phrase anyways. A few moments later we heard the noise of some kind of internal locking mechanism starting to move. 

The door slowly opened and inside stood a rabbit shorter than me, dressed in a tattered jumpsuit. 

“W-who are you?”

“Hi, my name is Holly and we're here to rescue you from this place.”

“I… I don’t know…” She turned and shouted something into the room that I couldn’t quite understand. 

“What is the meaning of… H-Holly?” A chocolate colored rabbit came up and upon seeing us, she had to pause.

“Mom? Mom!” Holly hesitated for a moment then leaped into her mother’s arms. 

“Holly! What are you… how did you… I’ve missed you!”

“I missed you too mom, really the only thing I missed about this place. I… I didn’t even know if you were still alive.”

“There were a few times I wasn’t sure I would, and you, I was afraid I lost you forever. What about…” Holly pointed our way. “Nathan? Markus? Is… is that really you?”

Holly’s mother, who was a bit taller than me but still much shorter than the brothers, went over and hugged both of them. Upon touching Nate’s arm, she stepped back, a look of confusion and hurt filled her face. “What… what happened to you Nathan?”

“It’s a long story, one best saved for later.”

“And who is this lovely looking girl? What an… unusual fur color for a rabbit.”

“Hi Mrs. Kerrigan, my name is Olivia Springs, and, well…” Why was I suddenly feeling nervous? I know it’s not, but for some reason it feels like I was introducing myself to Nate’s mom, not Holly’s. 

Nate grabbed me and pulled me close. “She’s my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? I’m happy for you. With everything that sorry excuse for a husband of mine put you through, I wasn’t sure you would ever find solitude in another, especially a rabbit, no offense Ms. Springs.”

“None taken, and you can call me Olivia.”

“And you can call me Marie-Anne, it’s a pleasure to meet you. But why the sudden arrival?”

“You've felt the quakes, haven’t you?”

“Yes, a rather large one struck here a while ago. We've been down here trying to repair the damages made to the Burrow machinery.”

“It’s far worse than that. It seems that this Burrow was built near a deposit of natural gas, and that last quake has fractured the infrastructure, causing dangerous levels of it to leak in. We've already found mammals dead due to it, and there will be more if we don’t evacuate everyone.”

“Let me guess, the _Overseer_ isn’t too keen to that, is he? Oh I would have _loved_ to see the look on his face when he found out just who had come here. I can already tell you've changed, you're so much more… confident.”

Nate smiled at me. “It was hard, but I had help. Now if you could gather the mammals here, we'll escort you to safety.”

“How… how is the world up there? When you three left, I… I had no idea if you would even survive, but I knew you had a better chance than down here, with… him.”

“I won’t lie. It’s dangerous. There are mammals who will kill you without batting an eye, mammals who will kidnap you, rape you, enslave you, and not feel the least bit guilty. But there are also good mammals up there. Kind souls who stop at nothing to fend off the atrocities that exist. Mammals like Olivia. They're sometimes far and few but they exist.” 

“But, where will we stay?”

I stepped out from under Nate’s arm and placed my paw on her shoulder. “Nate and I know a mammal, one of those kind hearted souls he mentioned. She runs a town called Hope. You’ll like it.”

“Hope? I like it already.”

Holly grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, excusing us from her mom. “What about the town’s attitude towards foxes? Not sure if you noticed, but most of these _are_ foxes.”

“If Jessabell hasn’t convinced them that we're good after all this, after Nate risked his life to clear out a new home, a better home, and to help provide security against all future raider threats against the town and its people, then they don’t deserve to live there, and I will make _certain_ to that.”

“Just… don’t do anything you'll regret… that _we_ will regret.”

“I have a plan. Trust me.”

Holly planted her face in her paw. “I better get started on an apology letter after this.”

“Is… everything okay?” Holly’s mom sounded concerned.

“Yes mom. Just… if Olivia ever says ‘Trust me’. You better start running. She has a… history… yeah, probably not the best time.”

“We can all catch up after we're free from this death trap. Guardians! Split off and aid these mammals in their escape. You, you and you, come with us. We have an Overseer to find.”

***

By now, it seemed like we had evacuated most of the Burrow. There were fewer and fewer mammals that we ran into. We did find a few who had already succumbed to the gaseous poison, and from the smell of it, it was starting to leak into the main structure. We didn’t have much time. One of the Agents handed out small chemical masks to all of us. She said they were disposable, and that they wouldn’t last more than an hour or two, but Nate assured her that we would be long gone by then. 

The tunnel leading to the Overseer was long and unlike the other areas, had no connecting rooms. Since we had not seen him anywhere else, we knew that he had to be cowering in there. We finally reached the entrance, and just like the Overseer’s office in my Burrow, there was a visitor terminal, but unlike mine, it looked as if it had never been used. 

“He had the tendency to be ‘active’ in his hate-mongering. I doubt it would have grown to this extent if he simply locked himself away.”

“My Overseer would rather cower in her office than to intermingle with everyone. Maybe that’s why the division between rodents and rabbits never escalated this far.”

“Be glad you didn’t have to live through what Mark and I did. It sounded like rabbits were on the receiving end of it in your Burrow.”

“Yeah. I know, for punishment, let’s just go back and toss him into Seventy-Six. See how he likes being at the bottom.”

“Do you even _want_ to ever go back?”

“No. Though after hearing that my mom’s stuff might still be there, locked away in that damn Overseer’s office? Part of me wants to get it back, to finally have something else to remind me of my mom.”

“Maybe we can plan on it, after we get all of these mammals settled into their new life. I'm sure it'll be much less harrowing than this trip.”

“Yeah, Drake alone could eat half the Burrow and still have room for desert. No, you will not be doing that. Ever.” That reminded me. “Blanche, you still there?”

“Huh? What?” Her voice came from the top of Drake’s head.

“Were you… sleeping?”

“Yeah. Kinda. All that mushy-gushy family reunion thing put me to sleep.”

“Well when this is all over, I'm sure Nick will have gotten some of that booze he promised you.”

“That ass-twat better! I'm dying of thirst over here.”

Nate walked over to the terminal and dusted it off. He tried to interface it with his Pip-Boar, but his frustration told me that it wasn’t working. 

“Here, let me.” 

I pushed him to the side and plugged in my own device. Just as I thought. It was identical to the one in my Burrow. Luckily I still had the old code in my Hackatron. From the looks of it, the direct access had been severed, probably to prevent him from being bothered, but apparently he didn’t know about the secondary access point. After a moment I was in. 

“Doors are controlled manually from his side, but… say hi.” I lifted my Pip-Boar up to Nate.

“Overseer Elijah Kerrigan.” Nate’s voice echoed through the Burrow speakers, and I knew that it was also echoing inside his little room. “You are to unlock this door and turn yourself in. The rest of the Burrow has been evacuated, many by force. You are alone here, and if you do not leave with us, you will die here, alone.”

“ _I will_ not _let myself be taken by the likes of you! You are trespassing in_ my _home, terrorizing_ my _residents, and for what? Some petty revenge? Your mother was a whore, my wife is a traitor, and you are just a pelt to be walked all over! That’s all your kind is, and that’s all it will ever be!_ ”

“Sir? This should work.” A raccoon came up to Nate holding a small bag. Nate looked inside and nodded before the raccoon proceeded to take out a small yellow clay-like substance and started to place it around the door.

“I will give you to the count of ten to open this door. Ten.”

“ _I've manually sealed myself inside, no amount of hacking will ever get it open! I know how you work pelt. You sneak around, invading other’s privacy for your own amusement._ ”

“Nine.”

“ _You and all of your kind, all predators alike are a blight on society! A blight that should've been eradicated the moment we took up arms against each other!_ ”

“Eight.”

“ _Your continued existence is a mystery to me! You were weak, you were cowardly, how did you even_ survive?”

“Seven.”

“ _It was that fucking daughter of mine, wasn’t it? What, did the whore decide to take after_ your _mother and fuck every fox she saw?_ ”

“Six.”

Holly tore the Pip-Boar from Nate’s face and held it to her own. “You're the coward! Treating others like dirt because of their species! You were just afraid that they would grow up to be better than you! Well, even after Nate took all that punishment, he's _still_ better than you! A fucking insect deserves more respect from me than my own father!”

“Five.” Nate spoke loudly, and I saw a smile on his face.

“ _If I had known how much of a disappointment you were going to be, I would have killed you long ago! It would have been easy for me to pass it off as an ‘accident’ like all the others._ ”

“Four.” The smile on Nate’s face vanished.

Mark grabbed my arm. “You had our mother killed, I _saw_ it! I was there watching as they took turns raping her! You're the monster, _YOU_ are the accident!”

“Three.”

“ _You worthless ball of fur, I_ knew _you were watching! Why do you think I made it so… visual? I wanted to break you! I wanted you to know that I wouldn't hesitate to hurt you, your brother, or any other pred that stood in my way! You're_ all _filth!_ ”

Mark started to squeeze my arm. I had to pry it off once I started to lose the feeling. Holly took the overly emotional Mark and started to comfort him.

“Two.” Nate’s voice wavered. 

“ _You see! Even now it's haunting you! I guess my ‘education’ was better than I thought! I would do it all over again if I could, I enjoyed. Every. Single. Moment of it._ ”

“One! Now!”

The raccoon pulled a trigger as a small explosion, followed by smoke and the smell of burning metal filled the room. Nate walked up to it, feet hitting the ground so hard that I was afraid he’d fall through, and punched the door with his metal arm, causing it to collapse inwards.

Nate stormed in, and I followed close to him to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid, but the way that this fucker was talking to them, someone might have to hold _me_ back from shooting him. He didn’t deserve to live, he deserved to die. 

The room was much larger than the office in my Burrow, and there was a lot more stuff in it as well. There, next to a large bookcase was the Overseer, a gun in paw and pointing it at us, at Nate.

“Don’t come any close or else I'll shoot!”

Nate’s stride didn’t break as he stormed up to the rabbit. The Overseer fired a round, but Nate blocked it with his metallic arm and grabbed the Overseer by the wrist. I heard bone snap as the gun fell out of his paw. He screamed at the pain. The sad part was that I enjoyed hearing him scream.

“It’s over.” Nate forcefully said, not once letting his gaze leave the rabbit’s. 

“Go ahead. Kill me.”

Nate slammed the Overseer into the wall. “I would love to. To see you beg for your life as I hurt you. As I broke every bone in your body. As I humiliated you and let them take turns doing the same before I finally leave you to die. Oh how I would enjoy every second of that.” Nate let go of his arm as he fell to the ground, grasping it. “But that's not who I am. I'm better than that. Better than _you_. You won't die today. Instead you'll stand trial for what you have done to me, to Mark, to any mammal who has ever felt the lash of even a single derogatory word. Mark, clean him up.”

“You stay away from me you filthy pred!”

I walked right up to the Overseer. And smiled.

“I see he brainwashed another rabbit. What, are you a whore like all the others?”

I didn’t say anything. He didn’t deserve a word from me. He did, however, deserve the punch in his face that knocked him out cold.

“I have been itching to do that ever since I got here. So, we done here?”

Nate ran over and grabbed me in a big hug. “You are not a whore.”

“I know sweetie. He was just trying to hurt me the only way he knew how. It didn’t work, plus, I’d have to sleep with someone else for that to be true and there is no other mammal I could ever imagine being with.”

“How are you so calm after all of this ‘livi?”

“Oh, I'm wound tighter than a bungee cord, but I was trying my hardest not to snap, otherwise I think half the Burrow would be dead by now. I may have to visit the shooting range soon though…”

“Okay ‘livi, maybe you should just give me your guns…”

“Stalker, grab the rabbit and let’s get the hell out of here.” Nate lifted his arm. “Stalker Logan, we're leaving. Have any free Guardians perform one last sweep. Once we're done, this place will be sealed. Forever.”

“ _Yes Sir!_ ”

***

We slowly made our way back, making sure that we didn't miss anyone who might have been hiding. We found two stragglers, but they said they hadn't seen anyone else. Once we reached the exit, Nate sent out one last broadcast informing any remaining residents that they had ten minutes to make their way to the exit, or else they'll be sealed in there with the ever growing toxic gas. No one else appeared once the ten minute mark was over, so Nate closed the door. 

Not only did he close it, but he had some Guardians bring in a device that welded the seal closed, preventing anyone from opening it by any means. When he said it was going to be closed forever, he meant forever. 

We finally made it back to the surface and met up with Logan, Jasmine, Zack, and the others who were busy trying to keep over a hundred and fifty mammals calm. It wasn’t easy. Some of the tranquilized rabbits had woken and started to pick fights with some of the predators. Logan told us that fights keep breaking out, but they stopped them before they got out of control, but they ran out of darts, so had to do it the old fashion way. 

“Mom! Where are you? Logan, where's my mother?”

“Your… mother?” 

“Yeah, a chocolate colored rabbit in a Burrow jumpsuit.”

“I think I saw her over there.” Logan pointed towards a crowd of predators. 

“I’m gonna go try to find her! Marki, you're coming with me.” 

“I really should help…” Holly grabbed Mark by the arm and dragged him in the direction that Logan had pointed. 

“Well sweetie, I guess it’s just us then.”

An Agent came up to Nate and whispered something to him. “Damn. There are fights breaking out among the populace. I need to go lend a paw. You want to help?”

“I… I still feel like shooting someone, that’s probably not the best idea. You should take Blanche and Drake. If anything, a ghoul and a deathwing should do the trick.”

“Heh, you’re probably right. You going to be okay?”

“Jasmine and Zack will keep me company.” 

Nate gave me a kiss and left towards the sea of ex-Burrow dwellers. 

“Now why can’t you do that Jasmine?” Zack had a very teasing tone in his voice.

“Do what?”

“Kiss me like that.”

“I… I… eep!” 

“I'm so glad there's no roof here. I'm surprised you are not brain dead by now.” 

“I-I can’t help it. I… I really can’t. I’m just… sometimes I keep thinking this is all a dream and I'll wake up and still be… one of them…” I pinched her leg. “Ouch! What did you do that for?”

“Well if it was a dream, you would be awake now, but you aren’t. You have a good job helping others, a zebra who loves you, and friends who support you. You need to keep reminding yourself that this is all real, or else you might risk losing it to a dream.”

“Y-yes. I… I'm trying.”

“Stalker Logan doesn’t make it any easier. He only puts up with it between you and the Chief because, well, he’s the Chief.”

“Well he ain’t here right this second. Plus, if he said anything, I'm sure Nate will have another one of those talks with Logan that he keeps telling me about.”

“Hey Jay-Jay, what’s that on your leg?”

Jasmine lowered her neck to take a look where he was pointing. When it was low enough, he grabbed her head between his hooves and kissed her. Her body movements showed her surprise at first before melting into it. Then she opened her eyes and glanced at me, causing her to squeak loudly and fall back onto her butt. Zack and I reached out to help her when a frantic lion came over to us.

“Have you seen Chief Valiant?”

“He went over to the Burrow residents.”

“He’s not there. Someone said they saw him heading that way, but we can’t find him and we got an urgent message from base.”

I looked around but didn’t see any sign of him. Both his arm and his outfit should have stood out from everyone else, but I saw neither. I ran over to one of the Tac-Lifters and jumped on top of it to get a better look. Nothing. I was starting to get worried. I ran from place to place, asking if they had seen him, but no one had in the past ten minutes. 

Then I checked my Pip-Boar. How did I miss this? How did I fucking miss this! There, on my screen was a message that made my heart sink. _Warning! Link: Nathan Valiant Is Unable To Be Established. Link Dead._

I ran to find Mark and Holly, to find Logan. Maybe something happened, maybe his Pip-Boar got damaged when he punched in that door. His arm isn’t indestructible. He also wouldn’t leave without saying something to at least _one_ of us! Panic filled my body as I finally found Mark and Holly with her mom. They took one look at me and instantly their joyous expression turned to worry.

“‘Livi, what’s wrong?”

“Nate… he’s… he’s missing!”

“Missing? What do you mean missing?”

“I… I… I CANT FIND HIM ANYWHERE!”

“Olivia, calm down, calm down, can’t you just call him up on his Pip-Boar?”

“I… I…” I showed her the message.

“But there are Guardians everywhere! You're telling me that none of them know where he is?”

My body started to tremble. I knew something was wrong… I took off running, Holly calling after me but I didn't even understand what she said, my mind was focused on one thing. I had to find him. I knew he was in trouble, I just knew it. There are so many mammals who want me dead, who want to hurt me. Baird, he’s gone. It can’t be him, but that still left… King, could it have been him? He could have easily had someone infiltrate us while we were distracted. If it was that fucking rhino I'll tear him limb from limb!

Then, while on top of the building that the Burrow was buried beneath, I saw a glint of metal. My hopes were fired up again as I jumped down and ran to where it was. That was short lived because when I go to it, when I got to the metal arm that glistened from the setting sunlight, it was there on the ground. Nate was not. 

I picked up the severed arm as my body started to shake again. There was blood on the shoulder. It looked like it was torn from his body. Tears started to fall as I heard footsteps behind me. I took out my gun and turned around, pointing it straight at Holly and Mark. I was still holding Nate’s arm and when they saw it, when they saw me, I could see their own hearts sinking.

“Is that…”

I couldn’t form any words, I just nodded, the tears falling from my eyes faster than I ever remember them able to. I dropped to my knees, still cradling the arm as my gun slipped out. Then the Pip-Boar in his arm beeped. I tried to see why it was, but my vision was blurred by my emotions. Holly took the arm from me and read it.

“It says… oh. Oh no… no it can’t… why?”

“Read it.” My voice was hollow.

“It’s…”

“READ IT!” Anger was filling that emptiness. 

“‘We have your fox. Come alone Olivia Springs or else he will die.’ It’s… it’s from the Legionaries… the Legionaries have Nate…”

“Where… WHERE!”

“Zootennial Stadium. Why does that sound familiar?”

“Zoo…” 

That place was dead, a remnant of better days, currently occupied by ghouls. Even if some of them survived, a savage ghoul couldn’t hire mercenaries. I was told that no one even goes that way due to the unusual number of ghoul activities. There's nothing there. Nothing except.

“No… it… it can’t be…”

“What? What can’t it be? What's there?”

“It’s… Burrow…”

“A Burrow? But why…”

“No. Not _a_ Burrow. _MY_ Burrow!”

I felt more presence surround me. Through my tearful eyes I could tell that Jasmine and Zack had arrived, along with Logan and others. I even saw Drake standing there. Nate was gone, taken from me and I was right HERE! How could I have let this happen? Why was it my BURROW that did this? Were they responsible for all my trouble? Was every Legionary after me because of that place? Who could possibly… the Overseer. It fucking had to be! Was she pissed at me for disobeying her? Was she more sadistic than I thought? That recording, she admitted she killed her, she killed my own mother! She left me without a family! Now she wants to take away my new one? 

I slowly stood up, still gripping Nate’s arm in my own.

“‘Livi? What’s… what’s going on?”

“My fucking Burrow took the closest thing to me.” I wiped away the tears. I could feel my body being fueled by hate and rage. “Now I am going there and taking EVERYTHING FROM _THEM!_ ”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Out of the frying pan and into the fire, am I right? This is why Nate hates Burrows. Not only has every single one he has visited been a death trap, it’s usually him that is about to die. And Olivia? She’s pissed. Beyond pissed. If you think it’s wise to keep Holly away from a mini-nuke? You don’t even want to put Olivia ten miles near one in the state she is in, but you will learn more about that in the next chapter. The next chapter will be chapter to end all chapters. Not literally of course, being there are still two chapters after it, but all the pieces will finally fall into place during the largest chapter to date. Who hired the Legionaries? What is Burrow-Tec really about? Who started the war? All those questions will be answered, but that is for then.”

“Now, I still have so much to go over, but with Max still recovering, and the real Max needing a break from things to unwind, I have been having a bit of an issue coming up with content for the After Show. There are still so many people to interview, but most of them are not in the best mindset to do it, and there is still a ton of lore to have, but most of the ones I want to go over with you folks contain major spoilers for the next chapter. With that said, while this will be a shorter than normal After Show, the next one will be the longest one to date, which so happens to follow the longest chapter to date. I will be filling in all the gaps left with the major reveals, along with clarifying things that might get lost in translation. 

“However, there _is_ something I can do. You already know so much about the characters you have been traveling with all these months, but there is one that you might not know a whole lot about. Me. Well, not me the author, but rather your friendly neighborhood zebra. So how about it folks? Would you like to know more about myself? Well too bad you neigh sayers, I am doing it anyways. 

“So many Wastelanders have bad backgrounds. Even the kindest souls like Jasmine have not so kind pasts. Me? Let’s just say it wasn’t that bad. At least, not at first. My parents were traders. They didn’t deal in slaves, or weapons, or even basic necessities. What did they sell? Tonics, salves, basically all those chemical concoctions you read about in stories or see in movies. And not the honest kind either unfortunately. Some of them were not much more than piss in a jar, doctored up with some perfume to hide the truth from it. And what of the young zebra? Well, I was their spokes-mammal. I was that little kid who beckoned all to come visit ‘Stripes Family Thaumaturgical Shop of Wonders’. Quite the mouthful, ain't it? My parents figured that if it was complicated to say, that what they sold had to have worked. I never really understood that way of thinking. 

“From the moment I learned to speak, I was out there helping to promote my families wares. The problem was, since they never trusted me to help in their creation, I genuinely thought my parents were out to help, so I was more than eager to make sure we sold as much as possible, and I must have been good at it, because we sold out every time. I knew I should have figured out something was up when the moment our wares were gone we packed up and moved to a new area. Problem is, the Wasteland has a tendency to remember when it’s wronged. When I was, twelve I think, we were settling down in our makeshift home only a few miles from the Red-Neck headquarters in Sahara Square. Despite the frequent threat of being burned alive by those insane giraffes, it was one of the safest places to be. Not even a Corrupted Guardian is stupid enough to travel that close to Red-Neck territory. How my parents stayed off the radar baffles me to this day. Not sure if we were all just lucky, or if they had made some deal with the Red-Necks. Though, I think that might explain my fascination with giraffes. Funny how when I finally meet someone, she’s the exact opposite of a giraffe, but I digress.

“As I was saying, we were settling down for the night when suddenly there was a loud noise. At first my parents thought it was another idiot trying to meddle with the Red-Necks, but we were wrong. It was a group of Grey Quills, the same group whom my parents had sold a ‘strength enhancer’ that was nothing more than irradiated water mixed with some already watered down Rad! Cola. Apparently two Quills got killed after blindly charging at fully armed Guardians expecting to tear through their Exo Armor from added strength. Let’s just say the Guardians were not the ones who got torn apart. 

“My parents were no fools though. Whether it was from previous reactions to their products, or if they were just paranoid, they had set up a ton of defenses, traps, and even an emergency escape route. We were able to buy enough time to escape through a tunnel that was an old (and thankfully clean) sewage pipe that lead to the Palm Hotel and Casino where the Red-Necks resided. Thankfully, we went the other way, to where it ended at a large cliff overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately, that was also where a squad of Steel Guardians were camped out. It was a recon team assigned to keeping an eye on the Red-Necks, so they were not heavily armed, but there were enough to cause us problems. We approached them and my parents plead with them to protect us from the Quills. If that was all they did, then we would have been saved. My father, however, decided to ruin everything by trying to sell them the same tonic that got us into this mess to begin with. Let’s just say that a Guardian is a bit smarter than your average raider and they figured out the scam pretty fast. The three of us got taken into custody and brought back to the Guardians for a trial. Yes, the Guardians did have a very basic judiciary system, but it was mostly for helping to settle disputes between Wastelanders. Raiders usually dealt with a bit more… forcefully.

“After a lengthy back and forth, of which I could tell my parents were running out of viable excuses, they were given the choice to either pay back every single person they sold their products to, or be exiled from the Wasteland. Now, while being exiled is not worth it’s weight in sand, especially with how thinly stretched the Guardians already were to even enforce it, my parents happily accepted it. Why? An excuse to peddle their wares elsewhere. A new home meant new customers to screw out of their hard earned living. 

“So, how did I wind up here and not with my parents peddling crap? Once I found out what they really were doing, and how I had helped to scam thousands of innocent, well not all of them were innocent, mammals, I decided I needed to put a stop to this. I pleaded, I begged, I did everything I could to get them to change their ways, to set out on the right path and actually help mammals rather then cheat them. They told me that they would, but the moment we got to our new home west of Bunnyburrow, what was the first thing they did? They hustled a bunch of elderly sheep. That was the last straw. That night I packed my stuff and snuck out, never looking back.

“Do I miss them from time to time? Yes I do, but to be honest? I really am not sure if they even missed me. Not once did I hear anything about a zebra couple looking for a lost child. Part of me wondered if they only had a child to raise to be a hustler. That’s why I am so obsessed with finding out the truth. Yes, the truth can hurt, but I think that hiding it can hurt more in the long run. 

“You may ask what a twelve, almost thirteen year old zebra did to survive this long? I mostly kept to myself, scavenging what I could, making honest trades where I could. I was told multiple times that the Guardians would be able to help me, but I was always afraid that if I returned they would recognize me and re-exile me. I spent three years like that until I met Rutherford. He was the one who got the Savannah Caller onto the air. No, he isn’t who currently runs it, but Rutherford was the founder. He had scavenged an old ZNN broadcast facility and did the best he could to revitalize it. The problem was, he had issues finding mammals to help him, and it was weighing on him being the only one to do the broadcasting. When he found me, I was begging for food, trying to trade what little I had for it. He took me in, gave me shelter and food, and in return I helped him run the Caller. The one good thing about how my parents raised me was that I was a natural reporter, so eventually I was given my own show. However, he would not always be there for me.

“No, he didn’t die. Quite the opposite, he had gotten quite lively for his age. His dream was to bring the old days of radio to the world. Music, news, he didn’t care as long as it was entertaining and told the truth about everything around. One day he brought in an ex-raider who had nearly escaped from being put into Wild Times and told me that he would be taking over. I asked why he didn’t put me in charge, but he said I was meant to be out there, not trapped inside some building. Then he left, venturing forth towards the Medowlands and beyond to try to bring the radio back to the world. I never heard from him again, but somehow I know he’s still alive. That old goat had more life in him than most youngsters these days. 

“Well that’s my life story, and I am sticking with it. Nothing too spectacular, I know, but not everyone can have a very engaging and heartfelt background to them. As for my wall breaking ability? Well, chalk that up to the author in me. It’s a bit of a split personality thing going on. They say two heads are better than one, but sometimes it just gives me double the headaches. Well folks, that is all the time I have for today. Join me next time as we journey deep into Burrow Seventy-Six.”


	80. Return to Burrow Seventy-Six

“You are NOT going alone Olivia!”

“I HAVE TO! Just… LET ME GO!”

Mark and Holly were holding me down as I was desperately trying to get away, to go hunt down those fuckers that took Nate, to find that fucking bitch of an Overseer and make her pay for taking the only thing that matters to me. Holly had insisted that I take them, along with the entire Guardian force to storm the Burrow, but I was afraid of what might happen to him if an army showed up.

“We… we want to get Nate back just as bad as you ‘livi, but you’re acting… suicidal.”

“If I show up with an army, they… they might… they might _KILL_ him! I have to go alone!”

“No you _don’t_! What if they're using him to get to you, to hurt _you_! We don’t even know what you did to get them so riled up!”

“That fucking Overseer killed my mom! You heard her recording, maybe she wants to kill me too! And I will fucking let her if that means saving Nate!”

“Olivia, what… what are you saying?”

“Can’t you see Holly? I'm fucking nothing! Nate, he’s the stronger one! Did you see him in there? I would've slaughtered half the Burrow for what they did to him. To the both of you, but he didn’t. Why? Because he’s better than that! Better than me! _He’s_ what this world needs, _he’s_ the hero it needs, not some stupid rabbit that does nothing but kill more than helps! He’s already working on a plan to restore the wasteland and what am I doing?” I felt tears burning down my face.

“You have done so much good ‘livi, can’t you see?” 

“I saved Hope just to have them get attacked again! I wasn’t there when the mayor was kidnapped, I wasn’t there to stop the Red-Necks from burning Beaverton, I wasn’t fucking there to stop Nate from being taken! He lost his arm because of me, innocent mammals have died because of me. There’s still a fucking Burrow filled with cannibals and I didn’t even fucking try to save those who existed only to feed them! I should have done something, but I was too fucking scared!”

“We’re all scared ‘livi. Those things, they weren’t your fault. How could you have saved Beaverton if you didn’t even know it existed to save? Weren’t you still fresh out of the Burrow when that happened? And how could we know that the mayor would get kidnapped? We didn’t. Shit happens all the time out here, and most of the time we can’t do anything about it, no matter how hard we try. But this, rescuing Nate, _this_ is something we can do together, _this_ is something we can do something about. You need to trust us ‘livi.”

“I… I…” The tears were rushing full stream now. Every little bit of pent up anger and sadness that I had been feeling erupted at once. My body was shaking as the images of Nate being tortured caused me to break down even more. Holly and Mark grabbed me and started to hug me, their own emotions mixing with mine. 

“You say you're nothing, that Nate is the better mammal, but if it wasn’t for you, he wouldn’t be. We've told you countless times how much of an improvement you have made on him, how you're his reason for existing. You need to stop tormenting yourself over this. If he lost you, I'm not sure if he would even be able to do all those things you want him to. That is why we all need to work together to save him.”

“But… I’m afraid, what if we show up and he… he…”

“Then we think of a plan.” 

“Blanche.” Mark had been quiet this whole time, I could tell that his brother being taken was hurting him as well, he was just better than I was at hiding it. 

“What about her?”

“She’s small, she can sneak in with you Olivia.”

“W-what if they discover her?”

I felt something land on my shoulder. “Those ass-twats will never see me coming.”

It wasn’t until now that I realized it wasn’t just Holly and Mark with me. Blanche, Drake, Jasmine, and all the Guardians were there with us. Even Holly’s mom stood with them, all looking at us with concern in their faces. Even Logan was showing it, and for him to show that, he must really care. 

Mark sniffed a few times, wiping his own tears away. “I… I actually have a book that might help. It’s called ‘Now You Don’t’, a book on magic tricks.”

“H-how will that help?” Magic tricks didn't seem like the best solution at the moment.

“Well, it tells how to modify clothing to add more hiding spaces, and even tunnels between the arms to allow for slight of paw tricks, if I can modify your clothing…”

“Then they'll never find me! That’s fucking brilliant!” 

“What… what about the rest of you?” Sure that sounded like a plan, but what are two mammals going to do against a whole Burrow?

“We’ll think of something ‘livi. Suffice it to say, you will not be doing this alone.”

“T-thank you… and… sorry. I… it seems like when one bad thing finally looks good, something worse comes along.”

“That’s life in the wasteland, figured you’d learn it by now, being the biggest trouble magnet I've ever seen.” 

“Now’s not the time for that Blanche.” Holly responded with an irate voice.

“She’s right…”

“‘Livi?”

“Everything bad that happens is because of me. I had to leave Hope to prevent the Legionaries from hurting them to get to me. I save Jasmine and bring her back to the only mammals I thought could help her, and it starts a rift between the Guardians. Every time I get mad or upset, bodies follow. I really don’t try to seek out trouble, but it seems to find me. After this I… I'm not sure if I should even keep trying.”

Holly gripped my shoulders hard enough that I was feeling stinging pain through my arms and neck. “Do NOT say that! If you stopped trying, Hope would have been gone. Jasmine would probably be dead, and all these raiders and slavers you killed would still be killing and raping countless innocents! You have done so much to help people, but every time something bad happens, you seem to lose grip on that.”

“I… I'm tired of it. I don’t want to hurt mammals, I never did, but I just… it seems so… easy. Pull the trigger and you never have to worry about it again. What if… what if we save Nate and this feeling keeps growing, what if I find I start to enjoy it, that I become… one of them?”

“We will never let you slip that far ‘livi.”

There was a sudden commotion in the crowd that grabbed our attention. I was still tearful, but it was running its course for now, my eyes burning from the dry winds that were picking up. I looked towards where the noise was coming from and saw two Stalkers holding down a familiar cream colored rabbit. Logan moved over to the stalkers as I got up to get a better look. I needed a distraction.

“Stalker Grimmer! Why isn’t he in the transport with the other prisoners?”

“Sir! He was unconscious so we thought…”

Overseer Kerrigan had dried blood around his mouth, and as he talked I could see the broken teeth from my punch to his face. He spoke slowly, his words slurring from the injuries. 

“I hope that fox is skinned alive.”

Nate was missing, and this fucker was still alive? How is _that_ fair? It should be HIM who is being tortured. It's HIM that should be dead! I got up slowly. Holly tried to say something, but my mind was clouded. It was all his fault. If he never abused Nate, he would have grown up to be strong enough to not even need me. He was the one who broke him, he was the one who hurt him. If we hadn’t come here to save his fucking Burrow, Nate would still be here with me. Instead we get dragged from one Burrow to another. These fucking Burrows and their Overseers. Are they all so corrupt? Are they all so blind to the hurt they cause others?

“Heh, I bet that fucking pred got tired of you, went to find himself another whore.”

“Stalker! Shut him up!” 

Logan’s orders weren't fast enough. My mind was so foggy that I needed to do something to clear it, otherwise I _will_ end up getting mammals killed from my stupidity. I still had my pistol on me so I drew it and before anyone could react, I shot the Overseer. I wasn’t going to kill him, although I wanted to, I _really_ wanted to, but I also wanted him to live long enough for Nate to return, for Nate to show him how much he really is the better mammal. 

Logan ordered the Stalkers to grab me, but they hesitated long enough for me to get face to face with the rabbit who was clutching his leg in agony. I grabbed him by the ears, yanked his head back and shoved the barrel of my gun into his mouth. I was close enough to see the fear in his eyes, _real_ fear. I could smell it too.

“I want to kill you. Oh how I want to. I know what you did to Nate, to Mark, and to their… mother. I'm sure you had a part in killing their father too. You are despicable. You call predators filth, but that is only so you can hide your own. You see this scar on my face? I would've been dead if Nate hadn’t jump in to save me. That metal arm of his? He lost it trying to protect _me_ a _rabbit_! When I first met him he was terrified of me, you know why? Because of my species. _YOU_ made him that way! _YOU_ instilled a fear of prey into him that was so deep rooted it took its toll on him. Hell, foxes in general are so looked down upon that the seed you planted blossomed into such an irreparable mess that I'm surprised he even made it far enough for me to meet him! Now? He’s the strongest mammal I know, the most caring, kind hearted. Do you even know kindness? No, I don’t think you do. What was the last act of kindness you've ever done?” I slowly pulled the gun out of his mouth to let him speak.

“Not killing him when I had the chance.”

“Looks like that’s two of us.” I whacked the butt of my gun against his temple, knocking him out cold. I put my gun away and stretched. “I needed that. I really did.”

“Get him cleaned up and onto the transport, now!” Logan had a bit of disbelief in his eyes before he snapped back to his normal self. He glared at me. “I'm just going to chalk that up to stress.”

“Better make sure he stays out of it until you get him away from me. Anything else out of that fucker's mouth, I will shoot him again, and it won’t be pretty.”

Holly ran up to me and grabbed me by the arm before slapping her paw against my face. “Don’t scare us like that ‘livi!”

“Ow! Sorry. I just… I _really_ didn’t like him.”

“He never did know when to keep his mouth shut. I would be lying if I said he didn’t deserve that. Glad you didn’t kill him, otherwise Nate would not have been happy.”

“Why does he even want him to live after all he did?”

Holly’s mom spoke instead of her daughter. “You said it yourself Olivia, pulling a trigger is easy, but it’s not always the way. If you kill someone that won’t send the message of compliance, it simply tells everyone they need a bigger gun and better protection. That’s how all wars are. If we simply sat down and worked things out, maybe this ‘wasteland’ would never have existed.”

“I… I’ve tried to talk, but sometimes I think they don’t want to listen, or maybe, they do but they're so deeply rooted in their own ways that they can’t change. Don’t doctors say something about killing an infection at the source before it spreads? That’s how I see the hate in the world, an infection that has spread so far that to most being sick is the norm.”

Holly’s mom knelt next to me and put her paw on my shoulder. “My dear, you're looking at it from the wrong perspective. Sure you can easily kill of an infection by destroying the host, but once you're done, there wouldn't be anyone left to be sick, you would just be alone. You need to stop looking it like that and instead try to be the doctor, and start being the vaccine. I haven’t gotten to know this new Nate much, but I can already tell that's what he is doing, that's why he let that demented husband of mine live. If he killed him, it wouldn’t solve anything, it would just be another body. He needs to learn from him, to find out why he is the way he is. There's no helping Elijah, even I know he's beyond redemption, but Nate can learn how to better handle others like him, to shield others from their corruption. Only by blocking hate can we truly be rid of it.”

“You make it sound like he can simply eradicate all the hatred and evil in the world.”

“No, he can’t. No one can. Hate has existed since the dawn of time, and hate will exist until the last breath, but it doesn’t always have to be in control. I read that the great city of Zootopia was a haven for all species, big and small, predator and prey. Sure there was still hate, we can see that with what remains, but up until the war, it sounded like hate was in the minority.”

“Yeah, but hate ended up winning. Otherwise the Burrows wouldn't exist and we would all be happy.”

“Mammals let go of themselves, they allowed the hate to grip them, that’s why the world ended. In its ashes we need to start anew, to forgive and rebuild. If you killed everyone with hate in their heart, we as mammals would cease to exist. Remember that my dear.”

“I… thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, don’t you have a boyfriend to rescue?”

***

Holly’s mom was very wise. She was also surprisingly calm with everything going on. I wondered if she lived with her husband’s hate for such a long time that she was immune to its effects. She was right. I had to stop being so careless with pulling my trigger. Yes, there are mammals who I know won't back down. Baird, Overseer Kerrigan, King, to name a few. Those are not just sources of hate in the world, but tumors that are eating away at its life-force. Baird is dead, I'm sure the Overseer will never live to see freedom, and King… I doubt we will be seeing him anytime soon the way Nate humiliated him. I just needed to be better, to do better than I have been. I had a feeling it was going to be much harder than it sounds. 

Holly’s mom was also a surprisingly good seamstress, taking bits of clothing and modifying my own as per Mark’s instructions. He was shaking, showing how concerned he was for his brother, but he was doing everything he could to not show it. A single tear here and there told me how hard he was trying.

When the modifications were done and Blanche had a ‘test run’ in it, which tickled immensely, we gathered our stuff and loaded into the Tac-Lifters. The plan was to have me and Blanche get dropped off a mile or so from the stadium, hopefully out of view of any Legionary that might be watching, and to travel on foot. I modified my Pip-Boar to maintain a signal between a set of communicators that Logan and Holly had. If something happened to me, it would alert them and they would come running.

In the meantime, Logan was going to establish a squad of Agents and Stalkers with stealth technology to sneak in and take out all the Legionaries nearby. I could tell that Logan was immensely concerned about Nate’s safe return. He already lost one Chief, I don’t think he was ready to lose another one. None of the Guardians were.

I made sure my pistol was fully loaded, but I left behind my bag and my plasma rifle. I wanted to try to pass off as harmless to them, maybe I could get their guards down and find a way to take advantage of the situation. That and I was afraid that if I showed up armed to the teeth, that they would take that the wrong way and hurt Nate. I didn’t even know if he was uninjured, though with his arm missing, I hoped that was the only thing they did to him.

“Please ‘livi, don’t do anything stupid.” Holly yelled out to me as I exited the Tac-Lifter at my drop off zone.

“I got most of my aggression out on that rabbit, I'll be fine, t…”

“Don’t say it ‘livi! Do _not_ say those two worrisome words!”

All I was going to say was ‘trust me’. Those two words did have the tendency to cause trouble, so maybe it was a good thing. I set off towards the stadium, retracing my path that I had once made what felt like ages ago. Dusk was settling in, and that made it even more familiar since it was nighttime when I first left. It got me thinking. 

“You holding up okay Olivia?”

“Yes I am Blanche.”

“You're fucking lying. I can tell. Want a drink?”

“What? No! Why did you even… never mind, I forgot who I was talking to. What… what if I screw this up? What if I get Nate hurt, or even killed because of some idiotic mistake? What if I… lose it again?”

“I thought you said it was out of your system?”

“I thought you said you can tell when someone is lying?”

“Well fuck. We’re fucked, aren’t we? Well, at least I'll go out doing what I do best, drinking and killing.”

“You ever, get tired of all the killing?”

“It’s all I know. Yeah, I admit that there are times I regret it, but then I just drink those regrets away. Best thing about fighting drunk, half the time you can’t remember shit.”

“Haven’t you ever tried to find another way out? Find some other solution that didn’t involve killing?”

“Yeah, but then I lost my tail so I never tried again.”

“But you got your tail back, twice, couldn’t you have tried again? Knowing that some things are never forever?”

“You know, I actually did try. Unfortunately it always came out as an angry little bitch. That day, when I yelled at Nate before I turned into… this. I didn’t want to. I knew how much you cared and I still thought of that day you… forced your opinion on how I treated him.”

“I… I've regretted that ever since. I'm sorry for doing that to you.”

“No, don’t be. It was an eye opener. Killing and drinking, I thought that was what made the world go round. Have a problem with someone? Drink it away or just kill them, works wonders everywhere I go. The two of you showed me that there is more. From the outside, you two are so drastically different. I actually thought a few times that you two were just in it for the pleasure. So very few mammals settle down these days, they just find who they can, use them until they grow tired and find someone else. That’s how the world works, but you two. When I saw how much you two really cared for each other, I… I don’t think my tiny brain was able to handle there being something else, so I just did what I always do when my brain tells me something I can’t understand. I kill it with booze. Not being able to drink for a few weeks let my head clear a bit. Honestly, me turning into a raisin did wonders for me. Maybe I should've hugged a nuke a long time ago.”

“You know that it’s a thousand to one odds that you got ghoulified, right?”

“Eh, then I would have been dead and I wouldn’t have had to worry about going such a long time without a drink. Which reminds me. That North, or Nick, or whatever the hell his name is now, he promised me some booze to wash away this annoying sober feeling, so you better not get us killed.”

“I make no promises.”

When we got closer we both stopped talking. It would be a dead giveaway that something was wrong if I was caught talking to myself. We slowly crept through the sea of tents where I remember seeing my first mammals, and my first experience of the savagery of the world. There was an awful smell that almost caused me to vomit and my heart sank when I discovered its origins. Next to a burnt out fire lay the decomposing corpse of a mammal. Her body was naked, all her belongings, even her underwear, stripped from her body. It was the cheetah that I saw get killed. I felt just as helpless then as I do now. I still had no idea why Overseer Marsh wanted me so badly, but what if she was waiting for me? What if she wanted me dead and killed me before I could even find out how she got the door open, why she was so desperate to get me that she took someone close to me. How the fuck did she even know about me and Nate?

“Someone wasn’t in a good mood.”

“I saw her get killed.”

“What?”

“When I first left the Burrow, I was scavenging these tents for something useful. That’s when I saw the fire and heard the talking. I thought I found my first sign of life, that the world was not as bad as the Burrow made it seem to be. She… her wagon broke down, and her husband was hurt. I remember it so clearly. She begged for their assistance, but what did they do in return? Killed her. That wagon, they were carrying… a warning. A note that told of the impending Red-Neck attack on Beaverton. I… if I wasn’t such a coward, if I wasn’t afraid of getting killed myself, I could have helped her, I could have gotten that warning to Beaverton before it was too late. This… this is why I can’t call myself a hero or a savior. I couldn’t even muster up the strength to save a helpless mammal.”

“This world is cruel. You're just lucky it wasn’t you at the end of that encounter, or else that would be _your_ body rotting there.”

“I just feel so… helpless sometimes.”

“We all do. I felt like that for months when I lost my tail, and then you came along and gave me that hope again. You just need to wait, someone will come along and bring it to you again.”

“I think I like sober Blanche. You're barely swearing and actually a good conversationalist.”

“Don’t get used to it. The second I find something that will get me sloshed, my ‘conversation’ days are over.”

“Guess I should make the use of it. But not right now. We have company.”

Up ahead were three Legionaries, two wolves and a fox. Despite the white coat, seeing another fox made me think of Nate. I hope he was okay. I wasn’t sure what to do. On one paw, I could sneak up and take them out and find a way into the Burrow without being seen, but on the other paw, there might be more of them beyond the entrance. I couldn’t take that chance. 

I told Blanche to keep her mouth closed and ears open as I slowly stepped out into the spotlight, my paws in the air. My gun was tucked away under my shirt since I left my belt behind, and I could feel the cold metal against my body, reminding me I wasn’t completely helpless. 

“I’m here, and I came alone. Where’s Nate?”

One of the wolves motioned with his gun. I think he wanted me to get closer, but he wasn’t saying anything. I kept my paws in the air as I slowly walked towards him until he motioned me to stop. The ghostly looking fox walked up to me and started to pat me down, his movements seemed erratic. Fuck, he would find both my gun and Blanche. She must have been aware of this because I felt her wiggling throughout the added tunnels in my clothing. Thankfully it was dark, because none of them seemed to notice the constantly moving bulge under my clothing. Then he found my gun. 

He slowly took it from me and dropped it to the ground, as if he lost his grip on it. He didn’t seem all there to me. Then he did something I didn’t even think of. He grabbed my Pip-Boar. 

“Hey, that’s not a weapon!”

Ignoring me, he dug his paws around for the latch to unlock it. If he took it off of me now, it would send a signal to the others and they would come storming in thinking I was in trouble, which technically I was, but it would risk getting Nate killed since I didn’t come alone. Damn it! There was no good reaction. Kill them, I risk Nate, don’t kill them, I risk my back up getting Nate killed. Fuck this.

“Pip-Boar, kill.”

I ducked down and grabbed my gun and planted a bullet into the foxes head. I expected him to drop dead, but instead he grabbed his own weapon and started to fire wildly. The two wolves joined in and I managed to get their heads, but they didn’t stop either. What the fuck?! It was almost like they were… no. Back outside Burrow eighty-eight, we were attacked by what looked like Legionaries, but instead they were…

“Corpse Engines! They're fucking Corpse Engines!”

“What the fuck?” Blanche was tunneling through my shirt, probably trying to find a way out to join the fight. 

Since I knew what I was up against, and pushing all the questions that were now forming in my head out again, I aimed for the chest. Just as I thought, once the bullet penetrated and killed the pilot, the fox dropped dead. I managed to do the same to the two wolves, barely making it out of their wild fire. 

“Fucking Corpse Engines! Why the hell…”

A sharp pain hit my back. I felt all my muscles seize up as I fell to the ground. I had been electrocuted by a stun baton. I saw shadows in the spot-light surround me. The pain hit me again, and again. I was fucking down! Why the fuck did they keep doing that? I felt Blanche writhing in my clothing as the electricity must be getting channeled from her tail. It hurt, but they wouldn’t stop. 

Then it went black.

***

I've gotten knocked out so many times in such a small period of time that when the world turns black, I knew I would awake to something bad, and this was no exception. Once I was able to open my eyes, I was in a dark room, my body bound to what appeared to be a medical table. It wasn’t the first time I woke up like this. 

A light flickered on, nearly blinding me in the darkness. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw that I was behind a curtain. This… this was the auditorium. I recognized the stage. It was the most dilapidated area in the Burrow. No one ever used it unless there was some kind of public announcement, like when one of the water recyclers broke and we had to mandate a water ration until it was fixed. I used to play around on here, pretending I was Jack Savage, trying to stop some evil doer. That was until I tripped on one of the loose floorboards and twisted my ankle. My mom never let me come back unless it was to be part of the audience. 

I heard a groan come from near me as I tried to move my head. It was Nate. He was tied down to a similar table, his mouth gagged. I saw bandages where his arm was missing, dark red from all the blood they have soaked up. He was alive. I tried to talk to him, but I realized my own mouth was gagged. It looked like Nate was trying to tell me something, I turned my head and saw another table, but before I could figure it out, I heard a voice, and not one that I was expecting.

“You’re awake. Good. Good.”

That voice, I knew that voice, but, how?

“You are a _very_ hard rabbit to track down, you know that?”

I tried to say something, but the gag was preventing me. 

“What was that? Guards, remove her gag. I want to hear what she has to say. This should be… entertaining.”

A rabbit walked over to me, dressed in a security uniform. Since when did the Overseer let rabbits… I recognized her instantly. Her face looked lifeless, but I knew that darkened brow, that pale face. 

“H-Heather?” It was the first thing that popped out of my mouth. I hated that woman just as much as I did the Overseer. She made my life a living hell all because I suggested a tiny little thing that would have made our jobs so much easier. 

“I'm afraid not Olivia.”

“What are you… Mr. Felwick?”

“In the fur. Surprised?”

“But… what is going on?” I saw Nate trying to struggle against his bindings. “If you fucking hurt him, I swear I will use your hide as a glove!”

“Tsk, tsk. Always the rebellious one, aren’t you? Still got your mother’s fire in your eyes I see. A shame really, if you were born a rodent, then I would've liked you.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Did the Overseer put you up to this? Where is the fucking bitch?!”

“My, my. No wonder all these mammals had such trouble getting a hold of you. Here I thought they were all an incompetent lot. Well, what’s done is done. As for your precious Overseer, take a look for yourself. Guard.”

Heather slowly walked away before returning with that other table, rolling it between me and Nate. There was someone on it as well, a grey furred rat who was wrapped up in rope and then bound to the table. It was Overseer Marsh. Her eyes locked onto mine and they looked almost apologetic.

“What is going on?!”

“Keep your tone down, please. No need to get all worked up. And here I thought you would appreciate being cleaned up. Do showers even exist anymore up there?”

“What are you…” I looked down at my body. I wasn’t wearing my normal clothing, instead I was in a Burrow jumpsuit. My fur did look much cleaner, but I couldn’t help feeling dirty. 

“It was rather amusing watching the fox while we stripped you down and cleaned you up. A fox. You should have seen the looks on the residents when we dragged him in here. He was unconscious but many of them were still too scared to get close. He could swallow any one of us whole if he chooses to.”

“Is that why you are forcing these rabbits to guard us? In case he gets free?”

“Oh heavens no. Those rabbits are worthless, every last one of them.”

“Then what…”

“You’ve met Higgins and Marshal before. Show yourselves.”

Heather, and another rabbit both walked up to me as they slowly took off the chest plate on their armored security uniforms. Normally their jumpsuit would be directly underneath, but instead, there was a large opening in their chest, and inside… sat two mice.

“C-Corpse Engines? But… but how?”

“Like I said, you were a rather difficult rabbit to catch. After many failed attempts, I found a… different approach. I knew about the Corpse Engines, but that was the extent of my knowledge. When one of the Legionaries returned telling me how a giant bear with a glowing rodent in his chest killed the rest of his team, well I just had to know how to make my own.”

“Why go through all of this? Why for me? And how the fuck did you even hire these fuckers?! Do you even know what _caps_ are? I sure as hell didn’t!”

“Caps. Such an unruly yet interesting form of currency. It was harder to get that damn door open then to get those Legionary fellows to come to my ‘aid’. You should have seen it, Overseer Marsh was in tears that you ran away. She ignored her duties as Overseer, locked away in that office of hers. She blamed herself for your disobedience you know? Did you also know it was her fault your mother died?”

“How the fuck did you know that?!”

“I know everything, child. You see, my ancestors were mammals of great importance, it’s just that no one knew it yet. They not only worked for Burrow-Tec, but they helped found it! Because of that, the main access codes for the entire system were passed down from generation to generation.”

“Then why not simply leave? You rodents didn’t seem to appreciate us rabbits much.”

“Appreciate? No, more like despise. Not just your species, no, all mammals who were larger than us. That’s what started the war you know?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Seems my ancestors work continued to go unnoticed. Shame. I'll have to fix that. You see, ever since civilized society began, rodents have been stepped on, kicked, and overlooked. You ever hear of a rodent mayor? A rodent president? No. It’s always a larger species. A lion, a sheep, even a rabbit. We got tossed to the sideline, given the menial tasks. They even had the gall to throw us into a prison! Little Rodentia, more like Prison Rodentia. Anything to keep us in check. They told us it was for our own protection, but we were nothing more than serfs to everyone!”

“You make it sound like you were there.”

“If only. I would have made a few changes, like Tundratown. Why did the rodents blow that place up? Why not drop a nuke in the middle of the city? It would have made for a much more enjoyable show I think.”

“Rodents… wait, are you telling me?”

“Rodents started the war. Didn’t I say that already? What is it with you rabbits and your selective hearing? Yes, rodents are the ones responsible for the war, responsible for the Burrows, for everything! My ancestors planned to regroup in thirty or so years and then take over the world, rebuild it so that rodents were on top and everyone else was groveling to us! It would have been a utopia!”

“Sounds more like slavery to me.”

“Slaves? Perhaps, but slaves are forced to work for their owners. No, the rodents had plans, plans to subjugate through reconditioning! That’s what the Burrows were for, to experiment on all the other mammals, to find ways to break them, to shape them into someone who is willing to follow, a willing slave as you will. Alas, something must have went wrong because all communications with the outside were cut off before the first thirty years. Even the door codes wouldn’t work, an automatic lockout prevented that. At least that was until you cracked the code. Rather brilliantly I might add. I guess you rabbits were good for something.”

“If rodents hated the larger mammals so much, why put rabbits here in the first place?”

“To maintain its disguise. Having any Burrow populated by a singular species would raise questions, so they had to improvise. Rabbits just happened to be the next closest size to rodents.”

“Just another Burrow-Tec lie.”

“Perhaps, but one that eventually worked to its advantage. Over two centuries later, my plans to continue the rodents work are well on their way.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You see my dear, mammals are such stupid creatures. The larger they are, the smaller their brain I think. When these Legionaries arrived seeking some bounty, they found my initial scouting party. They had told me how dangerous the world up above was, and most of them didn’t make it back, those that did told me of monstrous creatures that were directly above us, ghouls I think the Legionaries called them? Well, I knew that I needed some kind of help, preferably the disposable type. I’m not stupid, in a non-rodent world, you need non-rodent help. Since I had no idea what caps were, and the currency of the past was worth just as much as toilet paper, I struck a deal with them. Food, supplies, slaves. Oh yes, they were happy to take some of our rabbits. I have no idea what they did with them, but they were worthless to me. You never had any friends here, did you? So I'm sure you won’t care that all of Seventy-Six’s rabbits are either dead, turned into those Corpse Engines, or in the paws of the Legionaries.”

“You… fucker! You monster!”

“It was monsters like your ancestors that caused this. Stepping on all the little people like they did.”

“Is that why you came after me? To make me pay for the ‘crimes’ my ancestors committed?”

“Oh heavens no. I can’t blame those today for the actions of the past. Actually, yes I can, but not you! No, not you. Your punishment is so much more deserving.”

“What the fuck did I do to you?!”

“You escaped. You showed outright defiance to the system I was slowly building. Yes, you heard me right. I was planning on continuing my ancestors work. My parents, their parents before them, all the way back to the first of my family that were locked away in here. We knew one day the doors would be opened, and the world would need to be rebuilt. We just wanted to be the first to do so. You ever wonder why the rabbit population kept declining year after year? How rabbits that should reproduce en masse are now limited to one child a birth? Science my dear. Burrow-Tec wasn’t dumb. If a population of rabbits remained unchecked for long enough, even if the initial sample was small, we would be swimming in them. You can’t maintain a population like that without resorting to extreme measures, so they had added chemicals to the water. Harmless, except for the fact it was designed to target a lagomorph’s reproductive genes, basically limiting their child birth. It started out with rabbits having three to four at a time, but over time the chemicals decreased that. In a few more decades, I think rabbits would have been born infertile.”

“That’s horrible!”

“That’s advancement. Imagine if mammals couldn’t reproduce without a rodent saying they can? Imagine a chemical that only a rodent could counteract? In a few hundred years, we could have all the larger mammals wiped out! We would rule unabated!”

“You’re insane.”

“No, I'm simply a free thinker. Just like you I'm afraid. Now, enough chit chat, let’s get down to business.”

“What are you planning to do to me?”

“Use you as an example. Guard, the curtain if you would.”

Heather, or rather the thing that used to be Heather, slowly moved towards the side, out of my view. Moments later the curtain was drawn, revealing a packed audience. All the chairs had been outfitted with those risers used for rodents to see in a rabbit crowd, but with the exception of the Corpse Engines, there were no rabbits. 

I heard gasps and murmurings from the crowd. That’s when I also saw the makeshift cages hanging on the walls, I saw movement in each of them, rabbits? No, they were too small.

“I see you notice the prisoners. Damn shame really. It seems not all rodents share my dream, some were even rather outspoken against my elimination of them all. I had to make them an example, or else it would be that much harder to control everyone. You understand. Guard, podium.”

The other ‘rabbit’ came over and Felwick walked onto his paw as he was transported over to the large podium in the middle of the stage. He tapped on the microphone and then began speaking.

“I have gathered you all here today to witness the birth of a new age!” Many of the rodents cheered, but not all of them. “When I told you that defiance has no measure, that the rodents were the supreme race, did I just sit back as the larger mammals took over? No! I purged this place of those horrible rabbits who have more often than not stepped on us on ‘accident’. I call lies! They stepped on us for their own pleasure! To remind us that the bigger they are, the tougher they are but no more! I told you that I would bring back the one who got away, and here she is! Olivia Springs, the rabbit that tried to defy the rodent race!”

Those who cheered before let out a larger one, their tiny yells echoing throughout the auditorium. 

“I also have here the Overseer that tried to hamper our years of work! There has always been a rodent as an Overseer, and that rodent has always been loyal to the cause, except for her! She had the audacity to fall in love with a rabbit! And what did that rabbit do? She shunned her! She played her for a fool as she slept with every other _rabbit_ in the Burrow! Even love is not safe from these oppressors! Her killing Jessica Springs was supposed to be a wakeup call, but no! She chose to instead look after her child like her own. Then that rabbit grew up and defied her, defied us all by escaping! Through blood and sweat I worked to not only overthrow this coward of an Overseer, but also brought back the defier to show to all of you that defying a rodent will not go unpunished! We will show the world that if you mess with a rodent, you will suffer!”

Despite the diminutive size and voice of a rodent, nearly three hundred of them, enclosed in a small space and riled up by this fucker made for a near deafening noise. After a few moments Felwick calmed down the crowd and continued to speak. All I wanted to do was squeeze him until he popped. 

“Now my friends, I will show you what it means to cross a rodent! What is the most identifiable part of a rabbit?”

The Corpse Engine walked over to me and pulled out something that glimmered in the lights. 

The crowd shouted at once: “Their ears!”

No. Please no, not that. I felt the Corpse Engine grab my left ear and pull it taught. I heard muffling coming from the direction of Nate. The Corpse Engine was pulling it so hard a pain shot through my head. 

“YES! Now I will take away that! I will take away part of what makes her a rabbit! Will that change her species? Alas it will not, for even without her ears, she will still be a rabbit, but she will be a rabbit who remembers what happens when she interferes with a rodent!”

I felt the metal of the sharp object as it slowly bit down on the base of my ear. That pain of it being tugged amplified. I felt blood dripping as my ear was slowly separated from my head. The pain was unbearable, and I had to clench my teeth just so I didn’t scream. I didn’t want Felwick to have the pleasure of hearing it.

“See? Look upon Olivia Springs, look upon the humiliation! You see how she still defies? How she will not give us the satisfaction of a scream? Her other ear will surly do the trick!”

I felt the sharp edge touch the base of my other ear. I closed my eyes, expecting the pain to continue, but it didn’t. 

“What are you doing guard? Finish it!”

I heard the sound of a body hitting the floor. The tool falling to the ground. I heard a muffled scream coming from behind me before silence. Then I felt something on my chest. I opened my eyes and looked down at both the blood dripping down the front of my face, and at Blanche, covered in blood of her own.

“B-bout time…”

“Aw hell, I’m sorry Olivia. On the plus side, you look kinda bad-ass with a missing ear. Just saying.”

“Who the hell are you?! _What_ are you?!” Felwick sounded flabbergasted. 

“Name's Blanche, ass-twat, and you just injured a friend of mine.” I saw her glance towards where Nate was. “ _Two_ friends of mine, and I ain’t having any of that.”

“Guards! Get her!” 

“These slow ass bodies? You ass-twats don’t even know how to operate them properly!”

“GET HER!”

Before Blanche left, she sliced through all the bindings, freeing me. I had already lost a lot of blood, so I felt woozy, and slightly unbalanced without my ear, but I still managed to jump off of the table. I spotted a pair of tin snips on the floor, covered in blood. I grabbed them and ran over to Nate. The ‘Heather’ Corpse Engine stepped in front of me, but Blanche was right, they didn’t know how to operate this thing, so I barreled into her, knocking her off the stage. 

She dropped something, and at first I thought it was a weapon, but then I saw it was my Pip-Boar. I thought they would have left it out there like Nate’s arm. Idiots probably know just as little about what it can do as I did. Either that or Felwick thought it might have something useful on it. Hell, it could have and I wouldn’t know. I slapped it on my wrist.

I heard Felwick calling for backup, or at least I think I did, missing an ear was playing havoc with my hearing, all the blood pooling in it didn’t help much either. I reached Nate and clipped his bindings as well. There were tears in his eyes, and after he was free the first thing he did was hug me. 

“I-I’m sorry…”

“It’s not your fault sweetie. We need to get out of here.”

An explosion shook the auditorium.

“What the hell is going on!” Felwick sounded pissed.

I looked and saw both rodents and rabbits, all dressed in security gear flood into the room. I wager that all the rabbits weren't rabbits anymore. They surrounded the auditorium, blocking all of the exits. I looked around and saw no escape. Then I noticed Overseer Marsh, tears falling from her face. I hated her, knowing she killed my mother, but… part of me felt it was wrong to just leave her here like this. I went over with the snips and held it over her. 

“Don’t, move.”

Her face turned from sadness to horror as I brought the tin snips down and cut her bindings. She removed her gag and stared at me, mixed feelings on her face. She went to speak but I couldn’t hear her, everything sounding distorted. Then I collapsed. 

“Olivia!”

I felt woozy, my brain beginning to cloud. I heard another explosion but it sounded more like an echo. Ten ‘rabbits’ stormed the stage, overwhelming us. Without his arm and weapons, Nate was only able to knock down two of the Corpse Engines before they grabbed him and started to drag him away, all the while Nate was desperately trying to escape their grasp. Then I heard something I have only heard once, something that I hoped I would never need to hear again.

“ _Vital Signs Reaching Critical Levels. Activating Emergency Procedures. Warning! Prolonged Use Of Experimental Serum X-700 May Cause Mental Deterioration. Do You Wish To Proceed?_ ”

“Y-yes!”

I only ever had to use this once, and even then I had no idea what was happening. This time, I knew _exactly_ what was happening. I felt my body become alert, I felt my muscles strengthening, I felt… alive. Time ran like normal, but I was still faster, stronger than I ever was in B.A.T.S. I jumped up and grabbed the snips, and charged at one of the Corpse Engines holding Nate. He didn’t have time to react as I cut the straps, letting the chest armor drop to the ground and grabbed the small rat inside. I yanked him out, throwing him as hard as I could against the nearest wall. His now lifeless body slid down the wall. The other Corpse Engine let go of Nate and took a swing at me but I jabbed the snips right into the arm, tossing it aside as I kicked the Corpse Engine off the stage. Two more came at me, but then I noticed the stun baton on the body of the first one I dealt with. I grabbed it and charged at the two, shoving the baton into the chest of the first as I jumped up and wrapped my legs around the neck of the other. It wouldn’t kill the one inside, but it did give me time to tear off the armor and shoved the stun baton right into the cavity. 

Then an explosion clear as day occurred as smoke billowed into the large room. I heard guns firing as I saw Logan and all the Guardians who could fit storm into the room. Mark and Holly were with them, and Holly was grinning like a mad woman as she had… was that a… Nuke Tube? Oh please don’t tell me they gave her one… she’s gonna kill us all!

Holly took one look at me and screamed my name, rushing over to me along with Mark. I went to join them, but I felt the chemical rush starting to wear off. Then I felt faint again as collapsed under my own weight. I heard Mark and Holly arguing to each other, but I couldn’t understand it. 

I felt as if I was about to pass out. Again.

***

“Olivia, time to get up.”

Huh? 

“You're going to be late to school again.”

School? What is she… I felt a blanket get pulled from my body as bright light hit my eyes. I tried to open them but the light was blinding. Was I still in the Burrow? Why was it so bright? I finally got my eyes to obey me as I opened them and let them adjust. I was in a room, but not any room that I recognized. It had bright wallpaper, flowers of various shapes and colors plastered it. I was in a bed, a bed I didn’t know, in a room I'd never seen before. Standing at the foot of my bed _was_ someone I knew. Or at least someone I had known.

“Olivia sweetie, time to get up. You'll miss your bus again.”

“Mom? Is… is that you?”

“Who did you think it was? Your father had to leave early on a business trip again. He tried to wake you but you've always been a stubborn sleeper.”

“F-father? What… where am I?”

“Oh dear, are you coming down with a fever? Here, let me check.” She placed her paw on my forehead. It felt so… real. “Oh my, you're burning up child. Were you up all night playing that dreadful game again? I will never know what you and that father of yours see in it. Why can’t you do something like reading? That’s a nice hobby that doesn’t get your body so worked up. Okay, you can stay home from school today, but I'm calling your teacher. You're not going to get out of homework that easily.”

“What are you talking about? Where am I? Who are you?”

“You're delirious dear, I should call the doctor.”

She left the room. I felt fine, minus this whole surreal event going on. Last thing I remember was being in my Burrow, passing out because of… my ear! There was a mirror hanging on the door at the far side of the room. I jumped out of the bed and ran over to it. My ear, it was still… what the fuck! My ear was there but… I looked like a kid again! My scar was gone, and I was dressed in a pink and purple outfit that looked two sizes too big for me. I saw the reflection of a window in the mirror and turned and ran to it. Large purple curtains covered it and I flung them back. 

Everything was so… green. There were houses, all of them intact. Green, lush grass in every yard, and large, full trees dotted the side of the street. A large yellow bus pulled up near where I was as a bunch of mammals of various species, all kids, got onto the bust. It stopped at my house and I saw my ‘mom’ run out, step onto the bus then off of it again as it drove away.

What the fuck was going on? I looked like I was ten, but I felt like myself. I had already seen my mom in hallucinations and dreams before… a dream, that’s got to be what it is. I ran over to my dresser drawer and started to pull them all out, trying to find something to tell me it is all a dream, that none of this is real. 

“Olivia Springs! You have a fever, get back into bed young lady!”

“This is a dream! You are not real, none of this is real!”

I saw her pull out a small pre-war phone as she dialed a number and then held it up to her ear. “Yes, Doctor? My daughter, she’s not feeling well, I think it’s serious. You can see her immediately? We'll be right there.” She put away the phone. “Get dressed, we're taking you to the doctor.”

“I'm not sick! I'm asleep, or unconscious or something! There was an explosion, and my ear, it got cut off and…”

“That’s it young lady, you are not allowed to play that disturbing game anymore! I'll have a talk with your dad when he gets home, until then, I'm taking away your games. Now get dressed.”

“But… but… what the fuck is going on?!”

“Swearing? That’s it, you're grounded young lady. We're going to the doctors but after that, you are not to leave your room unless it's for dinner or school.”

She stormed out. I have never seen my mom so angry at me… no! This isn’t real! But, if it’s not real, how do I wake up? I feel so… I feel like myself, but everything around me is wrong. I… I should go and get dressed, maybe something will happen to snap me out of this, to wake me up. Maybe once I'm at the doctors…

I closed my eyes for a moment and when they opened I was not only dressed in a purple and white dress, but I wasn't in that room anymore. I was in a large white room, and sitting on a not so soft medical bed. My ‘mom’ was sitting on a chair near me, looking rather upset at me. Once again, that wasn’t a look I was used to seeing on my mom. My _real_ mom. It was very hard for me to make her angry, that’s my first clue that this wasn’t real. 

My second clue was when Mark walked in, dressed in a white lab coat. He looked at me, and then looked back at the clipboard he was holding. 

“Mark! Thank goodness you're here, tell her this isn’t real!”

“Olivia! Doctor Valiant is trying to say something." 

“Yes, well the blood tests have come back. Physically she's fine. She is exhibiting signs of a viral infection, but there are none to be found. Have you considered… psychiatric treatment?”

“She’s not crazy doctor!”

Mark wrote something down on a piece of paper and handed it to my ‘mom’. “My brother runs a place nearby. You should stop by and see him. You won’t get charged for your first visit, I promise. I know how hard this can be on a child.”

“I am not crazy! Mark, you remember me, right? You've always saved my ass from getting almost killed?”

“Olivia, watch your language! I’m sorry doctor, she has been playing this game and I think it has affected her. Maybe seeing your brother will be a good idea. Come along Olivia.”

Damn it! What the hell was going on? I didn’t want to see a…

Once again I closed my eyes and the room changed. This time I was in a more mellow looking room. Browns and yellows filled it in both the wallpaper and the decoration. Sitting on the couch in front of me was Nate, dressed in a rather sharp looking suit. I ran over to him and hugged him, knowing that if anyone would know it’s me, it would be him. I tried to kiss him but my mom yanked me from him. It was that look, that look of discomfort in his face, that wasn’t my Nate.

“I haven’t even started the questioning, but I can already tell what's wrong with your daughter.”

“What is it doctor?”

“Depersonalization disorder. Or at least a form of it. Mammals with this disorder tend to feel detached from reality, not knowing what is real and what isn’t. Often while the brain tries to find a place in the world, it will attach it to something that those affected have a passion for. Tell me, is there anything your daughter tends to do a lot of?”

“No she’s a rather… actually, there is this one game she has been playing a lot. I forget the name of it, but I never liked it. Her father got her into it. It’s full of shooting things, and a very dark atmosphere.”

“I have seen cases like that before. Olivia wake up!” His voice changed at the end, like it was breaking.

“What did you say?” Did I hear wrong?

“I said, I have seen cases like that before. It’s relatively rare, but treatable.” His face distorted into panic. “Olivia wake up! Please!”

“There! You did it again!”

“Olivia shush, let the doctor speak. You said it’s treatable?”

“Yes.” He started to write down something and then handed it to my ‘mom’. “Take three of them twice a day for two weeks. If we don't see improvements we may have to try something else.”

I glanced over to the note. I saw Nate’s hand writing alright, but it wasn’t a prescription. It read: _Olivia Wake Up!_ I knew it! This wasn’t real! I knew if anyone would show me this, it would be Nate. _My_ Nate. 

Suddenly one of the windows burst open as a gust of wind flew in. 

“Sorry, these windows have bad locks. Been trying to get someone to fix them.”

I had an idea. “Can I close them? That wind felt nice and some fresh air might help.”

“Fresh air is always good. I tell many of my patients that a nice brisk walk does wonders. Make sure you shut it forcefully, or else it won’t latch. The glass won’t break so don’t worry about that.”

I got up and slowly moved towards the window. I peeked out and saw I was three floors up. If this was a dream like I think it is, a sudden event might wake me up. If it isn’t a dream and I really am crazy, then I couldn’t live with these false memories. I took a few steps back. 

“You must be afraid of heights. Here, I'll get it.”

I looked towards my mom. “I'm glad to have seen you again, even if you aren’t real. I miss you.” 

“Olivia what are you…” 

I took another step back and then bolted. I heard both of them scream my name as I jumped out of the window. I felt the wind rushing past my face as I fell, a pain slowly formed in my head as my vision blurred. I was getting closer and closer to the ground. I closed my eyes.

***

I woke up gasping. 

“Olivia!” Nate, the real Nate hugged me. 

My ear, or what remained of it, burned. I looked around as my vision came back. I was still in the Burrow. 

“What… what happened?”

“Mark had to stabilize you, but that damn X-700 crap was messing with his medicine. He had to put you under while it wore off. Meanwhile that damn rodent went and locked himself in the Overseer’s office.”

“Nate, are you… are you okay?”

“Yes, yes I am Binky. But your… your ear…”

“Look who’s talking armless.”

“Well she’s fine.” Holly tried to say jokingly, but I saw the tears in her eyes, they all had them. 

I slowly tried to lift myself up and the others helped. My head throbbed where my ear was and I reached up and felt it. It stung to the touch.

“I had to cauterize the wound. Your… there’s no way to save your ear, I’m sorry.”

“I’ll just get Tuskgen to make me a new one. You said Felwick is in the Overseer’s office? Let’s go say hi.”

“The Guardians have escorted everyone out. It seems that everyone was in this one room. All the Corpse Engines have been disabled and their pilots taken into custody. Logan is with the others getting everything ready. When he saw I was okay, and made sure I got another dose for my heart… well I don’t think I have ever seen that wolf cry before.”

“Wait, Logan _cried_?”

“Only one or two tears, but that’s pretty impressive.”

“Guess he does like you after all sweetie.”

The office was located just down the hall. It seems that twice now in one day we were standing outside an Overseer’s office, ready to break down the doors to snatch that fucker out of there and make him pay. Of course, Felwick wasn’t technically the Overseer, so this should be easier. 

I hooked my Pip-Boar up to the terminal and started to hack, but that’s when I realized something was wrong. There was no power to the terminal. Fuck!

“The power’s out! The door is sealed!”

“I’ll get some explosive charges brought up!”

“ _You're not going anywhere!_ ” Felwick’s voice echoed from the speakers. 

“Felwick! Open the door and we won’t kill you!” 

“ _You ruined my plans! You ruined centuries of planning! And for what? So you can step all over us again? NO! There are things that I know, things that you will not be able to stop! Plans that us rodents have laid out are starting to unfold as we speak! If the rodents can’t have this world, none of you can!_ ”

“What the hell is he…” The power to the terminal flickered back on, but when I went to hack it I noticed something disturbing. It didn't display the standard Burrow interface, but rather a different one. It was a map. It showed this Burrow and it was flashing red. Lines connected to Burrows all over. Eighty-Eight, Ninety-Three. Dozens of other Burrows I didn’t know about. Red lines started to form as and they connected with the other ones, they flashed red as well. 

“What the fuck is that?”

Nate looked over my shoulder. “Oh no. It’s… he’s triggered a controlled meltdown in the Burrows!”

“Wait, does that mean this…”

“Somehow they are ALL connected! He’s going to detonate ALL the Burrows!”

“How the hell? I thought they lost connection to all of them?”

“ _You think Burrow-Tec didn’t have a backup plan? They knew that there was a possibility that our domination would fail, that others would rise up against us. They created a backup link just for this plan! One that could never be severed naturally! In twenty minutes, this world will be dead along with all of you!_ ”

“You are fucking mad! You are…” I heard a gunshot over the speaker. Silence told me everything. “We've got to stop this!”

“This terminal is locked out from the office one! I can’t hack into it from here!”

A quiet voice came the floor. “Maybe this will help.” Overseer Marsh walked over to the side of the office to where a storage closet was. She pressed a button and the entire rabbit sized door open. She walked in and a moment later came back dragging a bag behind her. “This was some of the stuff you left. Remember this?” She pulled out a small device. It was one of my remotes!

I plucked it from the bag. “Yes! But… Fuck it has to be attached to the computer inside!”

“Olivia, catch!” 

I turned and Holly tossed me my plasma gun. What was… oh! It would take too long to melt a hole large enough to enter, but I didn’t need that big of a hole. I blasted until there was a hole large enough for a mouse. I quickly programmed the remote.

“Blanche! Put this on the computer inside!”

Blanched jumped off of Nate’s shoulder and onto mine, grabbed the remote and leapt through the hole. I will admit, she did it rather gracefully. A moment later she was back. 

“We only got fifteen minutes!”

“That’s enough!” I started to go through it. This system was one of the most difficult ones I have seen. “Damn it! It’s too complex! I need more time!”

“How about another paw?” Nate had a Pip-Boar as well, but it wasn’t his. It was too small. 

“Where did that come from?”

“One of Corpse Engines still had it. Quick, get me connected!”

I took the Pip-Boar and did a copy command for my Hackatron. Thankfully it was a rather slimline program so transferred quick. After connecting it to the remote, which I never tried having two operating one at the same time, I gave it back to him. He had to have Mark hold it as he worked. 

We tag teamed the hack. Every time one of us was blocked, the other found a back-door. We kept bouncing back and forth until Nate was finally in.

“I’m in! I… there, the connections are severed but… fuck!”

“What?” 

“The other Burrows are safe, the connection between them is severed for good, but I can’t get past the block for this Burrow! We've got eight minutes till it blows, there's no stopping it! We've got to evacuate! Logan, come in! The power core is about to go nuclear, get those birds off the ground! We've got less than eight minutes! Everyone, we need to get the hell out of here!”

“Olivia!” The Overseer was dragging a large bag behind her.

“There's no time! Leave your stuff, we've got to go!” 

“It was your mom’s!”

My… mom’s? I grabbed both her and the bag and we ran as fast as we could. Mark had to give me an adrenaline shot because I was starting to feel lethargic. We were out of there and there were only a few minutes left. There were disabled Corpse Engines scattered outside the Burrow door. I had no idea how large the explosion was going to be, but I was afraid we weren’t going to make it, but sitting in the middle of the stadium was Zack and Jasmine, and a Tac-Lifter ready to take off. I tossed the bag on and Nate helped me up. Once we were all on Nate shouted to punch it. 

We lifted up so rapidly I thought I was going to throw up. I never felt these things move so fast. I saw the other Tac’s in the distance, heading towards the Guardian base to the north. Then I heard the noise. I turned to see the entire stadium imploding on itself before finally exploding in a bright fireball. A shock-wave pierced the sky, destroying all clouds in its path as smoke and debris emanated from the stadium. We were far enough to not be in imminent danger from it, but the shock wave did shake the Tac-Lifter enough that coupled with everything I have been though, I did vomit. 

“My… home.” The Overseer sounded very saddened by what she had just witnessed. 

“It was never a home. It was prison.”

“What will I do? Where will I go?”

“I heard your message. I hate you for what you took away from me. For killing my mom out of sheer jealousy, but you also did take care of me, even if I didn’t know it. I'm not sure if I will ever forgive you.”

“I… I haven’t even forgiven myself. I don’t deserve it after what I did. What will you do with me?”

“Like I said, that was a prison, one that you have been in for far too long. There's so much to this world, so much more than it appears.”

“I… I have an idea.” 

“What is it Nate?”

“After seeing what he almost did to the Burrows, I now know how much of a danger they are. Even though I disabled their links, each one of them has the potential to become a weapon, to detonate suddenly and without warning, killing who knows how many in the process. That map showed one near Precinct One. I can’t let that one detonate. After we get back I'm going to form a squad of Guardians whose sole purpose is to track down and evacuate every single Burrow. We need to power them down and disarm whatever controls the detonation sequence. I have had no good experiences from a Burrow, and I have seen more in one life than I ever thought I would see. I want them gone. Every single one of them. Who knows how many other mammals are suffering like we did?”

“But what about the Overseer?”

“You… I have no Burrow, not anymore, and I don’t deserve this title. You can just call me… Tara Marsh. But yes, what are you getting at?”

“My mother was killed by an Overseer, so as long as Olivia can’t forgive you, I don’t think I can either. However, you have knowledge of Burrows that even we don't have. If you want your freedom, then you need to earn it, and you can do that in one way. Help us. Help the Guardians track down and gain access to the Burrows. Use your role as an Overseer to locate and disable the power cores with assistance of one of our technicians. Do you agree?”

“I'll help. I will do this to help atone for my own sins, and maybe, just maybe, one day I can find my own place here. I will always remember your mother Olivia Springs. I loved her, I really did, and what I did to her, it will forever haunt me, and I accept that.”

“Maybe one day I'll forgive you.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. I know I wouldn’t.”

The rest of the ride was quiet. After all of this we needed to relax. So much has happened in such little time, but it was finally over. The reason for the Legionaries coming after me was gone. If what Blanche told us is true, and their payments become null and void, then I will never hear from them again. Between them being turned into Corpse Engines and the Red-Necks taking out their base, I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone did.

I felt something bump my leg. It was the bag with my mother’s belongings. I picked it up and looked through it. The first thing I picked up was a book. No, it wasn’t just a book, it was a photo album, and in it was filled with pictures of me as a baby. And my mom. I flipped through it and every page was filled with pictures of us. There was one thing that stood out though. 

“That was your father.”

“My… father?” I stared at the brown rabbit with white splotches on his face. I never knew my dad. The picture was of my mom and him holding me. I think I had just been born. “What happened to him?”

“He… I thought it was an accident. He was a mechanic in the power core. One day there was a malfunction, and it… he made sure everyone, rabbit and rodent, was able to leave, but he wasn’t fast enough. The doors sealed and the room was filled with radiation. He didn’t make it. I… please don’t be mad, it wasn’t my fault, really, but I found out, about a year ago. It wasn’t a malfunction. It happened again, you remember Willy? Good rabbit, kind and gentle, even with the rodents. The same thing happened with him. I traced it back to… it was an abandoned terminal, no one knew about. Someone had overrode it from there, and set it off. I had the terminal destroyed, but I never found out who did it, but now… I think I know…”

“Felwick.” He was dead and I still found hate in my heart towards him. I turned the pages, trying to get my mind off of it. “Why isn’t my dad in any other ones?”

“He… it happened two days after that picture was taken. I’m sorry.”

I turned back to that picture. A family. One that I never got to know, who never got to see me grow up. I didn’t even know my father yet I missed him. Tears started to fall and hit the picture. I wiped them off, and felt something on my shoulder. It was Nate’s paw. I looked up and saw everyone looking at me. Holly, Mark, Nate. Blanche and Drake were flying outside. There was Jasmine and Zack piloting. Even back at the base, I still had Onion. My real family was gone, and I missed them, I truly did. But I had a new one now. They may not be bound by blood, but they are still mine. 

My family.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Well, that was it folks, the big reveal! The return to the Burrow where it all began! Now, I am sure that Felwick being the main villain was a bit of a surprise, but I had him planned ever since the beginning. Unfortunately, I think I could have done a better job at hinting towards him being so, and I do apologize for that. Now, there are still two more chapters, but folks, the story is pretty much over, only a few bits to wrap up, but sadly, that will not wrap everything up. Yes, I could have kept this story going on another hundreds chapters with all the stuff I have in mind, but just like life, the story has to end sometime, and I really do hope these last two chapters give you that sense of closure. If it doesn’t, well, you haven’t seen the last of me yet. Now I told you that I had a special episode for you today, so let’s begin. 

“Rodents. Probably the last mammals you would have thought to start the war, isn’t it? You’ve seen them scurrying around the big city, risking their lives getting squashed by the larger mammals, having some kid pick up their car thinking it was a toy. Even within their own homes of Little Rodentia they were not safe. The walls did little to keep larger mammals out, and when they did enter? Well, even a rabbit and a weasel, two relatively small mammals, could cause some major damage within the small town. To be honest, it was completely inevitable that the rodents would get tired of this and retaliate. Unfortunately, no matter how strong willed they were in terms of starting a war, it was still very hard for them to make any major dent in the larger world that surrounds them. 

“Even Mr. Big, notorious crime lord, could only extend his influences so far without the help of larger mammals, such as his friend and bodyguard Koslov. The problem with that to many rodents is that they didn’t want to have to rely on the very mammals that looked down upon them so. That’s when the plans were hatched by Felwick’s ancestor, Reginald Thornweaver. Now, Reginald was not the first rodent to try an uprising. No, it has happened before, but was usually ended before it can begin. When A single elephant can wipe out an entire rodent army with a single step, let’s just say that any direct attempts in the past were never successful. 

“Reginald was one of the aids to the mayor of Zootopia at the time. He was also responsible for public relations among the smaller populace. Reginald was smart, clever, and above all, he was patient. His plan was simple. To feign external threats to the city, to make people scared of an unknown enemy. Sure, he could have painted another country as an enemy, or even found ways to enforce the intolerance between predator and prey, but that would give the world a clear enemy. He needed chaos, he needed confusion. Having the anonymity of an enemy would play into both those. He spent the better of ten years slowly laying plans within a system that catered to the larger species, all the while acting like an innocent rodent, and allowing those to step all over him.

“Then, at the hight of the anxiety, Svalbear demonstrated their newly developed nuclear weapon. It was all over the news within hours, and that, coupled with the already heightened fear that Reginald had sewn, threw the world into chaos. Every nation developed their own versions of nuclear weapons. This accelerated Reginald’s plans ten fold. He was finally able to move onto phase two. Him, along with other staunch supporters, created Burrow-Tec. 

“On the surface, Burrow-Tec looked like a savior. Providing shelter and technologies that would save mammal-kind from destruction. He even had Burrows built for all shapes and sizes. A Burrow filled with elephants, rhinos, and giraffes. Some with singular species such as just rabbits. Others with varying populations of predator and prey. Over a hundred Burrows were built, and possibly even more. Den-Tec, a foreign knock-off of Burrow-Tec was established in other countries and tried to produce their own versions of their Burrows called Dens. However, Reginald, as the CEO and founder of Burrow-Tec, did not like this competition because while Burrow-Tec was in reality a glorified testing system, designed to find the weaknesses of all larger mammals and learn to control them with it, Den-Tec was actually trying to save mammals. 

“Den-Tec did not last two months before Reginald, with his political ties still intact, managed to convince the world that Den-Tec was a secret training facility for foreign espionage. Burrow-Tec swooped in and devoured all of Den-Tec, and in the process, expanded their own influence over the globe. Things were accelerating at a pace that even Reginald wasn’t expecting. Then, the construction of the Tundratown Burrow began.

“The Tundratown Burrow was going to be the largest, most exuberant Burrow to date. With hundreds of feet of earth, rock, and ice above it, it was also going to be the safest Burrow of them all. That is why it was designated as Burrow One. It was going to be the Burrow where all political heads would reside. The Zootopia Political Council, which included the Mayor. The heads of the military, and even the president. It was designed to have secure links to the outside world, to assure those who made it to the safety of the Burrows, and those who didn’t but still survived that things would only get better at it’s darkest hour. 

“During it’s construction it was supposed to be kept a secret to prevent any sabotage. The people were told that their leaders would be kept safe if the war finally reached their shores, but Burrow One was kept a secret for the time being. At least, many thought it would be. Reginald and his team started to spread rumors, slowly revealing the location and intention of the Tundratown Burrow. In reality, this Burrow wasn’t going to be the safe haven that many thought it would be, but rather ground zero for an apocalypse. 

“No one was all the wiser on that fateful day when the rodents detonated a nuke within the limits of Burrow One. No one had also noticed that the rodent population of Tundratown suddenly shrunk the night before. When the smoke cleared and the destruction layed bare, the rumors had spread just enough about the true purpose of Burrow One that the nation took it as an attack on their liberties and retaliated against any and all who they thought were responsible. Mammals started to kill each other, nations launched their own nuclear weapons against those they thought were responsible. In a blink of an eye, the world crumbled. Fear and hatred, emotions that many mammals have tried their best to subdue took over. Savages with nukes. The world didn’t have a chance. 

“When the dust finally cleared, many cities had been wiped off the face of the planet. Millions were dead. Millions more were left homeless, defenseless. The radiation poisoned the world and gave birth to a new one. One filled with ghouls and mutants. Deathwings and shellbacks. Violence became law as the first raider group was formed. Those who survived tried to cobble together a new life, but it was hard. Even those not affected by the war directly faced problems. Towns in the middle of nowhere were cut off from the rest of the world, left to fend for themselves. Heavy winds caused lingering radiation to spread across the globe, reaching places that were hundreds of miles from the nearest impact. Tundratown was left flooded, it’s walls withstanding the impact of the explosion as the ice melted rapidly. Evaporation from what is now known as Darkwater caused radiation storms and poisoned rain to fall all over the former city of Zootopia. The world had ended. But with every ending, there is a new beginning. 

“Protectors of the new world arose from the ashes. The Steel Guardians continued their work in the east. The Reborn Mammal Coalition, or RMC, was formed in the West. The RMC, while not as heavily equipped or trained as the Guardians, stood for peace in the western reaches of the nation where lawlessness roamed free. They believed that mammals were given a second chance. Whether by fate or through religious atonement, the RMC exist to rebuild society and establish laws to prevent anything like this from happening again. Though, just like the Steel Guardians in the past, the RMC are often split on how it should be done, causing strife within the ranks. But that hasn’t stopped them from fulfilling their duties to reestablish a working society.

“The world was, and it still is torn apart. Heroes rise and fall just as easily as villains do. The world may never return back to it’s former glory, but with mammals like Olivia and her friends, Nate and his Guardians, Mayor Swift and her ideals, and any mammal willing to lend their paw or hoof to make this world a better place helps, even if not everyone realizes it. 

“So folks, that’s it. Yes, there is still two more chapters to go like I said, with Sunday wrapping up the story, but this is not the end. There will be plenty more where this came from, but not until after the new year. I have a ton planned for you all, between my own little stories, and stories that will be worked upon by both Max and I, we plan to bring you so much more than this story had to offer, but this will most likely be my magnum opus of the Fallout Zootopia world. I can’t imagine any other story being as long as this one was, but then again, I never thought this story to expand as far as it did, so you never know. Any maybe one day, one of you talented authors will expand my world so much further than I had. It’s been done before, and I am sure it will be done again. So, until next episode, take care everyone!”


	81. When One Life Ends, Another Begins

“There, all set. How’s that feel?”

It's been two days since we returned to Guardian HQ, and Nate had called ahead to have both Doc and Tuskgen prep their labs. Between reattaching Nate’s lost limb and replacing my ear, they had worked nonstop for almost both those days trying to repair the damages between us. Tuskgen said that she needed to rebuild the entire arm due to damages when it was severed, and she had just finished my new ear.

“It feels… weird. Like it's there but it’s not.”

“That’s called phantom limb syndrome. Your brain is trying to combine the feeling of the new ear with how the old one felt. It will pass in time. Now, flex it a bit. Don’t force it, just move naturally.”

I tried to concentrate on it, and ended up smacking myself in the face with it. “Ow!”

“I said don’t force it. Try again.”

I tried concentrating again and managed to move it a bit slower. I decided it might be better if I compared it to my other ear and tried to mimic the feeling of moving my real one with my prosthetic. It helped tremendously, but I can tell it will take some practice. Wonder if Nate had the same trouble?

“So, does this thing come standard with anything cool? Like, does it shoot laser beams or something? That'd be pretty cool.”

“It’s an ear, you really can’t do much with an ear. However, there are a few additions I included. Firstly, it can enhance sound much better than a normal rabbit’s ear, but only in the direction your ear is facing. Here.” I heard the noise of a button click and a low humming noise appeared in the room. 

Instinctively, my ears moved toward the noise as the sound increased slightly. 

“Good. Going to activate another one.” 

The next sound was indeed louder. Each new sound got louder and louder as my ears twitched and turned towards it. The feeling was getting easier to understand and mimic each time. Eventually the noise was getting too loud, causing pain in my real ear. When I placed my paws on them, Tuskgen turned it off. 

“Still need to make adjustments, but it’s a good start. I also took the liberty of linking certain features to your Pip-Boar. With it you can not only adjust the sensitivity of it, you can also alter the ability to hear in other frequencies.”

I had opened my Pip-Boar to the settings she was talking about but that last bit caught my attention. “Frequencies?”

“Yeah. Not sure if you knew, but many species can hear in sound frequencies much higher and lower than others. You can tune into that if needed.”

“Hmm. What’s this?” There was an option labeled simply _Mask_. I pressed it before Tuskgen could respond and suddenly everything turned… red? “What’s going on!”

“That's something I'm proud of. I took the targeting visuals from a Guardian’s helmet and managed to shrink it down enough to fit your ear without adding too much weight. Upon activation, your ear will fold down and expand into a targeting visor. It mimics the B.A.T.S. targeting feature without the need for the chemicals. Sure you won’t have the same reaction speed, but it will make it easier to aim without needing to rely on that nasty chemical.”

“Holly put you up to that, didn’t she?”

“And Mark, and Nate, and Doc. Seems you've been a bit too… abusive with that serum.”

“Yeah, but it’s hard not to when in a pinch…” I looked around the room and when I focused on Tuskgen, a green outline highlighted her chest, head, and each limb, giving me percentages to hit. Being this close they were all one-hundred percent. There was also additional information that my Pip-Boar never gave me. Each outline had a resistance percentage, all of which was between zero and ten percent. 

“Since you have that on, let me tell you a few additions. Now keep in mind, all of it is controlled from your Pip-Boar. I didn’t want to add too much weight to it, so only the physical movement is controlled through your muscles, everything else must be activated through your device. Now, press the button marked _Tag_ while focusing on me.”

I did it and her outline turned red. “It changed color.”

“Okay, now follow me. Visually, that is.”

She started to move and the red outline seemed to follow as she moved. She then moved to the door and opened it, walking outside before closing it again. While I couldn’t see her, the red outline remained as she slowly walked down the hall and then back again. A number next to the outline told me how far away she was. After a few seconds she returned to the room.

“That… why couldn’t I have lost my ear a long time ago?! That would have been sooo helpful.”

“It’s a basic tracking marker. You can tag as many mammals as you want, however, the more you tag, the slower the tracking process is. You can also activate an infrared mode, but not at the same time. There are limitations.”

I pressed the _Mask_ button again and it retracted. “Thank you. You look exhausted, go get some rest.”

“I have some more adjustments to make.”

“Is it going to fall off anytime soon?”

“No, but…”

“Don’t make me have Nate order you. You can take a look at it more when you aren’t about to pass out.”

“Yeah. Maybe you’re right.” She sat down on her chair.

“Thank you Tuskgen. For everything. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find my boyfriend. Tuskgen?” 

Tuskgen was passed out. She really was tired, wasn’t she? I slowly moved out of the room and turned off the light. I probably should have tried to wake her up so she could sleep in a more comfortable position, like in a bed, but she looked too peaceful and I didn’t want to bother her. 

After I left, I found the nearest Guardian and asked if he had seen Nate. I was informed he was down in the brig interrogating the prisoners from both of the Burrows. I asked Nate to let me know when he went there. I checked my Pip-Boar and saw an unread message. Damn, I must have missed it when Tuskgen was working on my ear. I picked up speed and hurried to where it was. 

Upon arriving, I saw that not only was Nate there, but Logan, Mark, Holly, and Holly’s mother were also present. 

“It’s about time you got here ‘livi! Nice ear though.”

“Yeah, sorry everyone. Tuskgen kept me longer than I thought.”

“You didn’t miss much. The rodents from your Burrow all pointed their fingers at Felwick, who's no longer around to question, and those from our Burrow did the same to that Overseer. At least the ones who would actually talk to me, being a fox and all. Even locked behind bars, their sentiment towards my species is steadfast.” Nate was once again dressed in a Guardian uniform, although I could tell this was a new one. Either that or someone was very good at fixing holes. 

“You're actually arriving at a perfect time ‘livi. We're about to talk to my… dad. And boy have I got some news for him.” Holly was surprisingly happy to be seeing her father after everything he said, and did, to her and the brothers. She had a folder grasped in her paws. I was going to ask what it was, but then Nate signaled us to move down to the solitary confinement wing of the brig where Overseer Kerrigan, well, ex-Overseer now, was being held.

Unlike the others, he was being kept all by himself, and out of both eye and ear shot of the rest of his Burrow residents. Of course the only one locked up here were the ones who refused to follow any orders from a fox, despite the fact that he saved them from certain death. 

It may have only been two days, but he was looking like he had been locked up for months. His fur was matted, his clothing a mess, and there was an odd stench coming from the cell. I asked if he was being fed like the other prisoners, but Nate told me he refused any food, thinking it was poison. I really wanted to ask if I could just shoot him and get it over with, but I knew better. 

“So the pelt has finally decided to grace me with his presence, huh? Going to try to force more of your filth upon me? Oh, and you brought your little whore too. _Both_ of them.”

I clenched my paws. Even after everything I had been through, I think there was still something pent up inside me. I think Nate saw it too because he gently placed his paw on my shoulder, all while maintaining eye contact with that of Elijah. I couldn’t call him an overseer anymore, and it felt wrong calling him Kerrigan after how he berated his own daughter. Maybe I'll take a page from Blanche’s book and just call him an ass-twat. Yeah, that suits him _much_ better.

“I'm here to see if you have given any thought to what I said.”

“And my answer is still the same. Just go ahead and kill me. I know you want to.”

“A pity. Well, get used to this cell then. Unless you change your mind, this will be your new home. Oh, and I think your daughter has something to say.”

“I have no daughter. Only a whore and her mother.”

I took a look at Holly and her mother’s reaction to what he just said. Her mother kept a straight face, not smiling, but also not showing any negative emotions. Holly, however, looked like she just wanted to lash out at him and was trying her hardest not to. She opened the folder and started to rifle through the pages. It seemed to help.

“So, _dad_ , I found out something rather… interesting that you might care to know.”

“What, that you're actually not related to me? That my whore of a wife gave birth to a bastard daughter?”

“No, I _am_ related to you. Unfortunately. However… it appears that I'm also related to…” Holly’s face started to glow. “A fox.”

“That damn pelt and his brother corrupted you more than I thought.”

“No, they didn’t. _You_ did.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

“Well, it seems that a long time ago, there was this genetic program that let interspecies couples produce viable offspring. We first learned about it when Doc found fox DNA in Olivia’s body. Turns out she wasn’t the only one. While we're pretty much certain who she was related to, based upon blood work stored in Burrow Ninety-Three’s database, information provided to us by one of your own residents, Doc was able to compare both my blood and _yours_ to it and low and behold, we're both related to a one Gideon Grey. A fox. A blood sample from my mom proves that it came from _your_ side of the family. Not hers. So, welcome to the freak-show daddy.”

“LIES! You're a liar as much as you are a whore!” 

Holly took the paperwork and threw it through the slot meant for food. I watched as the papers scattered all over the floor in front of him. He tried to ignore them at first, but I think his curiosity started to get the better of him as he slowly picked up a page and looked at it. His face turned to shock and then disgust as he crumpled it up and tried to throw it at us. Of course all it managed to do was bounce off the bars and back onto the floor.

“It’s true. All of it. It’s up to you to believe it. I won’t be losing any sleep over it. But you know what that means? Mark and I, one of these days we'll have kits of our own, and I do hope that at least one is a fox. Who knows, maybe I'll name him after you.”

“Leave! I never want to see any of you ever again!” His voice was made up of what seemed to be pure hatred. He was gripping his paws so tightly I half expected to see them explode from the pressure. He turned to face the barren wall, not saying another word. 

Since there was nothing else to do or say there, we all turned and left. I felt a paw on my shoulder and at first I thought it was Nate, but it wasn't. It was Holly’s mom. She had her other paw on Holly’s shoulder. 

“So, is this true?”

“What?” I was a bit confused.

“That I might have grand babies in the future!”

Holly and I looked at each other than back to her mom. Holly’s face was beaming. “Yep mom! Though… Doc said that my genes aren't ‘active’ enough. So, I don’t know when. But Marki and I will keep on trying until we do!”

“Gah! Holly, that’s too much information, and around your mom too?”

“Relax ‘livi. It’s not like the two of us haven’t ever talked about this. Didn’t your mom ever have talks like that with you?”

“NO!”

“Well, I guess since Nate _is_ your first…” 

“Wow, I never thought a red furred mammal could get any redder like that.” Holly’s mom was staring at me with a crooked smile. 

“Now I know where she gets it.”

“Olivia… we’ve…” Nate seemed flustered all of a sudden. “I just got off the radio with Doc. He said to come to the medical lab. He said it’s urgent.”

I was starting to get worried. “Why? What happened? Is someone hurt?”

“I… I don’t know. He said your blood results came back and… he said it would be best to tell you in person.”

Oh no. That can’t be good. Please don’t say I caught some kind of ailment. I've been cut, stabbed, and shot so many times I'm surprised I haven’t gotten sick from it. I feel fine, although… I was feeling a bit queasy this morning. Oh, please don’t tell me I'm dying. Please don’t tell me I’m…

***

“I’M PREGNANT?!”

“I ran the tests over and over to make sure, but yes.” Is it wrong that Doc’s calm demeanor was making this seem so much worse?

“How… how did…”

“Well ‘livi, when a man sticks his…”

“I know THAT! I mean… didn’t Holly say it would be a while for her? Why… why didn’t I know about this? _HOW_ did I not know about this?!”

“Calm down Miss Springs. Firstly, have you ever been pregnant before?”

“No…”

“Then how do you know what it feels like? Secondly, you had a higher dosage of radiation in a much shorter time frame than Miss Kerrigan did. That’s why your inherent fox DNA made itself known much faster. Also, I never thought about checking for anything like that, but before Tuskgen proceeded with the ear transplant, I needed to run a full genetic makeup on you to make sure that there wasn’t something that might interfere with the process. I have seen some mammal’s bodies reject implants. It’s not pretty.”

“But… But…”

“Are you… upset about this?” Nate’s voice sounded concerned, and… worried.

“No… oh no sweetie, don’t take it the wrong way. It’s just… so sudden, you know? Yeah, Doc said that I had the potential to get pregnant from you but… I never actually thought… I figured it would have taken much more work. You know?”

“It turns out you're very fertile as well Miss Springs. I would judge conception to be maybe a few weeks at the latest. Although this early in development, it might be closer to a week.”

A few weeks… that means… “I… I think I know when…”

“Doc, didn’t the salvage team find a…” 

“Yes Chief, and as soon as I found out, I sent a message to Tuskgen to start to get it working. I have helped birth countless babies, but to watch as a hybrid, probably one of the first in the Wasteland, develop? I do apologize Miss Springs, but that is such a rarity I just have to document it. With your and the Chief's permission, that is.”

I had never seen Doc act so eager and happy before. I figured he was just like Logan, of a singular emotion. I couldn’t take that away from him. Plus, he’s a doctor, I trust him to not do anything to hurt my baby. Wow, even in my head that sounded strange.

“Sweetie, it’s okay with me.”

“If it’s okay with you Binky. I trust him.”

“You’re… you’re going to be a daddy… I’m… going to be a… mommy…” I felt dizzy as I nearly fell down, Nate grabbing me and steadying me before I could.

“Don’t worry Miss Springs. That’s common with a pregnancy. I would like to say it'll pass, but as the baby starts to develop, I'm afraid it'll get worse at times. Especially first thing in the morning. I would highly advise _not_ to put yourself in any danger for the foreseeable future.”

“How… how long? I mean, how long until I can, well, expect?”

“Hard to say. A rabbit’s gestation period can be as short as three months and as long as six, depending upon the litter size, and a fox’s is typically between five and eight. With you? That’s another reason I want to keep tabs on you and your child. I have no idea how fast it will develop, and I want to make sure I have all possible contingencies planned. Plus many Burrows tend to use chemicals to control population, and seeing how small yours was in its rabbit population, I'm certain it will also have an effect on the duration. In about two to three weeks the fetus should be developed enough to tell its growth rate. Then I can make a much better prediction.”

“Oh! Oh! That means I'll have a niece or nephew!”

“And I'll have grand-babies!”

Holly and her mother were both jumping with glee. How can she be so excited when it wasn’t even her own daughter? And Holly, was I even ready for her to take care of my children? If I end up with little teasing kids, I'll smack her. I felt something familiar wrap around my body. Nate placed his paw on my shoulder and I looked up to see his head hovering above my own. I leaned up and kissed him.

“Well, this changes things, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. Um… could you guys excuse us please?”

Nate had a concerned tone, one that seemed to emphasize his request, causing everyone, including Doc to leave. Mark, Holly, and her mother said they wanted to go through the stuff rescued from their Burrow, and Doc said he needed to go see Tuskgen about something anyways. Once they were gone, Nate swung around in front of me, our eyes locked. 

“Something's bothering you, isn’t it Binky?”

“How did you know?”

“I can tell. What is it? Are you not happy to be pregnant? Is it because it could be a…”

I leaned forward and gave him a kiss. “No. It’s not that at all. I… I'm surprisingly happy. A little shocked and confused, but happy. And I don’t care if it's a fox or a rabbit, all that matters is that it's _our_ child. No, its… I don’t know what to do.”

“About what?”

“Everything. I spent so much time ‘adventuring’ that now that it’s over, that the Legionaries, _both_ our Burrows, and that damn boar have all been taken care of, what will happen now? You have the Guardians to run, but me? I can’t see myself as one of them. I still want to go and help Hope, fix it up, make it so much better than it is. With a kid on the way? How can I do that? How can _we_ do that?”

Nate hugged me, his tail once again winding around my waist. “You're right. We both have different destinies in front of us, but I'm not going to just stand by as they tear us apart. I want to make sure that our kit can grow up with their parents. That’s a luxury we never had. I want them to be safe, to be happy. Just like I want the same for us. I won't give up the Guardians, but I also don’t want you to give up on Hope. They both need us, now more than ever. That’s why, after talks with Mayor Swift and Logan, we have finalized the plans to relocate both the town of Hope to the old City Hall, and our base to Precinct One.”

“She… she agreed to that?”

“It took some effort, but yes. With the Legionaries gone, and many of the raiders scattered because of our actions, there have been fewer and fewer reports of raider attacks. I'm sure that won’t last, but in that lull, Hope is seeing more traffic than ever. With the opening of Nyte Lyfe, they're seeing more business both day and night. They need to expand, and City Hall, along with the connected tunnels linking to surrounding buildings, that's the best option. Plus with Precinct One operating as the new headquarters, they'll have all the protection they ever need.”

“What about those mammals who opposed you and Mark living there?”

“They're still an issue, but with everything that happened, how the Mayor has been telling them that it was because of us that this world is turning around, many are starting to open up. I doubt they'll ever be friendly towards us, but enough have come forward that the Mayor can feel comfortable to allow us to stay. _We_ will be able to live in Hope, the new Hope, and raise our child in a safe environment. I'll have to work out the details with Logan, but I should also be able to let him take a bit of weight off my shoulder for a bit when he or she is born. Do you have any names in mind?”

“Actually. I… I think I do. It’s… it’s silly actually. You won’t like it.”

“Try me.”

“Well, I've been thinking. Even though I wasn’t sure if I could actually get pregnant, I thought that _if_ I did, I… I kinda wanted to name them in a way to honor the mammals who made me… made this a reality. If it's a girl, Judy, and if it’s a boy…”

“Nick?”

“Y-yes… I… if you don’t like it, I understand. I… I know how you felt about him back when he was… you know…”

“I like it. No, I love it. Little Nick, or Little Judy. Either way, I like it.” He kissed me. 

“So, what now? I mean, I know we have plans now, and I really like that we do, but I still feel a bit… lost.”

“We rest. We need to fix up both places before we can move either the base or the town there. I already put into motion some recruitment from here, Hope, and some of the other smaller towns and settlements. This won’t be finished overnight, it'll probably take years, but it’s a start.”

“Other settlements? How? I thought they typically kept to themselves outside of trade.”

“R.A.D.”

“You mean, the drink?”

“No. There was a prototype for something called the Restorative Agriculture Device. It’s a machine that was designed to not only draw out radiation from the surrounding land and water, but also make it fertile. It was never put into development, and never tested because of it, but Tuskgen is working on getting the prototype to work with the help of Doc and Bo. If we can get it functioning, and replicated, we can bring life, real life, back to the wasteland, and any settlement that aids in our restoration and relocation will get one.”

“What about those who don’t help? With such an amazing sounding device, it would be selfish to keep it to ourselves.”

“I want to eventually have one installed all over the wasteland. They have a short radius, maybe a hundred or so acres. Tuskgen believes that if we can get a few out there, like to those who assist us, she can use that data to increase its radius to five hundred acres, or even further!”

“What about raiders? I doubt something as valuable as that will go unnoticed.”

“Until they're established widespread enough to make them not so valuable, any settlement that a R.A.D. is installed in will also have constant Guardian protection. It’s a win-win. They help us, and they get protection AND fertile soil. That’s another reason I'll initially give them to those who help. We're still too small to spread out like that. We need more mammals to join the Guardians. Desperately. After these recent events, our numbers are below a hundred. I have Guardians out there making our presence known, because if our enemies realized how small our numbers are, it'll be easy to overwhelm us. That’s why we need to show the world how the Guardians are here to help, and this R.A.D., along with aiding Hope and the other settlements, will help to attract more mammals who want to help us themselves.”

“You've been thinking about this a lot, haven’t you?”

“Yes. Mister Lazlo made me Chief for a reason. I didn’t see that reason then, but I'm starting to see it now. I want to keep his dream alive, to finally make it a reality, but I need help.”

“I may not be a Guardian, but I will always be there to help them. To help you.”

“Not for the next few months you won’t. We need to take care of our baby.”

“ _Our_ baby. That… that sounds, nice.”

“Yes, it does.”

***

Three weeks passed. Three of the most relaxing weeks I have ever had. Nate didn’t want me to leave the base until Doc could make sure that everything would be fine with me, despite the fact that I told them that I've been nearly killed countless times since conception and now, but I think that just made him more insistent that I didn’t go. It didn’t, however, detract from our intimacy, which felt so much better without me wondering if I would get to experience it again. It really was nice not having death looming around every corner for once. 

Holly and her mother we bonding, and often tag teaming Mark, which was rather amusing at times, until they tried doing the same to Nate and I. She was a very sweet and kind woman, but when she was with her daughter? The teasing was relentless. Although her mom did have the better sense to calm things down when it was obvious that things weren't going over too well with it. Something that Holly apparently never learned herself. When I told her mom about how many times I threatened her with a gun, she found it rather amusing.

Jasmine and Zack got to spend some quality time together as well. I think it was well needed for them as well, because they, or should I say Jasmine, was much more open around everyone with her emotions towards Zack. She hasn’t hit her head in embarrassment in over a week, that’s a record for her. Although when anyone brings up mention of intimacy between the two of them, like from a certain rabbit, that tends to get to her. 

You know the funny thing about all of this? I never once thought that Tuskgen and Doc, were a couple. Apparently, she was his assistant when he was testing his medical experiments on himself. While Nate forbids Doc from doing that ever again, he also learned that Doc was afraid of getting in trouble due to some outdated rule that said the higher ranks weren't allowed to fraternize. While no one, including Lazlo ever enforced it, he was a by the books mammal, so when Nate had it officially removed? Let’s just say I've never seen Doc smile that much. Sure, he still keeps it professional when he's working, but he isn’t afraid to be seen holding hooves with Tuskgen. Though, I never seen them kiss before. Makes me wonder, how would that even work with her trunk…? Gah! No more thinking about that!

Drake was doing much better. He even was able to speak almost complete sentences! Many of the Guardians were still uncomfortable with him milling about, so Nate had a structure built just for him right outside the base. It was also a perfect time for Onion to test out his new body. With all that happened with the Burrows, Nate didn’t have time to install some core components, but with my help, we were able to get him working better than ever. Speaking of Onion, he wanted to talk to me, about an upcoming… change.

“Are you sure you are okay with this Miss?”

“Are _you_ okay with it?”

“I am just a robot, you know I will follow whatever you order.”

“No. You're not _just_ a robot. You are my friend, my companion, my… family.”

“And you have a new family Miss.”

“Yes. I do.”

“Then why do you sound so sad?”

“I… I'll miss you Onion.”

“You act like it will be forever. If I recall, as of late there has been little interaction with us.”

“That’s why I'm sad. I feel bad for tossing you to the side, for abandoning you.”

“You didn’t abandon me Miss. Yes, I do miss some of those times when it was just you and I, but I always knew that it wouldn’t last. No matter how happy you seemed, I could tell you were still sad, even if you didn’t realize it yourself. Things have changed and we can’t go back to that, we need to move forward. That’s why I do not regret this decision Miss.”

“It’s… still hard though. And it doesn’t make me feel any better about thinking I just cast you aside for the others, but Hope does need help, and with this baby, Doc doesn’t think it will be safe for me, or it to do the job.”

“After building that home for Mister Drake and Miss Tailoway, along with aiding Miss Tuskgen with a few projects, I am eighty-five percent certain I will be up to the task. Well within acceptable parameters.”

“You know, I often forget you're a robot. At least until you say something like that. Once the child arrives and I'm fit for duty again, I'll be there by your side in Hope. I know you'll do a great job helping to keep that place from falling apart until they're ready to be moved to City Hall. Just don’t do _too_ good of a job at it, I don’t want to be out of a job before I even have my first day.”

“Don’t worry Miss. You may have taught me everything I need to know, but I am certain that there are things still beyond my grasp that you would exceed at.”

“Not the most comforting thing to say, but I know what you mean. I never asked. What do you think about me being a mom?”

“Well, you have had no brothers or siblings, you have never been around a child yourself, at least one that demanded your attention, and you have a high tendency to put yourself in danger that others would be wise to avoid.”

“You aren't making me feel any better about it Onion.”

“What I am trying to say Miss is that after all of that, you are alive. You have faced adversity and come out on top. You are smart, you are caring, and you put others before yourself, more times than I can count. You even showed heightened emotions every time I was injured, despite the fact that you could fix me up with whatever parts were lying around. I think that that compassion Miss, will make you an excellent mother.”

“Thank you. That… that means a lot.” I hugged Onion.

A beep came from my Pip-Boar and I pressed a button. “ _Olivia, we're ready._ ”

“Be right there Nate. Hey Onion, you want to see my baby?”

***

It was a bit more crowded than I thought. Besides Holly, her mom, Mark and Nate, Jasmine and Zack were here along with Logan, Bo with his family, and Tuskgen were here. Apparently someone sent word to Hope because Mayor Swift, Letty, and Nick were here as well. Seems everyone was just as interested in seeing my baby as I was. I just wasn’t expecting a crowd. It was making me a bit nervous. 

Doc led me over to a table and asked me to lay down. Nate stayed with me as everyone else kept a few feet away, at Doc’s orders. He pulled out a large towel and then closed the curtain. 

“You'll need to take your shirt off. Wrap this around you, all I need is the stomach.”

I did as he said, and then laid back down on the table. 

“Now, normally we’d need to shave your stomach, but Tuskgen made a few modifications so that we don’t need to. Some mammals have a bit of an aversion to being shaved.”

“I wouldn’t have cared, but it'd also be nice to not have to worry about the itching.”

“This will be cold.” 

Doc took out a small container and squeezed a translucent gel onto my fur. It felt fine until he started to massage it into my fur. The moment it hit my flesh it felt like someone poured liquid nitrogen onto my body. If it wasn’t for Nate holding me down, I would have jumped right off of the table. 

“I told you it would be cold. This is a medium to allow the ultrasound wand to make a good connection. It will feel cold again once I put this on you, but just relax. Take a look at the monitor.” 

There was a large monitor hanging above us. It was high enough that everyone else was able to see just as clearly as I could. Doc slowly pressed down the device onto my stomach, and like he said, it was cold, but not as bad as before. He moved it around a bit and I started to get used to it. 

“I don’t see anything.”

“I have to make a few adjustments. You're the first one to have it used on.” 

Doc reached over to a terminal and started to adjust some knobs. It went from a black screen to a bright white one before settling into a hazy looking one. It finally settled onto a grainy black and white image that moved along with the device. It looked like a cavern almost, and there was something inside it. It was hard to make it out. 

“Let me adjust a bit more… there.”

“What am I looking at?” 

“Your baby, or rather, the fetus. You can see the developing arms, legs and head. It’s too soon to tell what species it is however. Those little stubs? They'll become the ears and tail.”

“There’s… I think there's something wrong Doc…”

“What do you… oh. Well, ain’t this something.”

“What is it Doc? Is my baby alright?” 

“Yes, your _babies_ are just fine. They look surprisingly healthy.”

“Wait, babies? Do you mean…”

“Congratulations Miss Springs. You have twins.”

I… I had two living beings inside me. Two.

“Did you say, twins?” Mark peaked inside the curtain. Doc tried to wave him away but I said it was okay. Mark opened it up and walked in. “Twins? Just like us!” He patted Nate on the back.

“Maybe it'll be a boy and a girl Binky. Then you can use both names.”

“Wait…” Holly rushed to Mark’s side. “Don’t tell me you already have names planned? Oh please tell me if it’s a girl it'll be Holly!”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but we already have one too many Holly’s. You want to tell her Binky?”

“Nick.”

“What? You want me to come over there?” Nick’s raspy voice seemed to have a tinge of curiosity to it.

“Yes, but I also want to ask if it’s okay.”

“Okay? If what's okay?”

“Well. I thought about it long and hard. Nate agrees upon my choice, but I want to make sure it’s okay with you.”

“What are you getting on at carrots?”

“If it’s a girl, I want to name her… Judy. After your Judy.”

“J-Judy… I… what if it’s a boy?”

“Nick. After you.”

“But… but why? Out of every name, why those?”

“You… don’t sound like you like it.”

“No! No, no, no. I just… I just want to know, why?”

“Well, I've read that many parents name their children after grandfathers, and who’s more grand than you? I also want to do it as a way to thank you and honor you and Judy. If it wasn’t for you two, well, I wouldn’t exist, or at least, not how I am.”

“I… I would be honored. Judy would be as well. But, what if they're both the same gender?”

“I don’t know, maybe Nick the chick and Jude the dude?” 

I said it jokingly of course, but I didn’t realize it was _that_ funny when Nick burst out laughing. He was also in tears. I was… confused.

“It wasn’t that funny, was it?”

“Sorry… That’s what her parents called her. Jude the dude. I always found it rather odd. Apparently even as a kid she never liked girly things, always wanted to be rough and tumble. Her father gave her that nickname. It just… it brought back memories. Nick the chick though? I'm so glad no one ever called me that.”

“I… I remember that memory, of you and Judy, how she was so nervous about introducing you to her parents. I… if it’s too painful, I won’t ask.”

“You want to know how they reacted, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Not good. At first. Her mother was a bit concerned, but her father, well, I found out that day where she got her temper from. Some of her siblings, and she had a lot, were a bit more accepting, or at least were acting it. They kept pestering me with questions about how we met, if I was going to eat her, if she would let me. Some of them had read way too many horror stories. It took time, but eventually they warmed up to me. I miss those days. I…”

I could tell that Nick was starting to get choked up. “It’s okay. Just like it took time for them to warm up to you, it will take time for you to get used to these feelings. Just… never forget her. Never let go again.”

“I won’t. Never again.”

***

“You… wanted to see me?”

After I had finished up with Doc and got that gunk cleaned off of me, Logan had asked to see _me_ of all mammals. Alone. I couldn’t help but feel nervous. 

“Yes. Sit down.”

He had called me to one of the old offices where we could talk in private. He pointed to a seat that was adjacent to me and I sat down.

“Look, if there's a problem with me being here still, I'm sure you…”

“Quiet.” I gulped. “Miss Springs. You're not a Guardian. You aren't even a recruit. 

“Logan I…”

“I said quiet. Now, under normal circumstances, you would have overstayed your welcome. We have limited supplies and resources at our disposal and you of every mammal here has seemed to utilized them the most, I do understand not intentionally.”

“I can always…”

“Let me finish. Now, I know you and the Chief are close. Uncomfortably close I might add. I also know that you were that way before he became Chief and that's not something easily given up or changed. Chief Lazlo tolerated it, although at times I don't see why. Relationships like that have proven to be a distraction, a hindrance to daily operations.”

“You have to understand…”

“I said let me finish.”

“NO! _You_ let _me_ finish.” Logan didn’t try to stop me this time. “Yes, I'm sure that my presence here isn't good for day to day operations, and yes, I'm sure I'm distracting Nate from attending to other important business, but _he’s_ too important to me! I'm sure if you were to have this same discussion with him he would feel the same way!”

“Miss, I assure you…”

“Quiet. Now. I've been through a lot, and yes I do feel bad about being such a burden to you, and despite the dwindling number of Guardians, I know that the supplies have been dwindling just as exponentially. I want to help, to do what I can to repay everything that the Guardians, that Lazlo, that everyone has done for me. If Lazlo didn’t save me from that theater I would have been dead. If he didn’t help me when I was doused in radioactive waters, I’d be dead. If he didn’t help save me from Wild Times. I’d be dead. I owe him so much and he isn’t even around to pay him anymore! I can’t be a Guardian, it… it doesn’t feel right for me to be one. I need to be somewhere I am useful. In Hope. And before you say anything about Nate’s plans, he needs it too! So don’t you dare try to come between us.”

“Are you finished? Good. Now, if you would have let me continue before your sudden outburst, you would have realized that I wasn’t trying to come between you two. Yes, I admit that I have had reservations about the whole relationship affecting the Guardians, and part of me still does. However, as you have so clearly stated, the Guardians are dwindling. We need to be built back up. We need to be the force that Chief Lazlo wanted us to be. He was a good mammal, one of the best mammals I have ever known, but he was too kind. He had passion, but that passion as split among so many. The Guardians, the wastelanders, keeping the walls of Darkwater patched up, patrolling the borders for Red-Neck and Council activity. He had so many ideas, but could never focus on one. 

“Nate, however, isn't Chief Lazlo. He'll never be the same leader that he was, but I think in ways he will be a better one. He won’t fill Lazlo’s shoes, but rather don a fresh pair modeled after his. In the short time being leader he has implemented plans that even Lazlo was blind to. Sure he wanted to reclaim Precinct One, but as a secondary base, not move us there. Yes, this place is bigger, but it’s secluded, hidden from the world. He wanted to make ourselves known but was too afraid of our base being attacked. He said you can’t have popularity without naysayers. Chief Valiant wants to not only make ourselves known, to root us deep into the Wasteland, but he wants us to be visible, a beacon that tells the world we're not afraid to hide anymore. Is it a dangerous move? Yes, but I think it's also a necessary one. 

“Moving Hope as well? Lazlo wanted to expand the town, but the caverns below made expansion dangerous. He kept trying to come up with ideas, but the Mayor deemed them too risky to her citizens. Not only did she approve Chief Valiant’s plans, but within two weeks we will be commencing the restoration of both Precinct One _and_ City Hall. Within a year we should be ready to start moving, if not sooner. 

“And then there's you. Like I said, I wasn't all too happy with how you and the Chief interacted while he was on duty.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

“And I didn’t try to hide it. Now don’t get me wrong, it was never my intention to break you two apart, but rather, to make him act more professional. Thing is, despite everything that I considered a distraction, he still maintained his composure. He still led with an authority I never thought he had. But I think Lazlo saw it where no one else did. I never disliked those three, but I was certain that him becoming Chief would be our downfall. I'm happy to say that my fears were far from coming near the truth.”

“Okay, I get why you're telling me this, but at the same time _why_ are you telling me this? And why alone? Shouldn’t this be something you talked to him and I about?”

“I know that the biggest motivation to move both our base and Hope is so that you two can be together. I know that his motivation to put all our resources to tracking down Baird and those responsible for the Legionaries was to protect you. Everything he has done, and will do, is for you. I can see it. We all can see it. However, I'm starting to see something else. I'm starting to realize something that I have heard the others say time and time again, but I never believed it, I never wanted to believe it. I was abandoned by my parents. I don’t know why, but I always figured it was because of them not loving me. Lazlo told me they died, but I think he was just trying to protect me. When he started to fall for Mayor Swift, he spent so much time with her, shirking his duties, only to be denied the companionship he was seeking. I always thought that love was a useless thing, something that only distracts, and in most cases, I still hold true to that feeling. However, I finally see something else, something new between the two of you. Your love for him, and in turn his love for you isn’t a weakness, but I think it empowers the both of you. I never thought he would be a good leader because when I first met him, when Lazlo first brought them to this base, all I saw was, and please don’t take this the wrong way, a scared little pup. Yes, I got to know him better after a time, and he did warm up to me, but he was always a follower, never a leader. 

“Then you come along. I have never seen such a one-eighty in my entire life. Because of you he’s stronger. Because of you he’s better. Because of you he’s turned into someone who has earned my undying loyalty and respect, not an easy feat, especially since Lazlo was the only other one I felt like this about. It’s because of you that he is who he is now, and that is why I promise you I will do everything in my power to protect him. And you. You may not be a Guardian, but I will serve and protect you like you're one of us.”

Logan stood up and saluted me. This… was not what I was expecting. 

“That’s… wow.”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No! Not at all, I was just… I wasn’t expecting, that. I appreciate it. I am also sorry.”

“For what?”

“Snapping at you. I thought… the way you looked at us when we were together, I had a feeling you didn’t like it so I just assumed you were going to say something to drive us apart. Have you… told Nate any of this?”

“Not yet. I… I wanted to tell you first, it will be… easier with him.”

“Easier?”

“You're one messed up crazy rabbit. Miss.”

“So I _do_ get to you! And here I was thinking you were immune to my crazy charm. I’ve seen how the other Guardians react around me sometimes.”

“Yes. I have had many… concerns about you, but I have dismissed them all as paranoia. Although, I would not want to go toe to toe with you in a fight.”

“Just stay as you are and we'll be fine, although…”

“Although?”

I stood up and patted him on the arm. “You might want to pull that stick out of your ass. It’s been lodged up there way too long.”

Logan stood there, his same emotionless expression on his face. Did I go too far? Damn that Holly, rubbing off on me. Then, Logan did something that I never thought I would see. He smiled. He didn’t say anything. He just smiled. Why did that feel more unsettling than his normal visage? 

I turned to the door to leave, feeling that we were done. When I grabbed the handle I paused and turned around. “You stopped calling Lazlo ‘Chief’.”

“I will always remember Lazlo for the mammal he was, but he’s gone, rest his soul, and I can’t keep following the dead. There's only one Chief that I follow now.”

“You know, I bet Lazlo is looking down on you and smiling.”

***

Things will never be the same, but in a way I'm glad. Friends, family, allies. They are what is important, and as long you keep them close to you, no matter how many times you falter, no matter how many times you get knocked down, beaten up, and pushed around, it is they who will pick you back up.

This world doesn’t need a hero. What it needs is a friend. An ally. It needs us. Together we will help save this world. 

One step at a time.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Well, this chapter officially ends the Fallout Zootopia story! What? You thought there were eighty-two chapters? Well, yes. Yes there is. It’s an epilogue of sorts that will take place a few years after the end of this chapters. It will not only give you a glimpse of what has happened to Olivia, her friends, the Guardians, and Hope, but also give you a small glimpse at things to come. And there are a lot of things ahead, though there are still no solid time frames for them, though after the holidays are over, and my life gets a bit less hectic out in the real world, though I would much rather be in this world, I will be able to focus on my writing to a much greater degree. 

“Now, speaking of holidays, I have a little announcement to make. This stupid zebra did not even realize it until today, but the final chapter will be posted this Sunday on a certain holiday. From tracking statistics, I know that many of you are spread out across the world, and while this holiday is celebrated worldwide, not everyone celebrates it, or celebrates it in the same fashion, but there is one thing that all of you, despite your locations or beliefs have in common. Everyone likes a gift, and boy do I have a gift for you after the last After Show of this story. What is it you might ask? Well, that is something you will have to wait for, but I assure you it will be worth the wait. 

“Today’s show will be bouncing around the place, so I do apologize, but I have a lot to fill you in on, and not a lot of time for it. Now Max is still around, I assure you, and he has promised something big for us, but he has been a big vague with me on what it is, so looks like we all will be having a surprise to look forward to. 

“Now, one thing everyone must have noticed was the R.A.D. device. Yes, I am sure many of you know what this is playing off of, and for those of you who don’t? Don’t worry, it isn’t anything you need to know to understand this. The R.A.D. is basically a miniature terraforming device. It can absorb the residual radiation from an area and use that to fuel itself, and in turn, it cleans up the area. Encased within the device are chemicals that are designed to not only aid in the healing process, but also to make the lands around it fertile again. 

“Only four R.A.D. devices were made, and they were all prototypes. The first one was given to the Steel Guardians for safe keeping since it was thought that they would be the first to explore the post war world before the Burrows opened. The Steel Guardians were tasked with setting up a R.A.D. and using it to usher in a new dawn. Chief Bogo happily accepted the responsibility, but he was concerned with it’s ability to perform. That’s where the second and third R.A.D. came play. Svalbear was the first to openly demonstrate the use of a nuclear weapon, but they simply detonated it in the air. Dromedary, a small desert country located to the east, was the first to test the effects of nuclear explosives on land. Dromedary was mostly desert, but it has a few large cities, and although camels were the dominant species, many species from all over the world resided there. It also has an abundance of ancient temples and abandoned cities that were excavated hundreds or even thousands of years ago due to the ever growing sands threatening to swallow them whole. One such abandoned city, Drome, the old capital to Dromedary, was the target of their nuclear tests. Despite it already being abandoned, it’s buildings still stood strong, and with the desert about to consume the city within the next few decades, the military thought it would be a good test of a nuclear weapons effects against free standing structures. 

“When the creators of the R.A.D. device learned of this test, they took two of their prototypes and caught the first plane to Dromedary. There they asked to see the effects themselves. At first they were rejected, especially since the tests had already concluded a week earlier, but then they presented the R.A.D. device to them. Every nation of the world was afraid of what would happen if a nuclear war started, and the Dromedarians were no different. When they learned what the device could do, they agreed to let these scientists investigate the ruins of Drome, provided they not only showed them that the device worked, but that they could have one for themselves. The scientists eagerly agreed, knowing that if this test was successful, mass production of the R.A.D. devices would begin within a month. 

“They chose an area far enough away from ground zero that would mimic the long term effects of radiation and they set up the R.A.D. They learned two things. It worked. While there was not enough time to actually test growth, all readings showed the area to be radiation free and high levels of nitrates, various beneficial nutrients, and other key factors that would allow the land to be fertile. There was a downfall to this test however. They had hoped for at least a one square mile radial effect from the device, however the key levels of nutrients dropped off significantly after only a few hundred feet. It would take a dozen devices to have the coverage they had hoped for, and the device started to show signs of breaking down within the first two days of activation. Unfortunately, the war broke out before the scientists could return to make the necessary changes to the plan. 

“Thankfully they had the good idea to entrust the Guardians with the one prototype before that happened. As for the fourth one? No one knows. It was kept within their research facility in the Medowlands, but that place has been long since ransacked. It could still be there, overlooked by scavengers, or it could be sitting on top of some raider’s mantle as a trophy of some sorts. However, thanks to Tuskgen, the R.A.D. device that was rescued from Precinct One was replicated, although she is still working on a way to increase it’s effective range, but it’s a start to a cleaner, greener world. 

“Now, I am sure that many of you are asking about the Treasure of Zootopia. You know, those pretty golden coins that Olivia seemed so dead set to collect? I will be honest with you folks, I completely forgot about them during the writing. So much stuff started to go on at once that neither me, nor Olivia had a moment to stop and wonder where they could be. Sure, I could have gone back and edited them in, but that’s not my style. All those times Onion got beat up and nearly broke? Yeah, I kinda forgot about him in those scenes and his near deaths were the direct result of that and my writing style. However, that doesn’t excuse me for not wrapping that up, and as you will see in the last chapter, I found a way to do that, although it may not happen as soon as you want.

“‘That striped bastard is forgetting something very important that happened!’ Is what I am *sure* many of you are saying right now, but do not fear, I haven’t forgotten it. And if you were not asking that, well, I will be addressing it anyways. Yup, Olivia is pregnant. That wish-wash of genetic materials within her had been working in overtime along with her own biology, or at least when Nate and her were together. Yes, the signs should have been there, even within the first week, and they actually were there, but with everything going on, it’s no wonder they were missed. Fatigue? Chalk it up to non-stop adventures and nearly getting killed. Strange eating habits? Well, to be completely honest, she already had strange eating habits. I mean a rabbit eating fish? How much more strange can you get? It’s not like she could have walked over to the local drug store and bought a pregnancy test. Heck, I doubt that was even at the top of her head when her and Nate got down to business. If Doc had not run that full medical test on her, well let’s just say that Olivia is damn glad he did. The Wasteland is not a very good place for expecting mothers. Especially for a rabbit who finds herself waist deep in danger on a daily basis. 

“Now, will they be boys or girls, rabbits or foxes? You will have to wait and find out, and I have a feeling you only need to wait a few days to find that out. I will say this. While this world does allow hybrid mammals, a rabbit will be born a rabbit and a fox will be born a fox, and so on. There will be no physical hybrids, save for eye and fur colorations. Genetically though, you can expect to see various hearing, smelling, and other features that you have already experienced with Olivia. 

“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the future of the Wasteland. Some of this will be revealed in the last chapter, but I feel that it’s a good time to explain a few things, especially since I still have no idea what that fox is up to for that last After Show. 

“Hope will be moving to it’s new home in City Hall. Sure beats a train station with makeshift walls. Not only will it be much more protected, but the Steel Guardian’s new home will be close by within the old Precinct One. Now, you may ask what will happen to the old Hope and Guardian base. Well, they will not to go waste. Since the old Guardian base is located deep within the ground, it will still act as an emergency area just in case the world decided to end. Again. It also houses some training technology that the new recruits utilize that are either to complex or to large to relocate easily. Many of the new recruits will be brought to the old base for training until they are reassigned to their active duty positions. It will also house a portion of the Guardian aerial fleet, allowing them to reach areas, such as the Rainforest District, much faster than it would from the new bases centralized position. 

“As for Old Hope. There are a few residents who’s family has always existed there, and they refused to move. Stalker Logan wanted to forcefully relocate them, but both Chief Valiant and Mayor Swift thought that would be a bad use of their power. Instead, they let those residents live there, but under a few conditions. Old Hope was to become not only the Steel Guardian’s new recruitment center, but also a hub to allow for those new to the Wasteland to ‘learn the ropes’ as it were. Any citizens who remained were required to lend a paw or hoof to the Guardians and those seeking their safety. In return, they would be compensated with food, water, and supplies. 

“Now, who are these new mammals to the Wasteland? None other than Burrow residents. You see, Nate still has a hatred of Burrows, one that I am afraid will never go away. On top of that, after the incident in Seventy-Six, every Burrow is now a ticking time bomb. Yes, the backup connection was severed before they could have been detonated, but after Nate sent some forces back to Ninety-Three to disarm it’s reactor detonator, they learned that all safety systems were not disabled, allowing anyone within the Burrow to accidentally, or even purposely, activate it. Nate put together what he called the Burrow Hunters. They were specifically trained to locate the Burrows using the maps recovered from Felwick’s files and Overseer Marsh’s database, evacuate the Burrows if necessary, and most importantly, disable the reactors self-destruct trigger. 

“Nate wanted the Burrows gone. Most of them were succumbed to similar experiments put in place by Burrow-Tec, but a few of them actually had a peaceful existence. Nate gave every Burrow the same choice. Completely evacuate the Burrow, and take what ever equipment and supplies could be salvaged before sealing it for good, or if the residents refuse to evacuate, take those who could and seal it up, leaving posts of Guardians to watch over it. Nate sometimes has a hard time balancing his hatred of Burrows with his need to respect a mammals own decisions. Although any Burrow deemed criminal, such as Burrow Eighty-Eight, especially if it involved crimes against nature, will be evacuated, and any residents found to have committed such crimes be apprehended and put on trial. 

“Speaking of trials, Nate also started to bring back the judiciary system in the Wasteland. The very first official trial? Overseer Kerrigan. Let’s just say that calling the judge every name in the book did not go over very well. As for Overseer Marsh? Olivia eventually forgave her, but still found it hard to look at her, all she could see was her mother’s killer, even if it was an accident. Marsh took her punishment open pawed. She was assigned to the Burrow Hunters as both a liaison to the Burrows due to her knowledge as Overseer, and informant for the Guardians, freely giving them any and all information regarding Burrow-Tec, Overseer status, and any and all information about Burrows. Plus Nate thought it be a good idea to keep her and Olivia as far away from each other as possible. He was having problems of his own every time he saw his mother’s killer rotting away in a jail cell. He could have killed him multiple times over, but he needed to show him, the Guardians, and the rest of the Wasteland that he was the better mammal. 

“As for the rest of the gang? Well, all that and more is covered in the last chapter, so I will leave you at that. I have so much more to tell you, but that will have to wait. Stay tuned after the new year for:

**The Standalone Show**

_Featuring:_

**Stripes in the Morning!**

“Until next time folks, take care!”


	82. Epilogue - War Never Changes, But Mammals Can

“Hope. It’s more than a town, and it’s more than a word. Hope brings about an anticipation of good times ahead, something to cling to during the worst of times. Hope can be a promise that good tidings will find you, that the darkened skies will part. Hope can be a simple representation of old, something to remember, to keep yourself sane, even if you know it will never be like it was ever again. No matter how you perceive that feeling, there's one thing that hope is not. It is not without motion. To keep your hopes bound to a singular place limits yourself. It limits how much you can help yourself, how much others can help you. Everyone here knows I was from a Burrow. I had hopes, I had dreams, but I soon realized that I would never be able to fulfill them there. I had to move, I had to find my place in the world, and by doing so I found it. I found it in places I never would have thought to look, in people that I never expected to find it in. I found it in every single one of you standing here today.

“Hope is not a town simply represented by a place, but by its people, by all of you. When the idea to move the town came up, there were many who thought that it would be impossible, that such an endeavor would end up making things worse. Three years later, I'm happy to say that was far from the truth. Yes, there were some harrowing moments, times where many of us, myself included, second guessed our decisions. The ever increasing earthquakes that threatened to devour some of our caravans. Raider attacks on both Old Hope and New Hope. Even the discovery of a Burrow filled with hundreds of savage ghouls all threatened to end our work, but did we falter and quit? No! We stood together as friends, as family, as a single entity and endured! Aided by the Steel Guardians we showed this world that when we put our minds on something, we will overcome all the obstacles that get in our way!

“It has been a year since New Hope opened its doors to the world. Population has boomed in that time, and we see new faces every day. Trade has been better than ever, and with the help of Nick’s Wild Emporium, new trade routes are being set every day. On top of that, Engineer Tuskgen of the Guardians has successfully implemented Restorative Agriculture Devices in ten settlements now, giving all of them the ability to grow fresh, radiation free food! Coupled with the new trade routes established between those settlements and Hope, every one of us has been able to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, a feat that hasn’t been seen in well over two centuries! 

“We also have the Guardians to thank for that. They are no longer the Guardians we knew, the ones that hid from the world, protected us from the shadows. They stand tall and visible for all to see now! They provide protection not only to New Hope, but to all the traders that travel between our town and the outlying settlements. They keep the peace just like they did from day’s of old, but even their power is not limitless. As our town grows, as more and more settlements agree to join us in rebuilding this world, the Guardians grow thin. They need our help. They need volunteers. I'm not telling any of you to run out and sign up, and neither would Chief Valiant. We simply ask of you to consider it. 

“I also have something new to share with all of you. Mayor Swift, Chief Valiant, and myself, along with representatives of many settlements, came together last month. The Guardians have freely given the R.A.D. devices to any settlements in need, along with their own protection, but unfortunately, there seem to be a few settlements that have taken this for granted, and even taken advantage of our kindness. In the past, it was mammals like that who corrupted this world, turning it into the wasteland we know today. That has got to change! We need to show this world that we are better, that we can kick back the tides of madness that threaten to engulf every one of us. To that end, we have created what will be called the Zootopian Accord. This treaty binds us all. Every settlement that joins the Accord will become an extension of Hope. While the Guardians will still patrol and police the wastelands, anyone within the Accord will also get at least one squad stationed within earshot of their settlement. Not only does this allow for a reason to join the Accord, but also helps to spread the Guardian influence throughout the land. With R.A.D. units installed at all those Settlements, it also helps to spread its effects across the land. Those within the Accord also receive discounts not only with the established traders, but with Hope itself. All that we ask from them is to send a portion of their crops to Hope to be redistributed to those who need it. Of course they will get compensated for it in either caps or supplies.

“Now, we won't force anyone to join the Accord. Every settlement has final say in it, but the benefits outweigh everything. I no longer want to call our home the ‘Wasteland’. That makes it sound dangerous, uninhabitable. I want to change that. I want this land to prosper once more. This land was once filled with lush grass and trees. Glimmering sand and frozen tundras. Zootopia was a place where anyone was able to live, no matter their species. I want to return that to you, to bring back Zootopia to its former glory! But, we can’t do it alone. 

“By now everyone knows my past, or rather, my genetic history. I'm a hybrid, the product of two species, a rabbit, and a fox, who hundreds of years ago fell in love despite tension between species. Many of you know that one of them is still alive today, and while he no longer resembles his former self, Nick Wilde is still the kind, generous, and caring soul that he was once. While his partner in both duty and life is no longer with us, her memories live on within him, but one memory stuck out to me that I would like to share with you all. 

“Judy Hopps was a police officer in the Zootopian Police Department, and the first rabbit to ever obtain that. She overcame not only difficulties in size, but also in acceptance. No one thought a rabbit cop would last, that she would give up in a world full of wolves, bears, and lions. But she didn't, just as I didn't give up on you all. There were times that I thought I had fallen, that I would never get back up, and I am sure she had times where she felt the same. We both persevered and overcame those difficult times, just as we all have.

“She once gave a speech, and while it was given to a new generation of ZPD recruits, there were a few words that still hold true to today, and no matter the circumstance, they are words to live by, so in the words of Judy Hopps, ‘I implore you: Try. Try to make the world a better place. Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us.’ These words cannot be said any better. We _all_ must try to make this world a better place! It is in our paws, and our hooves that we will reshape this world. A better world! 

“Chief Valiant has a few words he would like to say, but I will leave you with this. Just, try, and if you fail? Try again. Keep on trying until you succeed. I won’t lie and say that if you keep trying you will succeed, but if you never try, you are guaranteed to fail.”

Nate was standing to the left of me, with Mayor Swift standing on the other side. I wondered if I had given a bit too much emotion in this speech, but they both smiled at me happily. The funny thing is, the speech I prepared? The one I spend days practicing and rewriting until I got it right? That wasn’t it. The one I had just given, I opened my mouth and the words just flowed, and you know what? It was so much better. 

Nate took the podium. 

"In three years we've accomplished something few could even dream possible. We didn't do it alone either. Paw in paw the citizens of Hope and the members of the Steel Guardians have worked day in and day out to make this world a better place. A place we can all call home, a place we can all be proud of. We now can boast one of the most stable, secure areas within the Zootopian Wasteland. Raider attacks are few and far between, clean up operations have been a massive success and thanks to our Guardian R and D division, we've been able to claim back large swaths of land! New irrigation systems, crop lands, and just plain old grass fields are once again becoming commonplace."

"I _could_ say I could've done this, that these ideas were my own and that I had no help along the way, but that would be a bold faced lie. My wife has been by my side, helping me along through some of the most difficult times I've ever had to experience. My Guardians, my friends and Family each and every one of them, have stood strong as a wall against the very worst that the wastelands could throw at us and we do it willingly because we care. Because we care and want to make this world a better place. I'm proud to say that all of you! Every citizen of Hope has been a boon in this grand experience we find ourselves in. Thanks to all of you willing to listen to a fox with a crazy idea, we've rebuilt your home, we've refortified our Headquarters, and our ranks are once again starting to swell up with new recruits! By the end of next month our first class will be added to the roll call of the Guardians. Replacing those we've lost, and adding new faces to spaces long left vacant. I'm proud to say that thanks to Hope, thanks to Mayor Swift, our ranks have once again begun to grow. It is my hope that we can all continue to march down this path together, paw in paw. To reclaim our home and once again make Zootopia a gem in this harsh world, a beacon of hope and peace. So I thank you once more Citizens of Hope, we truly could not have done any of this without you."

Once Nate was done, he let Mayor Swift take the final words. 

“Citizens of Hope, I thank you. Not just as your mayor, but as your friend and as a fellow citizen. I know things have been difficult, but in the end, this is so much more than I ever thought was possible. When Chief Valiant approached me three years ago with a plan to relocate Hope to a new place, I was a bit apprehensive. For generations, Hope had been under my family’s watch, ever since my ancestor Gazelle founded the town as a safe haven during troubled times. Over time it grew into so much more. Most of the residents had family that lived and died within those walls, and asking them to just up and leave was very difficult. 

“Yes, there were those who refused to leave, but I was surprised at how few had that feeling. As Miss Springs said, Hope is more than a place, and more than a word. It’s a feeling, and unlike physical attachments, a feeling can cling to you, can travel wherever you carry it. Hope is not simply four walls, it is where we can live and feel safe doing so. 

“Even species who once felt shunned in this world, like foxes and giraffes have started to find a new home here. Sure, not everyone has the same feelings about one another, but we have all learned to show tolerance, and that is the one thing I ask of all of you who live here. You don’t have to like your fellow neighbor, just to respect them, and be willing to help one another in times of need. If you really cannot break free of your ways, but still want to call this place a home, there is still hope. 

“Many of the outlying settlements are growing at an exponential rate and they are always looking for more mammals to help them. In helping them, you also help Hope, and since any settlement under the Zootopian Accord is considered a part of Hope, you will never be disconnected from us, especially in times of need. 

“I also want to extend my personal thanks to Chief Valiant and the Guardians for keeping all of us safe. Olivia Springs and Onion have also been a tremendous help to prevent our new town from crumbling like our old one. While I will miss the old place, I think it’s for the best that we made this move, and if Gazelle were still alive, I think she would be proud of everything we have done to continue what she started. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all, and to celebrate, tomorrow, exactly one year to the day of our opening, we will be having the first annual Day of Hope, a day of celebration. Food, entertainment, everything will be provided for free. From dawn to dusk we will celebrate! Traders from all over will be laying out many of their more rare finds and hard to obtain goods and have agreed to sell them at a low rate for that day. Festivities start at dawn, so get some rest, I have a feeling it will be a long day!”

***

“I know you said you had a surprise, but I didn’t think it would be that.” 

We had all met at Nyte Lyfe, which was in a much bigger, and more enclosed, room now. From what Nate told me, this used to be a courtroom, but it was now one of the most happening night scenes in the town. While Letty had re-paid her old boss years ago, and was free to move on, she had grown attached to that place. And to a certain gazelle. Although that didn’t stop either of them from playfully teasing me. 

“Well sweetie, they deserve it. And so do you. I doubt any of this would have ever happened if you never showed up.” She might be the mayor, but that didn’t stop her from having a few drinks to loosen her up. Letty of course was taking full advantage of that. 

“Yeah, you keep telling me that Jezzie. _All_ of you have. On multiple occasions. I swear, if you had your way, you would erect a statue of me.”

“My Angel would have, if you didn’t keep shooting her down.” It was public knowledge that the mayor and Letty were dating, although calling the mayor Angel was usually reserved for outside of public encounters. Letty might be a bit too forceful with her emotions sometimes, but she was also respectful of them. In public at least.

“It’s bad enough that there are still people who call me hero. I still don’t feel like one.”

“And like we keep telling you ‘livi, you are. Just, in a different way than I think some imagine. Hey, it could be worse. They could call you Tin Ear.”

“You better not start with that. It’s bad enough your son calls me that Holly.”

“He looks up to you, plus I can’t help if that was one of his first words.”

“Speaking of kids, has Nick gotten back with ours yet?” 

Before I could even ponder Nate’s question, the door to the bar opened. Our children ran in. Our son, Nick, had bright orange-red fur that looked like a blend of Nate and my own. He was wearing his usual coveralls and plaid shirt. Behind him was our daughter Judy. Her purple dress accented her platinum-silver fur and matched her purple eyes. Uncle Nick, as they'd come to call him, always seemed reminiscent when he looked into Judy’s eyes. It wasn’t until a few months after her birth that Nick told me that was the same color of his own Judy’s eyes. Though he still comments how we had a rabbit named Nick and a fox named Judy, the complete opposite of him and his lost love.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

“There’s our children!” Nick and Judy ran over and gave me a hug, followed by Nate. “Where’s Uncle Nick?”

“Here.” Nick came in carrying two large crates balanced on each other. He may look like his muscles are rotting away, but he is remarkably strong. “They wanted to stop at _every_ vendor on the way here.”

“Now, you weren’t giving your Uncle Nick a hard time, were you?” Nate had his semi hard, semi playful tone, something he seemed to develop as a cross between his private personality and his Guardian one.

“No Sur!” Nick mock saluted his dad.

“Mommy! He bought me a dolly!” Judy held up a stuffed kangaroo. 

“It’s adorable sweetie. Does it have a name?”

“Daisy!”

“Well then, you go take Daisy and your brother and go play, we need to talk with Uncle Nick.”

“Otay! Come’on Nicky! Let’s go play!”

“Daddy, why does she get a new toy?”

“I don’t know, why didn’t Uncle Nick get you something?” Nate put a emphasis on it as he looked over to the ghoul unloading bottles from the crate.

“Most kids his age want a new toy, but not him. Tell your daddy what you wanted me to buy.”

“I wanted a gun like Auntie Holly!”

“Holly! What are you trying to teach our kids? He’s barely three yet!”

“You're never too young to learn. I mean look at ‘livi. If she learned when she was younger, she wouldn’t have had to rely on that Pip-Boar of hers so much.”

“It’s not like my Burrow had anything to practice with. Nick's right, stop corrupting our kids. Don’t you have kids of your own to corrupt?”

“Yeah, but mom is watching them right now. I don’t know how Robin hasn’t driven her insane yet.”

Nate laughed. “He takes after you Holly, so no surprise there.” 

“Oh, please for the love of all that is… if your daughter turns out to be a spitting image of you Holly, we're all doomed.”

Holly shot a look at me that was interrupted by the door to the bar slamming open. A tiny blur ran in and made a beeline straight to where Nick was unloading the crate. 

“Did you get more?” 

“Yeah, calm down Blanche, I got more.”

“Gimme!” Blanche jumped on top of the nearest bottle, stabbed her sword in it and popped the cork before shimmying down _into_ the bottle. “Oh, sweet nectar.”

Nick picked up the bottle and held it to his eye. “How do you even do that? I know you're small but, damn. Plus, it’s been what? _Two_ days since the last shipment?”

“Yeah, two days of pure torture!”

“Mommy, why is Squeaky yelling at Uncle Nick?” Judy sounded a bit concerned. She didn’t like when anyone yelled at any of us, even if it was jokingly. 

“She’s not yelling, she’s excited to get her favorite drink.”

“Can I have some? If she likes it so will I!”

“No Nick, she has an adult drink, you're still too young.”

“I can’t get nothin.” Nick started to pout. 

“Your father already gave you tons of stuff to play with from his younger days. Didn’t you want to build a robot of your own like Onion?”

“Those are old. I want new things!”

“Come here sweetie.” Nick walked with an exaggerated gate towards me. “You know it’s hard to get new things anymore. How about this?” I pulled a small velvety bag out of my pocket, opened it up and placed one of its contents in my son’s paw.

He held it up as one of the bar’s lights caught on the gold coin. “This is your special coin.”

“I know you have had your eye on it, ever since you were a tiny little rabbit. It has a rabbit on it as well, see? It’s very valuable and there are twelve more like it. I already have seven of them, but I've just been too busy to find the others. I want you to keep it, to treasure it. Maybe one day when you're older, you can finish what I never was able to.”

“Are you sure mommy?”

“Yes, I am.”

Nick gave me a hug before running off to his sister to show off the coin. Judy tried to take it but Nick snatched it back. That triggered one of their famous ‘arguments’ with each other. 

“Judy, leave your brother alone. Didn’t you get a doll to play with?”

“But Daisy ain’t shiny!”

“Oh brother. Nate, can you talk some sense into our children?”

“Why do you always pin that on me?”

“Um, you're a leader to hundreds of mammals. Stopping arguments is kinda part of your job.”

“Like you're one to talk miss ‘If you want it done right do it yourself’. Onion’s been complaining again you know. A little help doesn’t hurt.”

“I was fixing a leak in the reactor! I can’t help if Darell kept handing me unshielded tubing.”

“Didn’t we delegate Onion to do all the repairs there after that incident a few months back?”

“I was only glowing for a _few_ hours. Plus Onion was busy repairing parts of the tunnel network after that quake last week. Speaking of which, any leads on it? They've been getting worse it seems.”

“Something in the Nocturnal District, but we've been having difficulties finding a stable entrance into it. Figuring out what’s going on down there is top priority.”

The door opened again and drew my attention to it. The quakes were becoming much more than a simple nuisance, but I trusted Nate when he said they were working on it. In walked Zack followed by Jasmine who had a sling around her chest that she was coddling. 

“Hey Jasmine. How’s Zoe?” I used this to help distract from Nate’s ‘argument’ with me. Sure I had the tendency to get carried away with my work, but he knows he does the same. 

“Fussy as usual.”

“What you talking about Jay-Jay, she’s been an angel.” 

“ _You_ aren’t the one waking up in the middle of the night, every, single, night to take care of her.”

“Sounding a bit snippy there Jasmine, everything okay?” It was always concerning to me when she wasn’t her usual bubbly self.

“Sorry. I haven’t been getting enough sleep the past few days. Between Zoe getting sick recently and being the pickiest eater I’ve known, it’s been hard.”

“Hey Jazzy, if you need a break, I'm sure my mom will be more than happy to watch Zoe.” 

“Oh, I couldn’t do that Holly.”

“It’s no big deal. I think she misses having kids to coddle. Plus it’s not like she has much else to do these days. At least not until Jezzie finally opens that school.” 

I turned towards the mayor, who must not have had any impending activities today because she was already buzzed. “How is that going anyways?”

“The school? ‘Bout a month. Maybe two. Mary-Anne has been gracious to volunteer as a teacher, but we still need more.”

“You know I will always be willing to help, at least when it comes to anything shop related. What about Mark? He’s the nerdiest mammal I know.”

“Hey! I'm not ‘nerdy’, I'm well read. I’d love to though, but between helping Doc with the Guardian’s medical needs and trying to start up my own practice, I may not have the time.”

“Marki could always be the school nurse. I think he’d look rather cute in a nurses uniform.”

“Holly!” 

“Just saying.”

Crying started to come from Jasmine’s sling as she slowly removed Zoe from it and rocked her back and forth in her arms. It was always interesting to see Zoe because she stood out from every giraffe I have ever seen. Rather than having the typical spots, she had stripes like her father. When Doc finally made a breakthrough replicating the same process that let a fox and a rabbit have children, Jasmine was ecstatic. 

Jasmine started to sing softly to her child as she rocked her back and forth. While it sounded comforting to me, apparently Zoe didn’t think so because she wouldn’t stop crying. 

“Mommy, why is Zoe crying?” 

“I thought you and your sister went out to play.”

“Judy wasn’t playing fair! And I… wanted to see if the baby was ‘kay.”

“You are a little sweetheart. Why is Zoe crying Jasmine? She hungry?”

“I don’t know. I tried to feed her before coming over here, but she wouldn’t eat. She didn’t need changing and she just woke from a nap. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this…”

“Don’t be silly Jasmine. I think you're a good mother.”

“Hey Nick! Give her some booze. It works when I'm fussy!” Blanche’s voice echoed from the bottle she was still in.

“Are you crazy? I am not giving alcohol to a kid!”

“Bah, you’re no fun.”

I got up and walked up to Jasmine. “Bring her down here. Holly and Mark’s kids get a kick out of my ear, maybe she will too.”

Jasmine knelled down until I was able to see Zoe better. I started to twitch my metal ear to get her attention and popped it into mask mode. Robin always got a kick out of it, hence why he started to call me Tin Ear. Thankfully his sister never caught on to that. Yet. Unfortunately, it did nothing to quell Zoe’s crying, but rather seemed to make it worse. 

“Mommy, can I see her?”

I lifted Nick up. He was still a child, but he seemed to be getting heavier by the day.

“Why baby Zoe crying? You want to see what my mommy gave me?”

He took out the coin I gave him and held it over Zoe’s face. Her crying slowed down as she tried to reach for it. Nick kept playing keep away and Zoe started to giggle. She tried to speak, but it all came out in typical baby noises. 

“Your son sure has taken a liking to Jazzie’s kid.” Holly said that a little more teasingly than I was expecting. 

“He’s curious like me. Wonder what she thinks about him?”

“That'd be nice to know, but she still won’t talk.” Jasmine seemed sad saying that.

“Holly and Mark’s kids didn’t speak until they were a little older than Zoe is, don’t worry, it will come.”

“Didn’t your kids start talking by now?”

“Of course they did, ‘livi and Nate are veritable geniuses compared to us. I’m sure their kids will be too.”

“You make that sound like a bad thing Holly. And you guys aren’t dumb, just a little slower than us, that’s all.” I winked at Holly. 

She was about to say something typical of her, but stopped when she remembered there were impressionable children in here. “I’ll remember that later ‘livi.”

“Did someone forget about us?” 

In came Holly’s mom, followed by two very sleepy looking children. A small deathwing fluttered near them but kept faltering until he fell and Clementine, Holly and Mark’s russet furred daughter, caught him.

“Finn fly. I know you can!” Clementine held the baby deathwing as a mother would hold a child. Finn the deathwing made a few chirping and clicking noises but seemed to rather be held by the young rabbit. “Otay, you can sleepy.”

“Looks like my boy just woke from a nap. How’s my little sleepyhead?” Holly walked up and grabbed her son Robin and hoisted him into the air. 

“I’m hungry.” The small tan fox said tiredly. 

“You didn’t feed them yet mom?”

“Well _someone_ was supposed to come pick them up twenty minutes ago.”

“Sorry. We got a little carried away with reminiscing. Not every day we have everyone under the same roof anymore.”

“Yeah, between me keeping this place running fluidly, Nate running all over the wasteland trying to keep the peace, and Holly and Mark bouncing back between helping the Guardians and doing their own things, I think us all having kids give us the break we need from our normal flow. Speaking of which, have you given it any more thought Jasmine?”

“About… oh. I… I don’t know. I know Chief… um, Nate said it was okay, but I feel like I'm abandoning them.”

“And I have told you that you're not. I’m the Chief, so if I say you aren’t, then you aren’t. No matter your decision, I will respect it. What about you Zack? What are your thoughts on the matter?”

“Well Sir…”

“Please, you don’t have to be so formal right now.”

“Well, I think it would be good for her. She never did like the violence and rigorous life of a Guardian, though I think that because of it she has been able to finally put aside her past.”

“Even Jezzie thinks it's a good idea, isn’t that right?”

“Darn tootin'!” That gazelle was never able to hold her alcohol. Reminds me of that one party, Letty still gets embarrassed whenever it’s brought up.

“What I think my Angel here is trying to say is that it’s a good idea. I mean, we only just recently developed good relations with foxes among the citizens of Hope, but giraffes are still, well, everyone sees them as Red-Necks or future ones. I can still see the uneasiness when she's around some of the mammals here.” Letty had drank much more than Jessabell, but Letty _could_ hold her booze. Probably why Blanche and her liked to have drinking contests. It never ends pretty. 

“But… what if I can’t? I’m… I’m still not that good around people… and what about… them?”

“That’s another reason you need to consider it. You're much safer here than traipsing around the Wasteland. Even those Reclaimers haven't been brave enough to come knocking at a town so close to an army. Plus, there's no harm in trying. Don’t you want to eliminate that stigma that has befallen your species? If not for you, then your daughter?”

“Yes. You… you’re right Olivia. But, what about… us?” Jasmine looked between her daughter and her zebra. 

“If I can manage to sneak away to see Olivia, I'm sure I can allow the same luxury to Zack.”

“I still want to think about it, but…”

“Take your time Jasmine. There's no need to rush.”

“Thank you.”

“Finn, what’s wrong?” 

Finn started to make loud chirping noises and struggle in Clementine's arms before she let him go. He flew up very awkwardly and fluttered over to where Nick had finished unloading the two crates he had brought in. Besides the unopened bottles he brought, there were now four empty ones, and one half empty one that Blanche was floating in like some relaxing bath. Finn landed next to the bottle and started to claw at it with his foot before knocking it over, spilling half of what was in there and trying to stick his head into the bottle. He was only a baby but was already five times the size of Blanche. 

“Hey! What'd you do that for? Damn rodent, where’s your father anyways? Out tramping with that ‘mate’ of his?”

“Someone sounds jealous.” Holly said teasingly. 

“I’m not jealous!” Then Blanche whispered a bit, but still loud enough for most of us to hear. “Plus I knew him longer.”

“You know, if Doc could give Jazzie and Zacky a baby, maybe he could…”

“How would that even work?! If he tried to stick his…”

“Blanche! Kids!” I had to stop this before she said something the rest of us would have to regret later.

“Bah. Nick, give me another!”

“Hey, take it easy there Blanche. This is all I can get for a few more weeks. You better savor it.”

“Booze ain’t meant to be savored! It’s meant to get you wasted!” 

“Here-here!” I wasn’t even sure if the mayor knew what anyone was saying. She must have had a rough day. 

“Nick, can you please get little miss bad-influence out of here?”

“Yeah, no problem. Gotta make a delivery to Petunia anyways. Alright little mouse, let’s get you out of here.”

“Hey! I'm not going…” Nick popped a cork onto the bottle, muffling Blanche as he carried her, still in the bottle, out of the bar. 

“Hey Letty, I think you better take the mayor here back home before she passes out. She has a festival to put together tomorrow.”

“Come on Angel. Time to go. I’ll whip up my special ‘I really don’t want a hangover’ drink for you, just please don’t throw up again.”

Jessabell got up and stumbled, but Letty caught her and helped her to move towards the door. As they were leaving, Jessabell slapped Letty’s ass, causing Letty to let out a rather cute sounding noise. 

“Mommy, why did the mayor touch the kitty’s butt? That’s a dirty place.” 

“When you get old enough, it isn’t nearly as dirty.”

“That mean your butt isn’t dirty mommy?”

“Okay, new rule. No more drinking around the children!”

A beep came from Nate’s arm. 

“Chief Valiant here, go ahead Logan.”

“ _Sir, we just intercepted a communication._ ”

“I’m a bit busy right now, can it wait?”

“ _I don’t think so Sir._ ”

Nate sighed. “Okay, patch it through.”

Nate looked towards Holly’s mom. “I’m sorry, but do you mind taking the kids for a moment longer?”

“Of course dear. Okay kids, who wants Auntie to buy you a new toy?”

“Me!” All four of the kids jumped up and ran towards her. Clementine whistled and Finn flew over to her. 

“Petunia told me to stop by her place to see if she has anything Zoe will actually eat, do you mind?”

“Go ahead Jasmine.”

Once everyone had left, Mark, Holly, Zack, and myself all huddled around Nate as he started the playback. The voice that started playing was very distorted and at times interrupted by static, but for some reason, it sounded familiar. 

“ _…Wasteland, we are the Council of Kings! We will … no one will dare stand in our way! All those who do will come face to face with death! … those so called ‘Guardians’ are nothing but a joke! They are weak! They will … and their leader is the biggest joke of them all! A fox? More like a coward with delusions of grandeur! … We seek not to free you from the Wasteland, but to make us all kings of it! … join us or die with those foolish enough to try to stop us!_ ”

“That, no, it couldn’t be.” I knew the voice, I just never thought I would hear it again. 

“Sir, was that… Matheous King?” Zack sounded just as concerned as I felt. 

“Yes. It was. Logan, trace that message and put a team together. Whatever he's planning, I don’t like it.”

“ _Yes Sir! Stalker Logan, out._ ”

Nate gave me a kiss. “I’m sorry Binky.”

“No, don’t be. You got a job to do. Just, be careful, okay?”

“Aren’t I always? I’m gonna go and find our children before I head back to base. Zack, go make sure Jasmine and Zoe are okay, and meet me back at Precinct one in an hour.”

“Yes Sir!”

Zack and Nate both left. I always hated to see him leave, afraid that one day I would never see him again, but he was stronger than that, and I needed to remind myself of that. He’s also not alone. Holly has been helping to train the new generation of Guardians to properly utilize their weapons, and Mark has been helping Doc when he gets overwhelmed. Even I have helped Tuskgen here and there with little projects when I wasn't preoccupied with Hope. 

“He'll be fine ‘livi. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know that Holly. Let’s go and check on our kids. I think your mom needs a break from them.”

Mark, Holly and I left the bar. This town has grown, and I was happy for that. I really was, but sometimes I miss my more adventurous days. Sure, I get to do things here and there when my help is needed, including a raid on a ghoul infested supermarket that held a treasure trove of canned foods, but it was still only once in a while. I had to take care of the kids while Nate was away, and I couldn’t tear him away from the Guardians. They needed him just as much as I did. Maybe one day when our children are older I will resume my adventures, and after hearing that message, maybe it will be sooner than I think. 

The Wasteland isn't free of dangers, and I don’t think it will ever be. There will always be conflict, there will always be war, but mammals can change, they can better themselves and help those who are caught in conflict. Unfortunately, there's always one constant, one thing that even history showed can never change at its core. 

War. War never changes.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout: Zootopia After Show**

_Featuring:_

**‘Stripes in the Morning’**

**[Max]**

“Three years… It’s been three years since an opportunity came up that I… Couldn’t pass. I was offered the position of Director of Public Relations by none other than Chief Valiant himself. Three years since I was badly wounded by a lunatic on a power trip and told I wouldn’t be able to freely travel about the wasteland anymore, meeting all you wonderful mammals out there. Well… Here I am now, three years on and I’ve been working harder than ever with my wife at my side to bring you the Guardians. To let you know who they are, who the mammals that stand on the line to defend your lives are, what they do, why they do it. This is what I’ve always wanted to do. Bring you the personal stories of others so you know that there are others out there, fighting just like you all are to make this world better, which is why I’m here today instead of down in Hope. I’m here for all of you who couldn’t make it to the celebrations.”

**[Celeste]**

“Still say you should’ve taken today off and headed into town to hear the chief speak. I think it would’ve been nice to see everyone out and about without fear.”

**[Max]**

“You just wanted to hit the food stands… Don’t think I don’t know it!”

**[Celeste]**

“Can I help it if all the fresh food and great cooks come outta the woodwork when one of these big shindigs comes around? And wipe that smug smirk off that beautiful face of yours before I do it for you!”

**[Max]**

“Oh my love… How you wound me so! Haha… Aah, all drama and jokes aside folks. I didn’t exactly want to go to the celebrations this year. Some… Developments have been taking place every since the Chief left for Hope and I wanted to make sure I was here when word finally came through and… I just want to be clear folks, I’m not trying to incite panic or fear. Matthias King has returned to haunt us it seems and well, he’s gunning for Chief Valiant and our Guardians. The same mammals who’ve been running around the Wasteland protecting all of our fuzzy butts from the worst the Wasteland can throw our way. I want to throw this out there folks, the Guardians have become a family to us and well… We want you all to know we aren’t abandoning you. The Guardians will still be out there. So I will to the extent that I. The lies and filth that King espouses are nothing more than that. Celeste and I will do our best to keep you updated on any public releases the Chief deems necessary. Otherwise we’re going to continue to bring you the same things we always have, members of the Guardians and how they’re ready to stand out there for you all.”

**[Celeste]**

“Don’t forget folks, as long winded as Max can be he means every word he says. He cares about this organization and the future of our home. Just as I and every other Guardian does. SO if you see or hear anything about Matthias King, reported to the nearest Guardian Outpost and it’ll reach the ears it needs to. But most of all, don’t be afraid, don’t give in to panic. We are all stronger when we stand as a community against these threats. So live your lives as you’ve always done, and we’ll be here as we have been for the past three years. Take care everyone, we’ll be speaking to you again soon.”

**[Stripes]**

“Good morning folks. Not the usual introduction to the After Show, but then again, this will be the last After Show. For now that is. Don’t worry, you haven’t seen the last of Max and his… ahem, wife. Now don’t get me wrong, I am glad he has someone else other than me to pester him but, well, I really don’t think she likes me very much. 

“I myself have had a budding relationship with my own girl, Ternura, and let me tell you, she’s quite the interesting character, one whom you will get to know much better during the Stand Alone Show. Yes, that will be a thing, I promise, but there will also be other After Shows. You see folks, from here on out, all Fallout Zootopia After Shows will feature content exclusive to that specific story, but the Stand Alone Show will expand upon everything, including myself a bit more. Expect much more action, more suspense, more fourth wall breaking! Think of the Stand Alone Show as a bit of a slice of life, if it were. However, that show will not be as frequent. Once or twice a week, but I doubt much more than that, and it will be posted on off chapter days, so that you can expect something from me nearly every day of the week! Ain’t that grand? Of course Max and Celeste will pop in here and there during both the Stand Alone and the After Shows, but with his new job, it may not be as common unfortunately. Now, for today’s show.

“Three years had passed since we last saw Olivia and the gang. New Hope is up and running along with the new Guardian base within Precinct One. Recruitment drives have skyrocketed, with new mammals signing up nearly every day! The Steel Guardians are on the path to becoming the ever present protectors that Chief Bogo planned them to be all that time ago. 

“Mark and Holly have two children along with Nate and Olivia. Clementine and Robin are a year younger than Nick and Judy due to Doc not wanting to force the genetics to comply, despite how eager Holly was not to be left out of motherhood. 

“Then there is Zack and Jasmine. Between monitoring Olivia’s pregnancy and Holly’s genetic development, Doc was able to replicate the same technology and Jasmine, much to Zack’s dismay, was the first to undergo it, but his tune changed once they found out it was a success. They gave birth to a lovely baby giraffe named Zoe, as you saw. There were some issues with the genetic merger of the two species DNA, but don’t you worry any. Zoe will grow up to be a healthy kid. She will just be very short, from a giraffe standpoint. Her brown and yellow zebra stripes are also something to behold. 

“Now, Nick, Nate and Olivia’s son, not the lovable ghoul, was born with a similar heart issue as his fathers. It isn’t nearly as bad, however Doc makes sure to keep plenty of medicine available. By the way, in case you missed it, Nick is a rabbit, and Judy is a fox. A bit of a turnabout, isn’t it folks? Let’s just say that when Max and I were discussing potential children, we both shared the same idea. “Get out of my damn head” I think was his exact words. 

“Anyways, let’s talk about an interesting addition to the new generation. Finn. He is a baby deathwing, and Drakes son. Yup, you got that right. Drake got freaky with another deathwing. Now, let me back up here for a moment and explain something. 

“Deathwings, as you may recall me saying a while back, are mostly male. A female is a very rare thing to be born into the world, and when one is, the males will protect her with their lives, knowing that she is the only way that their species can thrive. Problem is, mammals like Baird often hunt down the females for either experiments, to sell to the highest (and most insane) bidder, or simply for a trophy. Finn’s mother was no exception. 

“Now, despite Drake still helping out his friends, he is also concerned with his own species. Yes, most deathwings will kill a mammal on sight if they are hungry, angry, scared, or just feeling playful. Drake wanted to change that. He wanted to teach the deathwings how to coexist with the mammals of the Wasteland. The hard part was that Drake refused to let Doc replicate Baird’s work to make other deathwings talk, so it was a long and lengthy process, and many deathwings were hard to convince. Most were actually scared of Drake for his abnormalities. That didn’t stop him from trying. 

“One day while he was out scouting for deathwing lairs, Nate wanting to at least know where they were to prevent anyone from accidentally wandering into one, he came across a group of Red-Necks who were trying to purge the lair. Drake was able to kill all of them, but he wasn’t in time to stop the slaughter. Seems the Red-Necks were also testing a new flamer fuel that burned so hot that it was almost impossible for even a deathwing’s regeneration from countering it. 

“However, there was a single survivor. Remember how I said that the males will protect a female with their lives? Well, they did. The female was injured, but Drake was able to help her. Drake was also an alpha male, so, well, you can guess what happened there. Let’s just say that he was left alone for a bit by the others. 

“Now, here’s the funny thing. What ever thing Baird did to drake did not effect him at the genetic level, at least not enough to transmit it, so like all other deathwings, Finn was only able to communicate with grunts, clicks, and growls. However, the children, with the exception of Zoe, who later on finds it rather irritating, seem to be able to understand what Finn is saying. Their parents can’t even figure it out and when they ask Drake, he just shrugs it off. 

“Now why am I going into all these details with the children? Well, this will not be the last time you get to see them. I will just leave it at that for now. Another thing the Stand Alone Shows will be used for is announcements, so even if you don’t care for the After Shows, you may wanna check in here and there once they start. I will make sure that any announcements are clear as day.

“Now, what about everyone’s favorite ghouls? Blanche is planning on sticking around for a while. Between the fact that Nick is able to provide her with the only alcohol that can get a ghoul drunk, she has also grown quite attached to everyone, even if she won’t admit it. That doesn’t stop her from having fun here and there and still maintains a side job as a mercenary. However, she only takes contracts that will help to better the wasteland. She may be a bitch on the outside, but she’s got a heard of gold on the inside. Well, a gold plated heart at least. 

“As for Nick. He’s sticking around Hope. Honestly, the residents have grown used to him. His fighting days are long over, even before this story began. He does however know a deal when he sees one and helps to oversee New Hope’s trade council. Him and Letty have grown to be good friends as well and they keep an eye on each other when things get a little hairy. Just because there are Guardians stationed nearby doesn’t mean trouble never breaks out. 

“Speaking of the Guardians. Mayor Swift and Chief Valiant stuck a deal. The Guardians will offer full support to protect the town, but having heavily armed soldiers wandering the place tends to make some mammals nervous, especially visitors and potential residents, so only a few Agents keep to the inside of the town, with guard posts situated outside to make sure that no major threat can get past the town’s walls. But don’t you worry folks. If any raiders tried to assault the place, Guardian support is no more than fifteen minutes away.

“Overseer Kerrigan is under permanent lock and key. Nate has time and time again given him a chance to be forgiven, but that rabbit is so stubborn that he refuses to apologize to anyone. Tara Marsh, Burrow Seventy-Six’s Overseer is now part of the Burrow Hunters and is offering her support in locating and disarming the reactors within all Burrows. It is a long process as some Burrows are harder to reach than others, but she accepts her position in order to help atone for what she did to Olivia’s mother. She never will forget what she did. 

“Holly’s mom is basically the full time babysitter. Every time the gang has to head out somewhere that is not safe for children, which is pretty much anywhere in the Wasteland, she watches over them. She doesn’t mind at all though. Holly thinks her mother simply misses having kids, and after everything that happened in the Burrow, its a nice change of pace for her. 

“Now, for that last transmission. The Council of Kings. It’s a bit ominous, isn’t it? While this will be a focus of another story, let’s give you a bit of a background on this. You see, when Matheous King was kicked out, he was not happy. He went on a murderous spree, killing anyone who got in his way. Until he wandered into the Rainforest District. Let’s just say at this point he was a one mammal army, and the first time he spotted a group of R.C.S.G. mammals on patrol, he only saw Nate and his Guardians. He slaughtered them all. 

“Now if you just had an entire squad killed by a single mammal, you would do one of two things. Find them and kill them, or in this case, offer him a job. At first King refused and kept killing them, but eventually he realized that he couldn’t keep this up and joined them under one condition. He took over. When he ripped the spine from their leader, everyone else fell in place and followed him both out of fear and respect. Then he met the Berserk-Kings. Normally he would have slaughtered them where they stood, but even under his command, the Council was not large enough to go after the Guardians. The thing is, the Berserk-Kings were also falling apart after a recent battle. King met with their leader the Berserk King, that whithered deer in the massive armor, and planned to kill her and simply add her mammals by force. However, for some reason they struck a deal instead. King remained in charge while the Berserk King was his right hoof mammal. Together they formed the Council of Kings and has been growing much more rapidly in both size and danger to the Wasteland. Soon, they won’t be able to contain themselves and when they finally enter the fray, it will be the Steel Guardians who feel their effects first. But that is at a later date. One story at a time folks. 

“That concludes the final After Show of the main story. I want to thank each and every one of you for dedicating your time to reading my story. I have enjoyed reading all of your positive comments and if it wasn’t for you, my loyal readers, I would not have been able to get this far. I would also like to thank Max for his help in not only editing my story, but also for tossing ideas at him, and creating the amazing trio of Holly, Mark, and Nate who without them, my story would have not only ended a long time ago, but I fear it would have not been nearly as good for both you the readers and my writing. 

“I give you all my thanks, and I hope that you will continue to follow me and any other adventures that may come out of this brain of mine. Remember, I would still love to see more fan art from you creative artists, and your own takes on my world in fan fictions of your own creation. I will be more than happy to lend everyone my knowledge of this world, you only have to ask it. Private messaging on FanFiction, or on my Tumblr page, just look for ciderstripes, you can’t miss me. So folks, until we meet again in the Wasteland, take care and see you on the flip side!”

**[Sprinkles]**

_Irritated beeping_

**[Stripes]**

“Oh yeah, I nearly forgot! I have a present for you all! Now, keep in mind, this has not gone through editing stages yet, so it may be a bit rough around the edges, but I wanted to leave you with a little something before I left. As I said, I am going to be working on many different spin offs and sequels to this story. Let me tell you, it is addicting, and the time I spent not writing about it was very agonizing, to a point that I could not even focus properly on other projects. 

“Now this story will not be a massive-length adventure. And it will not be including Olivia and most of the gang, but they will have cameos here and there. This story does have meaning however in tying up one of the many loose ends that I left untied for the very reason of a side story. I won’t spoil it here, but I am sure you will figure it out soon enough, so may I present to you the first chapter of the new series coming sometime late January. Fallout Zootopia: Reclamation.”

———————————————————————————————————————

**Fallout Zootopia:**

**_Reclamation_ **

**Chapter 1**

**Enter, Octavius**

“This thing on?” 

“For the hundredth time, no it isn’t Boss. And would you mind not denting me again?”

“Stupid robot. Not sure why I keep you with me. Shoulda scrapped you ages ago.”

“And have me miss out on all your going on and on about you wanting to kill every last Red-Neck out here? If only.”

I have had it with this robot. Damn thing has given me nothing but trouble ever since I dug him out of that junk yard near Bunnyburrow. That floating pile of scrap is lucky I did too. I doubt any other mammal would have been as considerate. Though, he did help me finally shake that herd of savage rabbit ghouls that I accidentally disturbed, so I shouldn’t be too hard on him. One or two rabbits against a giraffe? No problem. Two hundred? Big problem.

“There. I am all warmed up Boss.”

I really should stop giving him a hard time.

“Good. You ready to record?”

“When the light turns red, like usual.”

His donut shaped body slowed down as what ever he uses to keep him hovering started to glow in the center. Soon as the ring stopped spinning, a small camera poked out of the metal ring, and seconds later a red light flickered on next to it. That was my cue.

“Journal entry. Day one thousand, six hundred and forty-one. I have been following this group of Red-Neck Reclaimers in hopes that they would lead me to this area’s leader, but either they have been leading me on a wild goose chase, which would be highly unlikely, being that I have done everything I can to keep myself hidden, or they are on the trail of a target of their own. I am guessing the latter since not once did they seem to break formation to try to locate anyone else. It has already been three days and my patience is running thin. If I don’t see any evidence of a patrol leader soon, I will just have to kill the four of them and start over.”

“That would make it, what? Five times this week you decided to ‘start over’?”

“Quiet Bossche, otherwise I will return you to that scrap heap.”

“Empty threats Boss.”

“I’ll show you an empty… stop recording.” I heard something that got my attention.

“I will cut that last part out, like usual.”

“Shut it scrap heap! We got company.”

We were on top of a squat house in the middle of what must have been a suburban area of homes. Most of them had collapsed in on themselves ages ago, but this one was still standing somehow. It was a perfect vantage point for the area, and allowed me to better conceal myself. Being a fifteen foot giraffe made it very hard to conceal myself at times, but I usually managed. And when I didn’t, who ever found me didn’t live long enough to tell anyone else. 

I flattened my body as much as possible and grabbed my sniper rifle. I scanned the surrounding area but there was nothing. I _know_ I heard something, but where?

“Bossche. Go scout the area.”

“Yes Boss.”

The hoof sized robot slowly floated away towards the edge of the roof and then disappeared. I took off my hat and lowered my goggles down in front of my eyes. I used to keep them on my hat, just resting on the large brim, but it has the tendency to dislocate itself from my noggin during a fight, taking those damn goggle with it. I flicked a switch on them and a green overlay filled the area. A small blue blue dot told me where Bossche was. I positioned my radio near my head. I wish I had one that played well with my hooves. At least it’s tongue friendly. I had gotten really good at controlling the dials and buttons on it with it, though Bossche always nags me about all the germs and filth I was picking up. I haven’t died yet, but that never stops him.

“You hear me Bossche?” I spoke while my tongue held down the button.

“ _You’re using your tongue on the communicator again, aren’t you Boss? Don’t come crying to me when you get some kind of fungal infection and you can’t eat for a week_.”

“Shuddup you damn robot, anything out there?”

“ _No, I am not picking up any… just a moment Boss._ ”

It was the silence that drove me crazy. He did this every time. I think he knew how it made me tense up. 

“ _Nope. Sorry Boss. Must have been a sensor flicker._ ”

“You damn piece of…” I should have looked around before shouting because a ricocheting bullet told me that we were not alone. “Fuck! Get your scrap ass back here, now!”

I picked up my gun and traced the horizon to see where the bullet came from. I still saw nothing. I risked a peak. A bullet whizzed right by me. Big mistake there you fucker. Big mistake. 

“Bossche! Five O’clock! Behind that bus! Tag that fucker!”

“ _You got it Boss._ ”

I kept my head down as I tracked the robot through my goggles. Moments later a red dot appeared in it. Gotcha. I peered down the scope, the red dot was mirrored on my scope as I traced it back to it’s home. I still didn’t see anything, that fucker must be hiding behind the bus. Oh well. Not like I needed a direct target. I pulled the trigger. 

An explosion shook the bus. I fired again. A second explosion moved the large metal object back a bit. Then I saw him. One of those Red-Neck fuckers made a hard dash away from the fiery vehicle. There were supposed to be three more, but they were nowhere in sight. I told Bossche to scout out for them while I kept track of this one. I tried to track him, but I am not the best shot with a sniper rifle. Which is why I always keep it loaded with explosive rounds. I pulled the trigger. 

The ground exploded behind the giraffe as it propelled him into the cover of a half collapse wall. Fuck! I checked my rounds. Two more before I had to reload. Then an idea hit me like a brick. Well, I should say it was about to hit _him_ like one. I took aim at the base of the wall and fired. The explosive round caused the wall to collapse. I heard a faint scream. I waited for a moment, but there was no sign of movement. Either he was dead, or trapped. I will find out soon enough. 

“ _Boss! One is climbing up the fire escape to the roof and the other two are in the building!_ ”

Fuck! It was a trap! Did those fuckers actually use one of their own to keep me busy? I will have to deal with him later. If he was alive, I doubt he is going anyplace anytime soon. 

“Tag and track them Bossche!”

“ _Done and done. Twenty seconds before you have company._ ”

I dropped my sniper and grabbed Old Faithful. This shotgun and I have been together for a very long time. It looks ugly and kicks twice as hard. A wonder it still works, but it has yet to let me down. I swapped out for some larger buckshot just as I saw the giraffe’s head pop over the edge of the roof. Normally I would try to grill them for information _before_ killing them, but these guys were just pissing me off. A flicker of pressure on the trigger, and seconds later there was a satisfying thud on the ground below. 

“ _Two more left Boss. Second floor, nearing the west side._ ”

I slung my sniper over a shoulder and pulled two small objects from my ammo pouch, and grabbed a third from another pocket. While I would love to just kill these other two, I didn’t want these past three days to have gone to waste. If they couldn’t lead me to someone with more authority, I’ll just have to get what I needed from one of them. I stopped and listened. I heard the echoing of hoof-steps below. I focused on the sound and then took the two small wads of explosives and pressed them to two points on the roof and placed a detonator in each of them. I took a few steps back and counted to myself. 

Three… two… one. I pushed the detonator. A hole formed, the structure imploding downwardly. I took two steps towards the hole, paused for a second, then jumped down into it. The floor below me was almost tall enough for me, but I had to crane my neck down a bit. Two more giraffes were in front of me, their eyes open wide. A bit of sunlight flickered through the settling dust and reflected off of their metallic jaws. It was only a split second of surprise before one of them started to move his neck forward. I wasn’t about to get my fur burned off today. I pointed Old Faithful at him and fired. Point blank. He was dead before he could even spark up his flamer. I swung my gun over and pushed into the face of the last one.

“I just killed three of your friends, and I am unscathed. Tell me what I need to know, otherwise you will join your friends.”

“Who are you?” His voice didn’t waver, he didn’t even seem afraid, only surprised. 

“Names Octavius. Only thing you will get out of me. Bossche! Get your scrap ass over here!”

“Here Boss.”

“Start recording.” I never once took my gaze, or my gun, away from the fucker in front of me. 

“What ever you want, I won’t tell.” The Red-Neck sounded sure of himself. “However, we could always use someone of your caliber in the Red-Necks.”

I spat on his face. “You are a disgrace to my own kind! I would never join the ranks of you cowards. How are you so able minded? I have killed dozens of you guys, and every single one either died quietly or begged for their lives.”

“You have never encountered a Reclaimer before, have you?” 

This fucker was sounding more sure of him self every time he spoke. I turned my shotgun around, bashed him on the side of his head and then turned it back on him again. 

“Who are you after? Who the fuck does it take three days to track?”

“Three days? You have been… Heh.”

“What’s so funny you fuck? Do you want another bash to the face?” He was starting to get on my nerves, and mammals who get on my nerves always come to regret it.

“Not many can claim they were able to follow a Reclaimer Squad without being spotted, yet alone kill most of one. And not a scratch? We should have turned back a day ago, but our mark was nearby recently.”

“Who? Who the fuck were you tracking for three days straight?”

“What? You a damn bounty hunter? Sorry pal, she’s off limits. You’d sooner be killed then get any reward.”

I bashed his face again, this time hard enough to knock out a few teeth and cause blood to drool out of his mouth, but he still kept that fucking grin on his face. 

“How are you not begging for your life?!” He was so beyond my nerves, he was pissing me the fuck off. 

“You have a short temper.” The giraffe spat out another tooth, but it didn’t seem to phase him. “My boys will beat it out of you, and then _you_ will be begging for your life.”

“Boss, I really think you should…”

Before I could snap at the robot, my anger burning like a very short fuse, the Red-Neck, who should have been to disoriented from the repeated smacks to his head, kicked his leg up and twisted away from me, sending debris from the ceiling up to my face blinding me for a moment. I fired my shotgun and heard it hit something, followed by a groan and hissing noise. Then the unmistakable sound of hooves running down the stairs started.

When I was able to see again, the giraffe was gone, but he was leaving a trail of blood in his wake. I placed Old Faithful on my back holster and grabbed my sidearm. This fucker was going to die. Bossche started to say something but I ignored him as I ran over to the nearby window and slipped my goggles on. The fuckers tracker was still on as I saw it moving around below. Then he ran out and faced me. I heard a clicking noise, but nothing happened as he angled his neck, along with the attached flamer towards me. The buckshot has not done much to slow him down, but it did puncture the hoses that fueled the flamer. I saw fuel spraying all over the place. I could have swapped my rounds for explosive ones and set his ass on fire with all that fuel soaking into the ground, but that fire loving bastard would probably enjoy it too much.

The moment he knew that his flamer was malfunctioning, he turned around and ran. Big mistake asshole. I held up the revolver and bent my head down until he was lined up on the front and rear sights. I slowly breathed out and held that. Just before my target reached cover, I fired. The sound of the gun echoed the building, and then the giraffe stopped dead in his tracks and collapsed. I remembered to breathe and gasped. 

“Forget to breath again Boss?”

“Shut the fuck up Cream Puff.”

“Shutting up.”

Funny how such an innocent sounding nickname came to be his cue to stop talking. What wasn’t funny was how that damn Red-Neck bastard spoke to me, even when he was drooling blood and teeth. It was like the pain didn’t effect him. I searched the body near me and found some supplies, bullets of various caliber, and a few caps. Nothing about who they were after. The Reclaimers only ever are dispatched to find and bring back escaped Red-Necks who betrayed them. Anyone who pisses off them enough to sick their elite forces after them is a friend of mine and I would love to meet them. Maybe I can find out what I am after. 

After making sure I didn’t miss anything, I left the building and walked towards the one who would not shut up. I saw where my bullet hit in the back of his head, but there was no exit wound. Must have gotten trapped in all that damn metal those fuckers implant in them. I checked the body and found the same as his friend, along with a pack of cigarettes. I didn’t smoke, but these fetch a decent price to most traders so I slipped it into my satchel. None of the bullets I found matched either of my guns, but I could scrap them and use the powder to press some new shotgun rounds. I prefer making my own rounds, makes every kill feel that much more intimate. 

After my head cleared, I remembered the one I knocked off the ladder and returned. One of these guys _had_ to have something useful on them. The body had very few things, except for nearly a hundred caps. The others only had five and twelve between them. Based on his horrible patchwork armor, I bet anything he was saving up for something a bit more protective. Not like that would have done him any good. When I aim to kill someone, they die. End of story. 

“Don’t forget that other one Boss.”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?”

“Just trying to be helpful.”

“You can help by shutting up and letting me think. Who the hell were these guys after? While this is the first Reclaimer squad I have run into, and I am really not impressed by their reputation so far, from what I know they never track for more than two days before switching out for another squad. Elite training means shit if your too worn out to utilize it.”

“You think their target was someone important?”

“Had to be. Someone must have pissed their clan chief off good. Now I _really_ want to meet this giraffe.”

“How do you know it was a giraffe? Don’t they send Reclaimers out for escaped slaves as well?”

“Yeah, but not with this much effort. Plus the slave is good as dead after twenty four hours of going missing. Remember that incident at Hoofmere?”

“A shame no one survived.”

“Damn horses deserved it if they were thinking of trying to harbor an escaped Red-Neck slave.” I spat on the ground.

“And this is why you can’t make friends.” He had an awfully sarcastic tone to his digitized voice. 

“I got you don’t I?” I craned my neck towards him and gave a crooked smile.

“I hardly count.”

“Mammals have the tendency to let you down. And slow you down. I don’t have time for either of that.”

We reached the collapsed wall where the last giraffe was. He was still alive, but barely. From the looks of it, he had broken both legs, and his arm was trapped under a metal girder. He looked at me with, pleading for help with his eyes. I pulled out my shotgun and gave him the only help I knew how to give. 

“Hard to get these guys to talk if you keep killing them Boss.”

“Not like the last… how many has it been now?”

“Thirty-four Red-Necks. Make that thirty-five.”

“And out of those thirty-five, how much closer am I?”

“The same as when you first reactivated me. It would help if you didn’t kill them when ever you got mad.”

“It would help if they didn’t _make_ me mad.”

I searched through this one’s belongings. Nothing but crap. Some food, medicine. He must have been the teams support. Some support, getting himself killed at the get go. Nothing on this…

“You find something Boss?”

I cleared a bit of debris and found a black satchel similar to my own. The one I had I stripped from a Red-Neck corpse a few years back when I got a bit over encumbered with supplies. It had recordings, books, and journals in it that she was transporting between Red-Neck outposts. Why would a messenger be with a Reclaimer squad? 

Rummaging through the bag I found a few maps. One showed locations of nearby outposts. From the looks of it, this team was en-route to either relaying information to a nearby outpost, or switching out with a new team so they could rest. Well, thanks to me, they can rest eternally now. The other map showed what looked like a trade route, but it was meandering all over the place. I stuffed both of them in my satchel. There was a list of names, but I knew none of them, so I tossed it. The other list was a list of places. I heard of a town called Hope, but what was this one marked New Hope? Knowing the wasteland, Hope probably got razed by some raiders and they rebuilt. When a town is destroyed, it often gets rebuilt, but more often it is simply abandoned. The others seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place my tongue on it. It’s been a while. 

At the bottom of the bag was a small data chip. I took out a portable computer from my satchel. I flipped the screen up and popped the chip into it. The screen flickered to life but was a bit hazy. I whacked it a few times before the image stabilized. 

“You are just as delicate with technology as you are with mammals Boss.”

“Don’t me me get _delicate_ with you.”

“Shutting up.”

He was right though. I am not much of a techie. Sure I have this wrist computer and this, thing that I am trying to load the data chip on, but more often then not it caused nothing but trouble. Give me a target and a gun and I am your mammal. The chip loaded a profile of a giraffe. It was a female, about thirteen foot in height. She was obviously a Red-Neck due to the metal jaw, something that a non Red-Neck would not dare to get. Bad enough that those bastards have given a bad name to my species. 

It started to flash some information that I skimmed over. Escaped Red-Necks during a raid on the Legionaries. Last seen with a rabbit named Olivia Springs. Wait, that name was on that one paper. Current residence is in New Hope. It flashed a few more images, one of them with a pretty nice looking set of amour on. Didn’t even know they made something like that for Giraffes. It then popped up a list, a rather short list, of affiliations including… Steel Guardians? Hm. Never seen a giraffe within the Guardians. And an ex Red-Neck? Now I _really_ need to meet this girl. Known relatives, child…

“Damn.”

“Boss?”

“Nothing.”

I have no idea why that thought just popped into my head. Last thing I need is someone tying me down before my job is over. Hell, not sure if I would want that afterwards. Never even pictured myself with a woman. Or anyone for that matter. Not that I haven’t… No. That can’t… that can’t… can it? It can’t be a coincidence, and if it’s not, then I _REALLY_ need to find this giraffe. 

“Boss? You seemed concerned, and you never seem concerned.”

“Bossche. Start recording.”

“Boss?”

“Now.”

As soon as he let me know he was ready I spoke, the words clearer than when I first said them all those years ago. 

“Journal entry. Day one thousand, six hundred and forty-one. Second Entry. I have managed to take down not only a squad of Red-Necks, but a Reclaimer squad as well. They were not much trouble, didn’t even know if was a Reclaimer squad until I had already killed all but one of them. I did, however, find my first break in years. I found her. I left my past behind to continue what my father died doing, and in that time I have had two goals that I have focused on. Bringing down the Red-Necks once and for all, and finding a sister that had been hidden away from my father up until just before he died. My father may not get to see her, but I will find her, I will protect her, and I will destroy the very mammals who broke us up.”

“What if she’s not your sister? I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time we encountered someone with your last name Boss.”

“Don’t matter. Sister or not, I reckon she might be an ally in the days to come, or at the very least, a source of information.” There was something about the picture that nagged a part of my brain, and I have no idea why. “I, Octavius Rothschild will find you Jasmine, and be you blood or simply another mammal, I will make sure that I find you before these Red-Neck bastards do, and when we come knocking at their home, we will make sure they pay with their lives. I promise you that.”

“Thought you didn’t want to make any friends Boss.”

“I don’t. But I have the inkling that I will need someone to watch my back a heck of a lot better than you can.” I gave him a bitter look. “Plus, sometimes you get on my last damn nerve.”

“Gee, thanks Boss.”

I put my hat back on my head and cast my gaze in the direction the Reclaimers had been heading. 

“Come Bossche, daylights burning. We have a giraffe to find.”


End file.
